Where Does The Kung Fu Panda Phrase 'Skadoosh' Originate From? Po Actor Jack Black Explains

"Skadoosh" is a catchphrase used by Jack Black's character Po in the animated film Kung Fu Panda, but it originated from a different iconic character of Black in Nacho Libre.

Published on Mar 09, 2024  |  06:49 PM IST |  475.1K
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Kung Fu Panda 4 (IMDb)

The phrase, "Skadoosh" is said by Jack Black's character Po in the animated film franchise Kung Fu Panda, but it hails from a different iconic character in the actor's oeuvre.

The word has become the beloved catchphrase of Kung Fu Panda character Po, voiced by Jack Black. But the actor says the phrase originated earlier than his time with the animated franchise, with a different iconic character of his in Nacho Libre.

Jack Black shares where the phrase Skadoosh originated from

"Skadoosh" is a catchphrase in Kung Fu Panda, from the character Po, voiced by Jack Black. However, Black revealed that there might have been no "skadoosh" without Nacho Libre.

"It was a good friend of mine, a fella named Jared Hess, director of a movie I did called Nacho Libre. He reminded me, because I saw him years later," Black told EW, explaining that he hadn't actually put it all together until he saw his old friend.

Black continued, "And I was like, 'You remember skadoosh? That was a thing I said on the set of Nacho.' And I was like, holy cannoli, and it came back to me that that's where I came up with it. It was on the set of Nacho Libre."


Jack Black and Tenacious D are promoting the fourth installment of the Kung Fu Panda franchise. In this new film, Po embarks on a quest to find and train his successor as the next Dragon Warrior. To defeat an evil sorceress who aims to bring back all the master villains, Po must join forces with a fox bandit named Zhen. The voice cast features returning stars Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, and Ian McShane, alongside new additions Awkwafina, Ke Huy Quan, Ronny Chieng, Lori Tan Chinn, and Viola Davis.

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What was Nacho Libre about?

Nacho Libre, a 2006 sports comedy film, was written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and Mike White, with Jared Hess serving as the director. The movie stars Jack Black as Ignacio, a Catholic friar who secretly admires lucha libre and moonlights as a luchador to raise funds for the orphanage where he works.

The film is loosely inspired by the real-life story of Fray Tormenta, a Mexican Catholic priest who had a 23-year career as a masked luchador to support the orphanage he managed. Nacho Libre was produced by Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, and Black & White Productions.

Released on June 16, 2006, in the United States by Paramount Pictures and worldwide by United International Pictures, Nacho Libre received mixed reviews from critics. Despite this, the film managed to gross $99.3 million at the worldwide box office against its $35 million production budget.

Kung Fu Panda 4 (IMDb)

About Kung Fu Panda 4

Kung Fu Panda 4 is the upcoming fourth installment in the popular animated franchise. The film is directed by Mike Mitchell, with Stephanie Ma Stine co-directing in her feature directorial debut. The screenplay is written by Darren Lemke and the writing duo of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, while Rebecca Huntley serves as the producer.

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The movie premiered at the AMC 14 Theater at The Grove in Los Angeles on March 3, 2024. It is set to release in theaters across India on March 15 in four languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, making it accessible to a wide range of audiences in the country.

Following are the cast and their characters which they play in the movie;

  • Jack Black as Po, a giant panda who is set to become a spiritual leader after renouncing his title as the Dragon Warrior.
  • Awkwafina as Zhen, a corsac fox who is a wanted thief and accompanies Po on his journey.
  • Viola Davis as The Chameleon, a nefarious shape-shifting chameleon sorceress that can copy others' kung fu by absorbing their abilities.
  • Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, a wise red panda, and Po's master.
  • James Hong as Mr. Ping, a Chinese goose, and Po's adoptive father.
  • Bryan Cranston as Li Shan, Po's biological father.
  • Ian McShane as Tai Lung, a snow leopard who was Shifu's adopted son and former disciple until he turned to evil. Po vanquished him to the Spirit Realm in the first film and Kai captured him off-screen during the third film, but the Chameleon brings him back from the Spirit Realm.
  • Ke Huy Quan as Han, a Sunda pangolin who is a leader of a den of thieves.
  • Lori Tan Chinn as Granny Boar, an elderly boar who can take out her tusks and use them as weapons.
  • Ronny Chieng as Captain Fish, a green arowana that lives in a pelican's mouth.
  • MrBeast as Panda Pig.
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ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Awkwafina Talks Voicing Zhen For Kung Fu Panda 4, Working With Jack Black And Much More

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