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Abigail was one of my favorite parts of waking up early to watch cartoons, I could wait to see her and her adventures, it was like I was living vicariously through her and whilst there were other black animated characters I loved none were my age.
Codename: Kids Next Door was one of many cartoons I watched growing up, it was the perfect show for a 8-year-old, we got to see kids doing whatever they dreamed of battling the dreaded adults. The show revolved around the operatives of Sector V which was only one Sector of the worldwide organization known as Kids Next Door. Sector V consisted of Numbuh One, Numbuh Two, Numbuh Three, Numbuh Four, and Numbuh Five (Abigail Lincoln).
Numbuh 5 was my favorite, I loved her cool and collected demeanor, she was always the one who knew what to do and when to do it even though Numbuh 1 was the leader. Abigail along with Nigel (Numbuh 1) were the only ones to take their missions seriously and compared to the goofiness of Numbuh 2,3 and 4 it worked. Abigail was a huge tomboy which was an entirely different story compared to Numbuh 3 who was probably one of the girliest characters in the show and I loved how they didn’t baby Abigail down at all despite her being so young. Not only was she the smartest of her team, but she was also one of the smartest students at a school where she was an honor student.
Abigail was in no way stereotypical, she wasn’t made out to be the ‘angry black girl’ she was simply an agent of KND who hated the crimes committed against kids by adults, teens, senior citizens and sometimes even other kids just like her fellow teammates. Although, Numbuh 5 loved KND her passion lied in candy and ice cream. She was an experienced candy hunter who had a surprisingly extensive knowledge of candy artifacts and lore, you can see that in episodes such as: Operation: F.L.A.V.O.R., Operation: J.E.W.E.L.S., and Operation: C.A.R.A.M.E.L. When she’s not with KND, Numbuh 5 would usually go on a candy adventure by herself, and her two best-known rivals are Stickybeard and Henrietta Von Marzipan.
Probably one of my favourite episodes of KND is “Operation: P.I.R.A.T.E.” in which seeing how much Numbuh 5 likes candy, Stickybeard offers to make Numbuh 5 a job, he tells her it’ll consist of them robbing kids of their candy and that she would get all of his candy when his teeth are completely rotten, Abigail could’ve had all the candy for 200 miles. However, Numbuh 5 rejects his offer because she doesn’t want to leave the KND.
Kids Next Door remains to be one of the greatest cartoons of the 2000s and it saddens me that many kids don’t watch it anymore. It was one of the most creative shows, with wacky villains and lovable diverse heroes. Please if you’re reading this and you have a young cousin, niece/nephew or child have them watch KND it’s one show they can’t miss.
Author: Han Angus
Keshav Kant, aka Mx. KantEven, is a med student tuned Executive Director of Off Colour!
You’ve probably seen her on Twitter and TikTok, both @MxKantEven, or caught her work on Off Colour's many channels.
From consulting on films & shows, manuscript review, conducting interviews, or hosting podcasts & panels, if there is some way to bring sensitivity and authenticity to diversity, inclusion and equity conversations, Keshav will be there.