Instead of saying “once upon a time,” Korean folklore often begins with the phrase “back when tigers used to smoke.” In Korean folk art, especially the minhwa paintings of the Joseon Dynasty, tigers were often shown smoking long pipes, wearing hats, or sitting like awkward old men. Instead of appearing as fierce and majestic predators, they were intentionally painted as goofy, anxious, cross eyed, or strangely human. The exaggerated “derpy” expressions were part of the humor. In many of these works, the tiger symbolized figures of authority such as arrogant aristocrats, corrupt officials, or self important scholars, while nearby magpies represented ordinary people quietly mocking them. The smoking pipes added another layer of satire. After tobacco spread into Korea during the 1600s, pipe smoking quickly became associated with adult male status, leisure, scholarship, and upper class masculinity. By portraying a tiger lazily smoking like an elderly nobleman, artists turned the feared predator of the mountains into a pompous and almost ridiculous bureaucrat. Some paintings even exaggerate the tiger’s expression so heavily that it looks tired, confused, or mildly irritated — like an aging official bothered by gossiping villagers. These exaggerated features also reflected the playful nature of minhwa itself, a style that valued humor, symbolism, and emotional expression more than realism. That’s why many Korean tiger paintings still feel surprisingly modern and cartoonish despite being centuries old.(Historic Vids)