The Misadventures of Kenkoy
| Kenkoy | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Created by | Tony Velasquez (illustrator) Romualdo Ramos (writer) |
| Aliases | Francisco Harabas |
| Species | Human |
| Relatives | Rosing (wife) Children: Dayunyor Dyulie Tsing Doy Dalisyosa Etot Nene Piching, Tsikiting Gubat |
Francisco "Kenkoy" Harabas is a Philippine comics character created by writer Romualdo Ramos and cartoonist and illustrator Tony Velasquez in 1929. Velazquez continued the strip for decades after Ramos' death in 1932. Kenkoy was seminal to Philippine comics and thus Velasquez is considered the founding father of the industry. The term kenkoy has entered the Filipino language to mean a joker, jester, or a hilarious person.
Kenkoy was a comedic character who wore a baggy pair of pants, suspenders and charol shoes, and had “ironed” or flattened hair.
The modern translation of his Tagalog surname "Harabas" is "reckless".
Filipino illustrator and cartoonist Nonoy Marcelo described Kenkoy as a “ludicrous portrait of the Filipino pathetically trying but barely succeeding in keeping up with his American mentors” (see American Period in Philippine History) and as the “Philippine’s first true pop icon”.
Although with a funny personality, Kenkoy courted Rosing, the Manileña (a woman from Manila) who represented the ideal and romanticized Filipino woman – a female who was timid, shy, kind, caring, prone to jealousy, and impeccable – garbed (like Philippine national hero José Rizal’s Maria Clara) in the traditional baro’t saya or the Sunday camisa (shirt) combined with the panuelo (kerchief), including the bakya (a pair of wooden clogs) footwear. Kenkoy’s competitor for Rosing’s love, affection, and attention was the handsome character named Tirso S. Upot (a wordplay, while "S" in his middle name meant to be "is", then "upot" in Tagalog meaning "uncircumcised", hence “Tirso is Uncircumcised”). Kenkoy eventually won the competition and married Rosing. Kenkoy and Rosing had eight children: their biological children Dayunyor Dyulie, Tsing, Doy, Dalisyosa, Etot, Nene, Piching, and adopted son Tsikiting Gubat, a mute but wily child.
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