Francisco "Kenkoy" Harabas is a

Philippine comics Comics in the Philippines ( fil, Komiks}) have been widespread and popular throughout the country from the 1920s to the present. Komiks were partially inspired by American mainstream comic strips and comic books during the early 20th century. ...

character created by writer Romualdo Ramos and

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...

and illustrator

Tony Velasquez Antonio "Tony" Velasquez (29 October 1910 – 1997) is a Filipino illustrator regarded as the Father of Tagalog comics and as the pioneer and founding father of the Philippine comics industry. He was the creator of '' Kenkoy'', an “iconic Phil ...

in 1929.Kenkoy by Komiklopedia on 2007/10/04
komiklopedia.wordpress.com 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 komiks industry.Filipino Artist Tony Velasquez – Founding Father of Philippine Komiks (Comics)
/ref> The term ''kenkoy'' has entered the

Filipino language Filipino (; , ) is an Austronesian language. It is the national language ( / ) of the Philippines, and one of the two official languages of the country, with English. It is a standardized variety of Tagalog based on the native dialect, spoke ...

to mean a joker,

jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

, or a hilarious person."Kenkoy". '' Diksiyonaryong Filipino,

University of the Philippines Press The University of the Philippines Press (or the U.P. Press) is the official publishing house for all constituent units of the U.P. system, and is the first university press in the country. It is mandated to encourage, publish, and disseminate sch ...

Description

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 American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

mentors," and as the "Philippine’s first true pop icon." Although with a funny personality, Kenkoy courted Rosing, the Manileña (a woman from

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

) who represented the

ideal Ideal may refer to: Philosophy * Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato Mathematics * Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considere ...

and romanticized

Filipino woman The role of women in the Philippines ( fil, Kababaihan sa Pilipinas) is explained based on the context of Filipino culture, standards, and mindsets. The Philippines is described to be a nation of strong women, who directly and indirectly run the ...

– a female who was timid, shy, kind, caring, prone to jealousy, and impeccable – garbed (like Philippine national hero

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national he ...

’s

Maria Clara Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, d ...

) in the traditional '' baro’t saya'' or the Sunday ''

camisa Camisa or Kamisa ( grc, τὰ Κάμισα), also known as Comassa and possibly as Eumeis, was a town of Lesser Armenia, inhabited during Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine times. It loaned its name to the surrounding district of Camisene or Comisen ...

'' (shirt) combined with the '' panuelo'' (kerchief), including the ''

bakya The Bakyâ or wooden clogs were once the most commonly used footwear in the Philippines before the introduction of rubber sandals. This footwear is made from local light wood like santol and laniti. It is cut to the desired foot size before being ...

'' (a pair of wooden

clogs Clogs are a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood. Used in many parts of the world, their forms can vary by culture, but often remained unchanged for centuries within a culture. Traditional clogs remain in use as protective fo ...

) 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.

History

The name Kenkoy was derived from common nicknames for the Francisco, namely Kiko, Iko, Kikoy. Kenkoy first appeared on the pages of the Tagalog-language literary magazine

Liwayway ''Liwayway''''Liwayway''
Komiklopedia, The Philippine Komiks Encyclopedia, Komiklopedia.wor ...

on 11 January 1929. Kenkoy had always been portrayed in misadventures. Kenkoy was the lead character for the weekly comic strip ''Mga Kabalbalan ni Kenkoy'' (The Misadventures of Kenkoy or Kenkoy’s Antics). ''Mga Kabalbalan ni Kenkoy'' was translated into several regional languages in the Philippines. In the 1960s, Velasquez went with the flow of the fashion trend, shedding Kenkoy’s outmoded clothes. He started wearing pairs of pants similar to those worn by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, collared sport

polo shirt A polo shirt, tennis shirt, golf shirt, or chukker shirt is a form of shirt with a collar. Polo shirts are usually short sleeved but can be long; they were used by polo players originally in India in 1859 and in Great Britain during the 1920s. ...

, and

Converse Converse may refer to: Mathematics and logic * Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement ** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication ** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...

brand rubber shoes (

sneakers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

). However, Kenkoy’s trademark polished and flat hairstyle remained. On the other hand, Kenkoy’s wife Rosing maintained her traditional image and demeanor.

Influence on language

Kenkoy, through his creators, was the origin of the “

pidgin language A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn from s ...

” that was the mixture of grammatically-incorrect yet effectively comical “ Tagalog,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

languages” usage contemporarily known as "

Carabao The carabao ( es, Carabao; tgl, Kalabaw; ceb, Kabaw; ilo, Nuang) is a domestic swamp-type water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis'') native to the Philippines. Carabaos were introduced to Guam from the Spanish Philippines in the 17th century. They ...

", ("Kenkoy's English"), “

Taglish Taglish or Englog is code-switching and/or code-mixing in the use of Tagalog and English, the most common languages of the Philippines. The words ''Taglish'' and ''Englog'' are portmanteaux of the words ''Tagalog'' and ''English''. The earliest ...

”, and “Spangalog” (a portmanteau, creole of Tagalog and Spanish, not the Chavacano of Cavite).

Influence on music

Filipino musician and composer wrote a libretto about Kenkoy entitled ''Hay Naku Kenkoy'' ("Oh My Gosh Kenkoy").Ardivilla, Chong
Kenkoy kick-started 'komiks'
Filipino

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

Mike Hanopol Michael Abarico Hanopol (born April 10, 1946), also known as Mike Hanopol, is a Filipino rockLosorata, YugelMike Hanopol's lyrics of praise.(Entertainment)''Manila Bulletin'', Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp., March 28, 2005

wrote the song entitled ''Mr. Kenkoy''.

Influence on film

A movie version of Kenkoy was created in 1951. The film version was directed by Ramon Estrella and written by Kenkoy co-creator Tony Velasquez. The film featured Filipino actors such as

Dely Atay-atayan Adelaida Fernando-Villegas (born Adelaida Marquez Fernando; March 17, 1914 – August 30, 2004), better known as Dely Atay-Atayan or Adelaida Fernando, was a Filipina comedian and singer. Her career in entertainment spanned seven decades, begi ...

, Eduardo Infante, and Lopito.Kenkoy (1951) Comedy
/ref>

Collected editions

References

{{Reflist Fictional Filipino people Philippine comic strips Male characters in comics 1929 comics debuts Comics characters introduced in 1929 Humor comics Philippine comics adapted into films Filipino comics characters