Kel Einstein Hypothalamus Kimble (portrayed by Kel Mitchell) is Kenan's best friend who is super clumsy (similar to Family Matters character Steve Urkel, played by Jaleel White) and somewhat stupid. He loves orange soda (which he professes by talking in the third person: "Who loves orange soda? Kel loves orange soda. Is it true? Mm-hmm! I do, I do, I do-ooh!" and not paying for the soda he drinks at Kenan's place of business, Rigby's). In the episode "Who Loves Orange Soda", it is discovered that his innards are "bright orange" from drinking so much of the soda.
Since Kel's mother is a brain surgeon and his father a rocket scientist, he often frequently visits and subsequently stays in Kenan's home to keep him company. He might resist following Kenan's schemes at first, but ultimately he goes along with them anyway and Kel somehow usually ruins them, although there are a few episodes that end on a high note. Kel is also an incredible painter, and is always wearing at least one colorful hat during each episode.
He is scared of pancakes, airplanes, butterflies, brassieres, Berlin, crime and monkeys. His catchphrase is "AWWWW, HERE IT GOES!" which he says at the beginning and end of each episode.
Throughout the first and second seasons, Kel is slightly smarter, noticeably more paranoid or skeptical as it pertains to Kenan's schemes and is also a bit more independent. Beginning with season three onwards, however, Kel becomes more of a comic relief, usually ending each scene with a visual gag or joke. It was revealed in the season three episode "I.Q Can Do Better" that Kel is actually a "genius" after scoring a 98 on his IQ test out of a possible 100 compared to Kenan's 90.
Kel is shown in some episodes to be very talented in some areas and even comes off as smart in some instances, but through it all, he seriously lacks common sense. He is aged 15-18 years old throughout the series.