Tom Kenny is an American actor who has likely voiced a good number of characters from your childhood. Beginning with small live-action roles in the late 80s, he broke into voice acting in 1993 with the Nickelodeon show Rocko's Modern Life. While Nickelodeon has been his main source of work on television, Kenny has also found success in video games and animated films.
Kenny is most recognized for his comedic roles but is more than capable of dipping into drama when needed. Even when he plays small parts, he puts his heart and soul into every word, which brings the characters to life in a way few voice actors can.
SpongeBob Squarepants – 'SpongeBob Squarepants' (1999 – Present)
In the town of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob Squarepants lives with his pet snail, Gary, in a pineapple. When he's not working as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, he's often going on adventures with his best friend, Patrick Star. These can range from catching jellyfish to discovering magic pencils that bring drawings to life in SpongeBob Squarepants.
Tom Kenny has been voicing SpongeBob since 1999, so it's no surprise that this would be his most iconic role. He brings every inch of his talent to the performance, which allows him to show off his diverse vocal range while mastering SpongeBob's youthful and energetic pitch. This is best seen in the moments where SpongeBob displays bouts of wisdom beyond his usual immaturity.
Heffer Wolfe – 'Rocko's Modern Life' (1993 - 1996)
Within O-Town in Rocko's Modern Life, a timid wallaby named Rocko befriends a steer named Heffer. Raised by wolves as their dinner, Heffer won them over with his upbeat attitude, which he carries with him today. While not the smartest person in the room, Heffer's optimism means he's willing to try anything, and he'll always be there for his friend.
Despite being the first character Tom Kenny voiced, Heffer still manages to be as memorable as his later roles. This is thanks to the use of inflections: Kenny always puts an excited or upbeat emphasis on the last word that Heffer says in a sentence. This helps convey his simple yet optimistic outlook on life.
The Narrator & Mayor of Townsville – 'The Powerpuff Girls' (1998 - 2005)
Craig McCracken's show about super-powered girls created two iconic performances for Kenny. The first is as the energetic narrator who begins every episode with an update on the state of the city of Townsville. The other is the friendly, if at times childish, mayor with a love of pickles.
Both voices and characters are fun and noticeably distinct. The narrator is an exciting voice that pays homage to old radio announcers who would introduce shows like The Lone Ranger, while also offering some fun fourth-wall jokes. On the other hand, the Mayor's voice is goofy and makes several confounded sounds, like he has trouble thinking of the right word for each situation.
Patchy The Pirate – 'SpongeBob Squarepants' (1999 – Present)
Along with voicing Spongebob, Kenny also appears in live-action segments as Patchy the Pirate. The self-proclaimed president of the SpongeBob Squarepants fan club, Patchy often appears to host special episodes of the show, such as the Christmas specials. Accompanying him is his sarcastic puppet friend, Potty the Parrot.
Despite being live-action, Kenny plays Patchy as if he were a cartoon character. His expressions are delightfully over the top and his enthusiasm for SpongeBob helps make him endearing. The back and forth with Potty offers some fun jokes, especially in the early seasons, when Potty was voiced by SpongeBob's creator, Stephen Hillenburg.
Mumbo Jumbo – 'Teen Titans' (2003 - 2006)
The teenage defenders of Jump City have faced many villains over the course of their superhero careers in Teen Titans. One of their wackiest is Mumbo Jumbo, an elderly man who was granted power through a magic wand. Corrupted by power, he decides to use his new tricks to rob banks and bamboozle the team.
Though not as world-threatening as other examples, Mumbo always steals the show. Along with how creative he can be with his magic, viewers can sense the grin on Ton Kenny's face as he speaks every line. He's also given the chance to flex his singing talents with his own villain song.
Dog – 'CatDog' (1998 - 2005)
Nickelodeon's early years were full of strange concepts for their shows. One of them was CatDog, where a brother duo of a cat and a dog live as conjoined twins in a city full of anthropomorphic animals and one or two humans. With their conflicting personalities, the brothers often get up to wacky shenanigans.
Compared to his brother, Dog is the more gullible and down-to-earth. While not as smart as Cat, he's content to have fun and enjoy simple things. Kenny gets this across with a simple and slightly goofy voice, which captures Dog's child-like optimism and contrasts Jim Cumming's more cynical voice as Cat.
The Penguin – 'The Batman' (2004 - 2008)
Tom Kenny got the chance to portray Oswald Cobblepot in The Batman cartoon. While most of the other villains had it out for Batman, Penguin is more interested in tearing down Bruce Wayne's empire and re-establishing himself as the wealthiest person in Gotham. When his path does cross with Batman, he's got plenty of trick umbrellas and the deadly Kabuki twins to back him up.
While not as iconic as Paul Williams in Batman: The Animated Series, Kenny's performance offers a fun take. He leans toward the wild side of the character rather than the sophisticated one Williams used, which combos well with the martial arts skills he has in this show. Kenny has also returned to voice the Penguin in a few video games.
Spyro – 'Spyro The Dragon' Franchise (1998 - 2018)
Within the World of Dragons lives the young Spyro. As a rare purple dragon, he is able to harness the power of the four elements, which he is more than happy to use in defense of his home from evil. No challenge is too big for Spyro to handle, especially with his dragonfly friend, Sparx.
Kenny took over voicing Spyro in Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! and has been his most consistent voice actor. His portrayal retains the child-like excitement of Carlos Alazraqui, while also grounding the character, so he doesn't come across as too immature. He's the right blend of cocky attitude, boundless confidence, and a dash of humility that makes for a fun protagonist.
Eduardo – 'Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends' (2004 - 2009)
A resident at the titular orphanage for imaginary friends, Eduardo was created to protect a young Latin American Girl. As such, he has a terrifying appearance and superhuman strength. Despite his appearance, he is a sweet and timid friend who would rather hug puppies and eat potatoes.
Eduardo offers a chance for Tom Kenny combine a deeper pitch with an accent to create a pretty unique sounding voice in Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends. His fierce design contrasts well with his timid personality, which also complements the other main characters in the show.
Simon Petrikov / Ice King – 'Adventure Time' (2010 - 2018)
Originally a well-meaning scientist, Simon's life changed when he put a magic crown on his head in Adventure Time. While it granted him immortality and power over ice and cold, it also affected his brain. By the time Finn and Jake rose as heroes of Ooo, the Ice King was known as a lonely and creepy old man obsessed with stealing princesses.
This approach of giving a goofy antagonist such a tragic backstory is what helps elevate Simon as one of Cartoon Network's best characters. His situation presents a look at mental illness that kids can digest, while still being a source of comedy due to his innocent, if problematic, nature. Marrying these two extremes is Kenny's voice, which never loses his signature bubbly flare.