
If a glance at most of our Nintendo Switch Year in Review stats is anything to go by, then more than a few of us have spent a good bit of time with Balatro this year. We've spent so long with it, in fact, that its iconography is pretty much burned into our minds by this point. It sure would be a shame if one joke tweet made us see the whole thing differently, huh?
Well, we're sorry, but that's exactly what has happened. It all started with a tweet by @JacobJanerka, who shared that he sees the game's mascot, Jimbo, not as a clown wearing a blue ruffle collar but as a guy with a giant head wearing a blue jumpsuit — it's the KFC Colonel all over again
Yep, we had to see it, so we're putting you through it too. Here's the mock-up that started it all:
We Nintendo Lifers had a chuckle about this when we first laid eyes on it this morning, amused by the idea that someone could possibly see it as anything other than a clown in some fancy neckwear. A reply from Balatro developer LocalThunk that simply read "Delete this" made us smugly assume that we were in the right — after all, nobody else could possibly think the same thing, right?
Wrong. A closer inspection of the thread reveals that the original poster was not alone in his point of view and, after a swift poll in Nintendo Life Towers, there are even some among our rank who have long seen the mascot in the same tiny-bodied way.
We were agog. We were aghast. But now we're starting to wonder if we on Team Ruff are the ones in the wrong. When we saw Ben Starr take on the role in a recent 'Friends of Jimbo' trailer, he certainly opted for the collar look, but who's to say that's the 'correct' interpretation?
Help us settle this, dear readers — is the Balatro mascot a clown in a ruff or a dude with a giant head and tiny body? You can cast your vote in the poll below. Please, we need to know.
Ruff or tiny body? Which side are you on? Let us know in the comments.
[source x.com]
Comments 24
My god. This website right now... 😅
Would be a tiny body with excessively long arms... one more reason for me to vote for what it actually and luckily is, that is a ruff!
@Jack_Goetz What do you mean?! This is very important business!
Smiling friends type character.
I swear I always saw it as a tiny body xD
Now that you think about it, it does remind of Ulster County's "I Voted" sticker.

Only somebody who doesn't know what a jester is would think it's a tiny body.
Removed - unconstructive feedback
I sure hope it's his ruff but now I'm going to think about it when I play, so thanks for that lol
There's a moment in the game where he comments about not having hands, so that would seem to be that!
Ernm I haven't played this yet (I do mean to) but I thought it was a super deformed Joker with a tiny body. (Granted I haven't looked that closely.)
Y'all are silly lol. Thanks for the laugh if nothing else. 🤣
It's obviously his ruff, but now I can't unseen the tiny body.
God help them once they notice that all the face cards have two heads..
random indeed
Cue to people trying to make sense of SNES Samus' shoulder pads.
(I know there is official art showing her shoulder is inside and much lower)
I have always seen it both ways, TBH.
Body horror!!! This is why Balatro is rated 18.
It’s actually a ”rough” because he’s “well rough (innit)”.
It is a ruff in which the tiny body is housed
All I can see is Sam Riegel doing an ad bit on Critical Role…
Thanks for the laugh I needed it.
Well, something’s can’t be unseen.
I mean it's obviously a ruff but that won't stop the internet from debating it.
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