Critical Reception
Since appearing in the Pokémon franchise, Mr. Mime has received generally negative reception. 1UP.com named Mr. Mime the "Lamest Pokémon" in the franchise, stating "Mr. Mime makes you shake your head and question what reality we actually inhabit. Surely proto-human-clown-mime Pokémon don't arise in any ordinary universe." In an analysis of the article on 1UP FM, the hosts agreed with the statement, describing him as hideous and "kinda a Krusty the Clown...malformed...thing". Retronauts stated similar, calling it out specifically as a "creepy son of a bitch", and a Pokémon that should not be part of the series due to its blatantly human appearance, further describing it as "everything that's wrong with mimes and clowns". GamesRadar named it one of the most "fugly Pokémon" in the series, describing it as "just...creepy", citing specifically its humanoid shape and dangling arms. However, they also noted that while one of the more weird characters in the series, it was also one of the more popular. IGN editor "Pokémon of the Day Chick" has expressed her dislike of the character in multiple articles, describing it as an "abomination" and jokingly alluded that designers were on drugs when they created it. GamesRadar editor Carolyn Gudmundson listed "humanoid" as one of the most overused Pokémon designs, listing Mr. Mime and Jynx as one of "the most infamous" examples.
Other sources have instead praised the character's appearance. The book Gaming Cultures and Place in Asia-Pacific defended Mr. Mime's design. Suggesting Sugimori developed it along with Jynx to draw upon the humor of heta-uma (a term meaning bad/nice), the book notes the design oscillates between the poles of good and bad, and as a result offers diversity within the game and invites scrutiny from players. The Coventry Evening Telegraph also praised its design, stating the character was "more interesting" in comparison to more commonly seen Pokémon such as Squirtle.
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