# Creepy Mr Mime > Creepy Mr. Mime is a 2018 reaction-image meme sparked by the hyper-realistic CGI Pokémon's unsettling human features in the Detective Pikachu trailer, inspiring horror comparisons to characters like Pennywise. Creepy Mr. Mime refers to the wave of jokes and horror comparisons that followed the reveal of a hyper-realistic CGI Mr. Mime in the first *Detective Pikachu* trailer, released on November 12, 2018. Twitter users immediately latched onto the Pokémon's unsettling human-like appearance, comparing it to horror movie villains like Pennywise from *IT*. The reaction spawned a brief but intense burst of memes, reaction images, and think pieces across social media and gaming press. ## Origin On November 12, 2018, Warner Brothers dropped the first trailer for *Detective Pikachu*, a live-action film starring Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the titular character[4]. The trailer featured several photorealistic Pokémon, but one scene near its end drew outsized attention: Mr. Mime sitting at an interrogation table, rendered in full CGI detail[1]. The character's design was faithful to the original Pokémon, which was first introduced in *Pokémon Red and Green* in 1996 as number 122 in the National Pokédex[2]. Originally named "Barrierd" in Japanese, the character was renamed "Mr. Mime" during English localization by translator Nob Ogasawara, who later expressed concern about giving a gendered name to a species that could be either sex[2]. Within hours of the trailer going live, Twitter users were posting screenshots of the CGI Mr. Mime alongside horror movie comparisons[4]. - **Platform:** YouTube (trailer debut), Twitter (meme spread) - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created from Warner Brothers' *Detective Pikachu* trailer) - **Date:** 2018 ## Overview When Warner Brothers gave audiences their first look at a live-action Pokémon world, most of the conversation centered on Ryan Reynolds voicing a fuzzy electric mouse. But one scene near the end of the *Detective Pikachu* trailer stole the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: a photorealistic 3D rendering of Mr. Mime being interrogated[4]. The Pokémon's fleshy skin, subtle hair tufts, and dead-eyed stare hit viewers squarely in the uncanny valley, turning what was supposed to be a comedic moment into something deeply uncomfortable. The creepiness factor makes more sense when you look at Mr. Mime's actual biology. According to Bulbapedia, those blue tufts on its head aren't hair but "blue growths resembling clown hair"[1]. Its curled feet aren't shoes. Its puffy white torso isn't a shirt. Every part that looks like clothing is just its body. As Polygon put it: "He's just shaped that way... all the time"[1]. ## How It Spread The reaction was immediate and widespread. Twitter user @itsacquaintance compared Mr. Mime's appearance to Pennywise the clown from the 2017 *IT* film[4]. User @JacobOller joked that whoever decided to give the CGI model visible hair should "go to prison"[4]. The Pokémon fan account @pokebeach_wpm also drew the Pennywise comparison, while @itukayomo placed Mr. Mime alongside doll villains from various horror films[4]. Gaming and entertainment press jumped on the story the same day. Polygon published an explainer diving into Mr. Mime's disturbing biological details, noting that "every part of him, from what looks like a poofy white shirt, to his terrifyingly-large gloved hands, are just his body"[1]. Uproxx compiled what it called the funniest tweets about the trailer, with Mr. Mime reactions dominating the list[3]. Kotaku ran a similar roundup focused specifically on tweets comparing Mr. Mime to horror movie villains[4]. Polygon's piece also revived a long-running fan theory that Mr. Mime might be Ash Ketchum's father, citing the character's suspiciously close relationship with Ash's mother in the anime and the fact that Ash's actual father has never been identified[1]. The theory, while based on thin evidence, added another layer of discomfort to an already unsettling character. ## How to Use The Creepy Mr. Mime format typically works in one of two ways: 1. **Horror comparison:** Place a screenshot of the CGI Mr. Mime next to a horror villain (Pennywise, Chucky, Annabelle) to highlight the resemblance. The joke is that a children's franchise character is indistinguishable from an actual movie monster. 2. **Uncomfortable screenshot reaction:** Use a still of Mr. Mime from the trailer as a standalone reaction image, usually to express unease or to describe something that looks friendly on the surface but is deeply wrong underneath. ## Cultural Impact The Creepy Mr. Mime moment was part of a larger conversation about the *Detective Pikachu* trailer's approach to rendering cartoon creatures in photorealistic style. While Pikachu's fuzzy design was broadly well-received, Mr. Mime and Jigglypuff landed in uncanny territory that split audiences[1]. Multiple outlets published analysis pieces on the same day the trailer dropped, making it one of the more covered single-character reactions in Pokémon franchise history[1][3]. The meme also brought renewed attention to Mr. Mime's inherently strange lore. Fans who only knew the character from the games or anime learned for the first time that its "clothes" are biological growths and its "shoes" are curled foot-horns[1]. This body horror angle gave the meme a factual basis that pure reaction memes often lack. ## Fun Facts - Mr. Mime's blue head growths function like horns, and since the same material forms its feet, the Pokémon could theoretically stand on its head[1]. - The Japanese name "Barrierd" was changed to "Mr. Mime" during localization, a decision translator Nob Ogasawara regretted when genders were later added to Pokémon species, meaning female Mr. Mimes exist[2]. - The *Detective Pikachu* trailer used a song from the *Shrek Swamp Karaoke Dance Party*, a detail Polygon called equally important to the CGI Pokémon designs[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Creepy Mr. Mime? Creepy Mr. Mime is a meme based on the unsettling CGI appearance of the Pokémon Mr. Mime in the 2018 *Detective Pikachu* trailer. Social media users compared it to horror movie characters[4]. ### Where did Creepy Mr. Mime come from? It originated on November 12, 2018, when Warner Brothers released the first *Detective Pikachu* trailer featuring a photorealistic 3D Mr. Mime in an interrogation scene[4]. ### What does Creepy Mr. Mime mean? The meme captures the uncanny valley effect of rendering a cartoon character in lifelike detail. People use it to joke about things that look friendly but feel deeply wrong[1]. ### How do you use Creepy Mr. Mime? Place a screenshot of the CGI Mr. Mime next to a horror villain for comparison, or use Mr. Mime's still image as a reaction to something unsettling[4]. ### Is Creepy Mr. Mime still popular? No. The meme was highly concentrated around the trailer's release in November 2018 and faded quickly as other *Detective Pikachu* content took over the conversation[4]. ### Why does Mr. Mime look so creepy in Detective Pikachu? Mr. Mime's design is biologically accurate to the original Pokémon. What looks like clothing, shoes, and hair are all part of its body, including horn-like blue growths on its head and curled foot structures[1]. ### Is Mr. Mime really Ash's father? This is a long-running fan theory based on a wild Mr. Mime's close relationship with Ash's mother in the anime and Ash's absent father. The evidence is thin, but the theory persists[1]. ### What was Mr. Mime's original name? In Japanese, the character was called "Barrierd." Translator Nob Ogasawara renamed it "Mr. Mime" for Western audiences based on its appearance[2]. ## References 1. [Detective Pikachu’s horrifying Mr. Mime, explained]() 2. [Viral – UPROXX]() 3. [Creepy Mr. Mime - Know Your Meme]() 4. [List of generation I Pokémon]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/creepy-mr-mime Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library