Cartoon comedian, real name Vanessa Akinyi, is a popular Kenyan comedienne and singer whose journey to becoming a household name has not been an easy one. She has had her own fair share of rejection and hurtful comments from a section of Kenyans who seemingly thrive in bastardising others.
Despite facing all these negativities, she did not give up. She pressed on and continued pursuing her dream and her efforts have paid off.
Cartoon shares her comic videos on YouTube, Facebook and other social media networks. The videos have been well received with thousands of people viewing and liking them. Her journey is an inspiration to many that it doesn’t matter where one comes from, what matters is hard work, persistence and the courage to go for your dreams.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Background
She was born and raised in Kayole area, Nairobi before moving to Kariobangi. The funny girl was raised by a single mother after her parents separated. Life in the ghetto was not easy as they struggled to make ends meet.
There were times when getting food and fees was such a challenge. She is the last born in a family of three children, two boys and a girl. Her older brothers are called Patrick and Ben.
Education
She went to Donholm Primary School before joining Kiambu High School. Vanessa then left Kiambu for Einstein Day School.
Career
Cartoon Comedian is yet to pursue further studies. After completing high school, she had to take on odd jobs like hawking omena to meet her basic needs.
All her friends thought she was funny and encouraged her to join the biggest comedy platform in the country, Churchill Show. She believed it was a good idea and went for the auditions only to be rejected.
The first rejection was followed up by a list of other disappointments. She would work, get money to attend audition, only to be rejected in the end. This streak of bad luck went on for almost a year until she finally got her first show. After the show, she attended a series of unsuccessful auditions before getting the second show.
This was followed by other unsuccessful shows before she got a chance to perform a third show. The show was not well received and she got hate comments. Some people thought she did not have what it takes but the vile comments did not stop her.
She went on to do a fourth show and was scheduled for a fifth one when the Corona Virus hit and all shows were cancelled.
The determined young lady had started doing short clips and posting them on YouTube. The clips had not garnered a lot of attention but she went on to make more in the wake of Covid-19.
She partnered with Sammy Kioko to shoot “Sweet Moyo” that was uploaded on YouTube. Cartoon acted as Sammy’s wife. It was well received and managed to garner considerable views. It is a true work of art and is available on Sammy Kioko’s YouTube channel.
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With the project coming to an end, she found herself at a standstill once again. She decided to continue doing the comedy clips. Little by little, the clips continued to garner fame and before she knew it, Cartoon was famous on social media.
Although she has not started making big money, she is definitely on the right track. Fans can only hope that the talented comedian’s star continues to shine even brighter.
The rising star hopes to get stand up and emceeing gigs once people start doing performances. Her advice to young ladies, starting out in the comedy industry, is that they should go for their dreams without listening to the naysayers.
Boyfriend
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The ‘ina ni effect’ comedian had stated that she is single and is not interested in getting into a relationship. Sharing her story on ‘Bango na Jalango’, the funny girl wondered where she would “get the energy to date….she went on to state that she was “…….single forever.”
