Kangaroo emblems and popular culture

Kangaroos, wallabies, and other members of the Macropodidae family serve as symbols of Australia, showing up in popular culture both around the world and within the country itself. For many Indigenous Australians, these animals hold deep cultural and spiritual meaning. After Europeans encountered them, kangaroos became an emblem of Australia, featured on the national coat of arms, various state and city coats of arms, corporate logos like Qantas, names of Australian sports teams, mascots such as the Boxing Kangaroo, and in public art. They also appear widely in films, television, songs, toys, and souvenirs globally.

When Captain Cook’s ship HMB Endeavour returned to England in 1771 carrying a kangaroo specimen, the animal was seen as a strange curiosity. Over time, it came to represent Australia and its values. Naturalist Joseph Banks commissioned artist George Stubbs to paint the specimen, and an engraving of that painting illustrated the official voyage account published in 1773. From then on, the kangaroo quickly became a symbol of the Australian continent, appearing in exhibitions, collections, art, and printed works across Europe.

It took a long time for the kangaroo to gain official recognition in Australia. Despite once being labeled a "declared noxious animal" due to its reputation for damaging crops and fences and competing with livestock, it finally achieved official status when it was included on Australia’s coat of arms in 1908. Today, the kangaroo is widely considered Australia’s unofficial animal emblem.

On the Australian Coat of Arms, the kangaroo and emu serve as bearers. It has been suggested these animals were chosen because of a common belief that neither can move backward, symbolizing a country moving forward. Two red kangaroos act as bearers on the Coat of Arms of Western Australia. Qantas, the national airline, uses a bounding kangaroo in its logo—the animal has always been part of the airline’s branding, and Qantas has been informally called "The Flying Kangaroo." Tourism Australia incorporates the kangaroo into its logo to help ensure instant global recognition of the country. The Australian Grown logo features a golden kangaroo inside a green triangle to indicate products made or grown in Australia. The Royal Australian Air Force roundel includes a bounding red kangaroo. Warships of the Royal Australian Navy display red kangaroo s