How A Kangaroo Helped Japanese Game Shows Get Charitable

Tokyo Broadcasting System ran the very successful TBS Kangaroo Fund from 1976 to 2010, first to help children orphaned by traffic accidents, people with disabilities and the elderly before moving to help other social causes.

TBS never publicly explained its choice of a kangaroo to symbolize the fund, but the marsupial infers a friendly, protective image with its pouch equating to encompassing care, which signalled that donations would carry and protect vulnerable children

The TBS Kangaroo Fund collected viewer donations and corporate gifts and channelled grants to vetted charities and disaster relief.

TBS used on-air drives, dedicated donation numbers and tie-ins such as using cash for quiz and game shows that didn’t get a winner, which allowed for the network to divert the money to the fund. The TBS game show Quiz Derby turned game show leftovers into long-running social aid.

TBS Kangaroo Fund continued for decades. In 2010 TBS reorganised its giving under TBS Mirai Fund, and the disaster-relief arm was rebranded as the JNN/JRN Joint Disaster Fund.

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