Marimondas are the Barranquilla Carnival costumes with hoods, long noses, floppy ears and bright trousers. Their exaggerated appearance makes them among the festival’s most recognizable figures.
The costume is intentionally comic and irreverent. Its caricatured face is often described as blending monkey- and elephant-like features, with oversized ears and a prominent nose. Modern versions use vivid colors and may include a vest or jacket as well as the characteristic trousers.
Marimondas are also linked to social satire. Traditional accounts describe the character as a way for working-class people to mock powerful or wealthy figures. The costume’s deliberately awkward look and energetic dancing preserve that playful, rebellious spirit.
They are easy to confuse with other Barranquilla Carnival figures, including Congo dancers, Cabezones and Monocucos. Those are distinct costumes or traditions. Marimondas are particularly associated with their hooded head, exaggerated nose and ears, bright clothing and lively jumps; a rubber whistle called a pea-pea is also traditionally connected with the character.