Austin (The Backyardigans)

Austin is a purple kangaroo and a major character in The Backyardigans. Austin's speaking voice is provided by Jonah Bobo. His singing voice was provided by Thomas Sharkey for the first three seasons and by Nicholas Barasch for the final season.

Why He Rocks

 * 1) He’s a kangaroo who’s a very different, realistic, and likable character.
 * 2) His character design is cute and original.
 * 3) He promotes creativity and imagination, like when he pretends to be villains such as Gloom Meister, and when he pretended to be the Boogeyman, a comedian monster.
 * 4) The kinds of people he pretends to be can be awesome at times, like when he was pretending to be secret contact for Agent Secret (Pablo), and when he was pretending to be the Grabbing Goblin.
 * 5) For one of the 5 main characters to focus on imagination in the show, he shows a lot of very creative and inventive moments in the episodes, such as the first episode "Knights are Brave and Strong", where he and his friends pretend they're in a medieval world.
 * 6) Jonah Bobo did a great job voicing him.
 * 7) Thomas Sharkey and Nicholas Barasch did a great job with his singing voice.
 * 8) He has very realistic dances, as a troupe of real dancers learned each dance choreography and was filmed for the animators to watch, so that he and the other characters have amazing dances.
 * 9) He has funny jokes and running gags, such as him playing the role of evil yet comedic and fun villains.
 * 10) He really cares about his friends and is always there for them during their adventures.
 * 11) He is sweet and intelligent, as he frequently takes the role of a humble servant or faithful assistant, putting his friends' needs ahead of his own and helping them in any way he can.
 * 12) He got some character development, as he was initially a shy kid, (since he recently moves in the neighborhood) but he gets braver and more confident over time, taking on the roles of the villains in the stories.
 * 13) Unlike Dora Márquez and other Nick Jr. protagonists, the way he, and his friends, breaks the fourth wall is pretty cool and it is not annoying for older children or adults making him one of the few preschool education characters that is entertaining for all ages.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Sometimes, his singing voice is much too loud.
 * 2) His excessive/prolonged/repetitive singing can be annoying.
 * 3) The running gag that sometimes his stomach growls at the end of an adventure can get old pretty fast.

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