Kenny the Kangaroo

***Kenny the Kangaroo*** is a British television puppet character. He is best known for his appearances on *Toffa:AM* since 2018, and as a main presenter since 2021. Kenny also has two programmes: *Kenny's Kalamities* which launched in 2021 aimed at children, and *Kenny's Karaoke Klub* which launched in 2022 as a family entertainment show. He was initially operated by Sidmoth Keenan from 2018-2019, and by Rob Fowler since 2020.

## History and Development

In 2017, Toffa was developing a new weekend children's programme named *Puppeteria*. As the name suggested, it would be a series set in a cafeteria run by puppets and mostly featured other puppets as customers. Multiple concepts had been developed as both regulars and recurring characters. As the concept on Kenny the Kangaroo developed, the show's executive producers felt that the character could arguably too strong for the show, and perhaps set about of it being a possible spin-off, or just have Kenny's own show.

When development of the revamped *Toffa:AM* for January 2018 was in the works at the same time, the show's new producer wanted to shake up the premise and appeal the show more to younger viewers. The concept for Kenny was passed over to *Toffa:AM*, and his inclusion was immediately accepted. Taking on the role was Sidmoth Keenan, who had been a rare, occasional presenter and actor on the channel since 2014 for various programmes and this would be his first full-time gig.

Kenny made his television debut on Monday 7 January 2018 on *Toffa:AM*'s first programme of the revamp: the first to come from the channel's new headquarters in Burton-upon-Trent, the first with new presenting duo Chris Joy and Louise Tiltin, and the first with a modified format. He was introduced at 7:45am, introduced as a new element the show would have every morning. Kenny introduces himself to Joy, Tiltin and the viewers; detailing his personal life as well as nearly taking up a cafeteria job and answering questions from the new presenters. Over the course of his first week, Kenny starts to get to grip with the show, and soon developed a friendship with Chris Joy, but shares little interest in Tiltin. Whilst this was improvised, it almost foreshadowed the fate of the programme over the next few months, where Tiltin's presence was becoming unpopular with viewers, and saw declining ratings. On the Valentines Day Show in 2018, Chris and Kenny had been trying to hide from Louise in Toffa's HQ as she had been trying to spark romance, but they were found almost an hour into the show, and felt bitter for the rest of it.

As *Toffa:AM* began declining in April 2018, the producers of the upcoming *Fort Boyard* revival approach a male presenter to lead the show, and Sidmoth Keenan was one, especially in the worst-case scenario that the show could get axed. Keenan was unsure on the job, having only been Kenny's puppeteer for a few months, but decided to take it given the state of the show at the time. With this, Kenny's appearances were reduced from May, with the excuse made of him being on holiday and sending occasional postcards which Keenan offered to do whilst filming for *Fort Boyard* during June. The programme subsequently halted on the 16th that month when Louise Tiltin was fired, and the show took a break until September, four weeks longer than usual, in order to replace her. Due to Kenny's popularity, he would remain on with the show, and he would also be given a two-episode guest appearance in the first series of *Puppeteria* to soften the blow*.*

When the show returned on 3 September 2018, Kenny the Kangaroo also returned, along with it being Maddie Burnley's first show as main co-presenter. However, they and Joy did appear two days prior on *Toffa Goes Live!*, a one-night special concert marking the channel's fifteenth anniversary. The chemistry between the three hit the ground running, and Toffa:AM quickly recovered in the ratings and even improved going into 2019. Due to certain logistics, as well as the hype when the Fort Boyard revival grew in February, Kenny did not take part in the month-long roadshow.

## Personality

Kenny the Kangaroo was born into an Australian family who moved to the UK shortly before he was born. Although his family naturally maintained the Australian accents, Kenny's interest in the UK in his childhood often made his speaking voice change accents between British and Australian, which has more of the former sound in recent years. In his early years, Kenny often had the mindset of a child, learning about the world, with a cheeky persona. His 15-minute slot is often where *Toffa:AM*'s audience peaked in each show.

## Social media

Kenny gained an official Twitter account in September 2019, which as of July 2023 has approx. 103,000 followers. He then gained an Instagram account in September 2020, and a YouTube channel in September 2021, devised of highlights of his time on *Toffa:AM*, as well as full episodes of his namesake TV shows and other appearances. These social media channels are run by both Rob Fowler and Toffa's social media team.

## Merchandise

In January 2020, Toffa began rolling out Kenny the Kangaroo merchandise, including plushies, mugs, T-shirts, pyjamas and wallpapers among more. These are available to buy exclusively on the Toffa Store website and app.

## Television

The character has appeared in the following roles:

 2018-present
 2018-2022
 2020
 2021-present
 2022-present