From the Wild to the Ring
If you have been to an Australian sporting event, you have likely seen the boxing kangaroo. It appears on flags, posters, and toys, and is treated as a cheerful piece of national imagery. The roots of this icon were not born in stadiums.
They appeared in show tents, circus rings, and wax museum attractions during the early 1890s. Long before people waved the boxing kangaroo as a cheerful sign of support, real animals were placed in boxing gloves and pushed into staged bouts with human performers.
The First Reports
The earliest recorded shows appeared in Australia. In the early 1890s a kangaroo named Jack was trained to wear boxing gloves and spar with a man known as Professor Lindermann at the Melbourne Waxworks. Newspapers in Australia reported on this act, presenting it as a curious spectacle. Audiences gathered to watch Jack hop around the ring and imitate a fighter.
The routine drew attention because the kangaroo already used a posture that resembled boxing. Wild kangaroos grapple with their forelegs and lean back to kick with their powerful hind legs. Showmen copied this stance and built a performance around it.
Across the Pacific
The idea appeared in the United States almost at the same time. Around 1891 American newspapers described a kangaroo at the Philadelphia Zoo named John L. The animal was said to spar with his trainer after showing interest in play.
The article framed the exhibition as harmless fun. As interest grew, however, circus promoters and show owners began using kangaroos in more competitive bouts. Professional performers stepped into rings with the animals. Audiences watched as human fighters and kangaroos traded blows. There were cases where punches made contact, and the exhibitions became a traveling act that reached Europe and the United States.
Fading Crowds and New Screens
By the early twentieth century crowds had begun to lose interest. Reports suggested that the act had become predictable. Even then the image did not disappear. The boxing kangaroo appeared in traveling shows, newspaper illustrations, and later in popular culture.
It made its way into films and cartoons. One of the most widely known examples was released in 1978 when the feature film Matilda presented a fictional tale centered on a boxing kangaroo and a promoter played by Elliot Gould.
A Legacy of Images
Modern audiences are more likely to see a cartoon kangaroo with gloves than a live show. The character appears on merchandise and at sporting events where it waves from flags and shirts. Occasional staged matches have still taken place, but they are rare.
The real animals of the early exhibitions are gone, but the image remained and became a familiar sight in Australian sports culture.
The boxing kangaroo waves from flags at Australian games, printed on toys and shirts.
Few spectators know that the cheerful image began in show rings more than a century ago, when real kangaroos were fitted with gloves and pushed into bouts with human fighters…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/98HM12DiRg
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) November 7, 2025