Kisha

Kisha (previously known as Kisha Koala) is a female character who first appeared in JumpStart Preschool (1995).

She was originally a koala, but she has been depicted as a tiger since 2005.

In the past, she was often a mascot character for JumpStart's Preschool media, alongside Eleanor, Casey and Pierre (see also: Preschool Gang).

Appearance
Kisha was originally depicted as a koala with grayish brown fur and brown eyes. She wore a pink hat with a yellow flower. In JumpStart Pre-K, she had a similar appearance, except her fur was gray.

In JumpStart Preschool (1999), Kisha has brown fur and wears a shirt and cap which are both navy blue with yellow stars and circles.

In the JumpStart Advanced series, Kisha is depicted with light gray fur. She wears a pink beret, a white shirt with paint splotches on it, and purple sandals. At this point, she was the smallest member of the main cast of characters, according to herself in JumpStart Advanced 1st Grade: Fundamentals.

In JumpStart 3D Virtual World, Kisha is a tiger. She has three forms, one for preschool and kindergarten, one for first grade, and one for second grade. Her preschool/kindergarten form is small, with two round pigtails, light purple tinted glasses, a light purple dress with pale purple spots on the skirt part, and a white shirt under the dress. Her first grade form is taller and skinnier with short straight pigtails, and pink arm warmers and leg warmers. Her second grade form has slightly longer pigtails with red hairbands, and wears a purple and pink dress with a green gem on the stomach area, and purple arm warmers and leg warmers which each have a green gem as well.

Personality and Characteristics
At least since the late nineties, Kisha has been depicted as creative and highly artistic, and she seems especially fond of painting.

In JumpStart Preschool (1999), Kisha was depicted as being calm, sensible, and somewhat particular. She was often annoyed by Casey's antics, and preferred peace and quiet.

In the JumpStart Advanced series, Kisha's JumpStart All-Stars learning style is 'The Artist'. The HTML manuals for the JumpStart Advanced series says, "Kisha teaches children using her visual-spatial learning style. She uses pictures and visualization techniques to explain concepts." A now-defunct online version of the JumpStart All Stars described Kisha as being a sage and philosopher as well as an artist.

In the current version of her character, she is depicted as being athletic and strong-willed, while still maintaining an interest in art. The JumpStart Blog says, "Kisha may be all athlete from her tail to her paws, but everything she does she does with style. She trains hard and runs fast, but she’s always willing to slow down and admire your artwork!"

Kisha's profile in JumpStart World says, "Kisha is the fastest runner in Camp. She loves to race. Kisha also loves to paint. Kisha says, 'Painting is always more fun with a friend!' Kisha and CJ are best friends."

In the JumpStart online game, Frankie describes Kisha as being "the neighborhood spitfire", and says that "there isn't anything she can't do once she puts her mind to it." Kisha also describes herself as a fashion guru in this game, and says that "there's no reason you shouldn't look your best at all times".

JumpStart Preschool (1995)
Kisha is one of the main characters.

JumpStart Pre-K (1996)
Kisha is one of the main characters. She hosts the Bakery, Diner, and Toy Shop mini-games.

JumpStart Adventures 4th Grade: Haunted Island (1996)
Kisha makes a cameo appearance in the woods.

JumpStart Preschool (1999)
Kisha is one of the main characters. She hosts the Toy Box, Player Piano, Easel, and Blocks mini-games. She has her own easel where she paints pictures, and she also has a collection of toy blocks.

JumpStart ABC's (1999)
Kisha hosts the Train Station mini-game.

Phonics (1999)
Kisha is a camper at Camp Readalot. She hosts the Totem Pole mini-game.

JumpStart Around the World (2000)
Kisha is one of the player's travel buddies in the preschool version.

JumpStart Artist (2000)
Kisha is the main character and mascot of this game. The player visits different locations at an art fair she hosts to collect pieces for her art-themed rides.

JumpStart Languages (2001)
Kisha is associated with Hiroshi in the Japanese Pavilion. She translates what Hiroshi says if the player clicks on her.

JumpStart Explorers (2001)
Kisha appears once on each of the rainy day craft pages.

JumpStart Wildlife Safari: Field Trip (2001)
Kisha is a playable character alongside Frankie. The two are seeking to find and save Casey, who is lost in a wild animal park.

JumpStart Advanced Preschool: Fundamentals
Kisha mainly appears in the Magic Chalk and Animal Mask mini-games. In Magic Chalk, Kisha will draw a picture on the chalkboard, and the the player must find the letter that begins the name of the object she drew. In Animal Mask, Kisha tells the player how to create a mask.

Kisha is also one of the JumpStart All-Stars. The player can select her as their partner and call her for help.

JumpStart Advanced Kindergarten: Fundamentals
Kisha is one of the main characters and one of the JumpStart All-Stars. The player can select her as their partner and call her for help.

JumpStart Advanced 1st Grade: Fundamentals
The player can visit Kisha at her house and play two activities there: Kisha's Music Studio, and Kisha's Art Studio.

Kisha is one of seven characters who can be selected to be the player's racing avatar and she has her own power-up, gadget, trick, and track. Her power-up is the Magic Paint Tube, her gadget is the Rainbow Bridge Painter, and her trick is the Paint Pits. Her track is lined by paint tubes, and the surrounding areas have various art supplies.

Kisha is also one of the JumpStart All-Stars. The player can select her as their partner and call her for help.

JumpStart Advanced 2nd Grade: Fundamentals
Kisha is an agent at JumpStart Headquarters, though she never formally appears in the main game.

Kisha is also one of the JumpStart All-Stars. The player can select her as their partner and call her for help.

In Videos
Kisha is a main character in JumpStart Preschool: Who Left the Juice in the Caboose?.

In Books
Kisha appears in all the Pre-K workbooks and Pre-K Readers, as well as some other Readers.

Quotes

 * "I'm Kisha. I love colors, shapes, textures, pictures - in fact, I think pictures are better than words." - Self introduction fromthe JumpStart Advanced series
 * "You must see all the pictures I've painted!" - JumpStart Preschool (1999)
 * "I have to be careful around Casey, because sometimes he knocks over my paints." - JumpStart Preschool (1999)

Trivia

 * Kisha is called Kathy in the UK releases of the JumpStart Advanced series.
 * The JumpStart Blog hosted a poll in December of 2009 asking parents who their child's favorite character was. Kisha ranked first on this poll with 26.74% of votes.