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Kako is one of the main characters of the show. He’s Oobi's best friend and next-door neighbor. He was played by Noel MacNeal.

Description

Kako is Oobi's outgoing and overconfident best friend, who fancies himself a talented musician and artist. He’s clever, dependable and goofy. However, Kako is shown to get frustrated easily if things don't go his way. When this happens, he can always count on Oobi and Uma to help him overcome his problems. He thinks that Oobi is the most "perfecto" friend he could ever have.

Kako lives across the street from Oobi in a red brick house. He lives with his parents, Mamu and Papu, and his pet Shih Tzu puppy. Kako's mom spends most of her time working at a big office, but she still finds time to spend with her husband and son. Kako knows that it's important for his mom to work, but he can't help but miss her when she’s away.

Kako likes to use Spanish phrases. His catchphrase is "Perfecto," usually followed by him saying "Mwah!" and kissing the air. He also uses nada (nothing) and adiós (goodbye) throughout the show.

Development

Out of the four main puppets, Kako's character and voice stayed the most consistent from the early development to the later episodes. The only real change between the first two seasons was giving Kako a red hat to distinguish him from Oobi. In the first season, he looked almost identical to Oobi, aside from his skin tone.

In the earlier episodes, Kako was almost always at Oobi's house, and his own family was very rarely mentioned. In season three, Kako's parents Mamu and Papu were shown on screen for the first time. The episode "Kako Dinner!" served as a way to introduce Kako's parents as secondary characters. In the episode, Oobi has dinner at Kako's house for the first time and learns that Kako's family customs are very different from his own.

Noel-MacNeal-press-photo

Noel MacNeal

In a 2016 interview, Noel MacNeal described his experience on the show:

"Oobi was a fun challenge because the puppets were our hands with glass eyes on our fingers. That's it! Plus, they only spoke in one to two words at a time. And they would often reference something like a crayon, then use it the normal way a hand would, then put it down and revert back to 'puppet mode.' Which is why when we found out that the kids were doing a musical we asked 'how?!?!' But it actually worked and is one of the best episodes we ever did." (source)

Looks

Kako is a dark-skinned hand puppet. He’s about the same height as Oobi. In the first two seasons, he has green-blue eyes. In the third season, his eyes are a lighter green.

In season one, Kako has no accessories. In the next two seasons, he almost always wears a red knit cap. When he plays T-ball, he wears a shiny red helmet instead of his usual cap.

Gallery

Promo images

Screenshots

Video

Noel_MacNeal_at_the_Museum_of_the_Moving_Image!

Noel MacNeal at the Museum of the Moving Image!

Noel doing the voice of Kako in 2011.

Trivia

  • "Checkup!", "Baby!", and "Fishing!" are the only three long-form episodes where Kako is absent. He is featured in every other episode, either as part of the main story or in an interview segment.

Navigation

ve Characters
Main cast OobiUmaKakoGrampu
Recurring cast InkaAngusMrs. JohnsonMamuPapuMaestruFriedaMoppieBella
Other kids AmyChauncyDino-KakoFrankieFredLittle girlMimiOobi-RexRandyRaySophieTaroUmasaurus
Other adults Amy's momAstronautAunt OotaBarberBusinesspersonCliffDelivery womanDr. RoseGrampusaurusGreat-GrandmamuMusicianNickPaulaPoppieSheilaTulla
Groups Background puppetsChildrenFirefightersLive-action animalsRock stars
Animals ChipmunkEagleFishHand treeKittyNightmare chickenOwlPuppySeagullTurtleWoodpecker
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