8in UMKC Classic Roo Plush

Origin of Casey Kangaroo

In 1936, the students of the 3-year-old University of Kansas City (KCU) decided they needed a mascot. Inspired by a new exhibit of Kangaroos at the Kansas City Zoo, someone suggested that we should be the “KCU Kangaroos.” A student political party, the Kangaroo Party, was formed and part of its platform was to make the Kangaroo the official mascot of the university. They even went so far as to name the proposed mascot Casey, i.e. “ K.C.” The Kangaroo Party won the election and in 1937 Casey Kangaroo became the official mascot of the university.

At this same time a group of students started up a campus humor magazine called “The Kangaroo.” They asked Kansas City native son Walt Disney for a drawing of their new mascot. This drawing became the cover of the March 1938 edition of the magazine. This plush kangaroo is inspired by that drawing and the tradition of UMKC’s unique mascot.