Orange Pop! is a free match-3 puzzle game featuring original voice performances by Thompson and Mitchell.
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| Kel Mitchell (left) and Kenan Thompson attend the "Good Burger 2" world premiere on Nov. 14, 2023, in New York City. Theo Wargo/Getty Images |
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell are going mobile.
The duo have expanded their “Kenan & Kel Universe” with the launch of Orange Pop!, a free-to-play mobile game available now on the App Store and Google Play. The game marks the latest in an expansion across gaming, film, publishing and lifestyle ventures, joining a growing slate of projects that also includes the previously announced film Kenan & Kel Meet Frankenstein, a new comic book series, a lifestyle collection and more.
Orange Pop! is a free match-3 puzzle game featuring original voice performances from Thompson and Mitchell. Unlike traditional match-3 games, Orange Pop! allows players to experience exclusive reactions, jokes and commentary from Thompson and Mitchell as they progress through levels.
To celebrate the launch of Orange Pop!, Staple Games will donate $1 for every download during the game’s first 24 hours, up to $100,000, benefiting the Kenan Thompson Family Foundation and the National College Resources Foundation.
The game launch comes more than three decades after Thompson and Mitchell first broke out with their hit Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel, following finding success on All That.
“Kel and I have spent our careers creating things that bring people together through laughter, and Orange Pop! is another way to do that,” Thompson said. “This isn’t just putting our names on a game. We wanted to create something that captures the energy, humor and friendship people have connected with for years while also building something new for the next generation of fans.”
Added Mitchell: “Orange soda has always been part of the story, so bringing that spirit into a game just felt right. Orange Pop! is fun, colorful and captures the spirit that’s always been part of Kenan & Kel. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or you’re discovering us for the first time, we hope people have a blast playing it.”
Orange Pop! is produced by Artists for Artists, the independent studio co-founded by Thompson and John Ryan Jr., in partnership with Range Games, a division of Range Media Partners. The game is executive produced by Thompson, Mitchell and John Ryan Jr. for AFA; and Ben Jones, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Christian Franck (associate producer) for Range Games. It is developed and published by Staple Games.
"Working with Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell was an absolute blast" said Staple Games. "Their energy, comedic timing, and genuine love for games brought something special to every step of development. Seeing it launched on the Today Show was quite surreal."
Also on their slate is Kenan & Kel Meet Frankenstein, which is in development through Artists for Artists and Range, and a comic book series, Kenan & Kel Meet Zombies (working title), which is in development and being published by Range Comics. Additional projects slated for late 2026 include a lifestyle collection developed in collaboration with designer Sean Wotherspoon.
“Orange Pop! is the first major step in expanding the Kenan & Kel universe across gaming, film, publishing and consumer products,” Ryan said. “At Artists for Artists, we’re focused on building enduring creator-led franchises, and this launch is just the beginning of what’s ahead.”
Check out Kenan & Kel's new mobile game, OrangePop!, now available on the App Store and Google Play.
Join Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell in Orange Pop, a match-3 puzzle game built around real voices, quick riffs, and the best-friend energy people love.Every level gives you something to clear, something to pop, and something funny to hear. Swap colorful pieces, trigger fizzy power-ups, build streaks, and listen as Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell react to your biggest moves, close calls, and comeback wins.Orange Pop is classic match-3 made warmer, louder, and more alive. It has the easy joy of a puzzle game you can play anytime, with the personality of two performers who know exactly how to turn a simple moment into a bit.Play a level. Hear the banter. Chase the next star. Pop the board open.Features:- Match colorful pieces across hand-built puzzle levels- Create row clears, column clears, area clears, and big combo moments- Use boosters to shake up the board when things get tight- Hear original voice moments from Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell- Unlock cosmetics and build your own look for the duo- Keep your streak going with quick, satisfying levels- Enjoy a bright orange-pop world full of bubbles, fizz, and feel-good energyWhether you are here for the puzzles, the voices, the nostalgia, or just a game that makes your phone feel more fun, Orange Pop is ready when you are.Download free and start popping.
Original source: The Hollywood Reporter.
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell Announce New Project in the 'Kenan & Kel Universe': 'Different Than Anything I've Seen' (Exclusive)
The comedy duo are sharing yet another way for fans to enjoy their signature sense of humor
NEED TO KNOW
- Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell are expanding their entertainment universe with Orange Pop!
- The new Kenan & Kel game is a free-to-play match-3 mobile puzzle game, featuring original voice performances from the duo
- Thompson and Mitchell tell PEOPLE about what they're excited to share with fans
Aww, here it goes!
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell are entering the gaming space, officially launching their new game, Orange Pop! The free-to-play mobile game, now available on the App Store and Google Play, marks the latest in the duo's expansion of all things Kenan & Kel.
Orange Pop! is a free match-3 puzzle game featuring original voice performances from Thompson, 48, and Mitchell, 47, bringing the duo's signature humor, energy, and friendship directly into the gameplay experience.
Speaking with PEOPLE about the game, the two shared their excitement for the game as part of the Kenan & Kel universe.
"We're excited to have our own game out. When fans play, it's a lot of surprises that are inside of it too that you're going to love," Mitchell shares. "You're gonna unlock stuff in there. A lot of fun secrets."
"It's gonna be a lot of fun," Thompson confirms. "There's a lot of different things that you can do with the avatars and stuff, and different levels."
Laughing, he adds, "As it goes on, you might get addicted. But we want everyone to play and have fun. It's a good time. It looks different than anything that I've seen out there."
"I'm really excited because it's helping to open up the Kenan & Kel universe, as we come into our adult performer united things. It's just another step down that road to mogulness."
Unlike traditional match-3 games, Orange Pop! allows players to experience exclusive reactions, jokes, and commentary from Thompson and Mitchell as they progress through a colorful, orange-soda-inspired puzzle adventure designed for longtime fans and a new generation alike.
Orange Pop! is produced by Artists for Artists (AFA), the independent studio co-founded by Thompson and John Ryan Jr., in partnership with Range Games, a division of Range Media Partners. The game is executive produced by Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, and John Ryan Jr. for AFA; and Ben Jones, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Christian Franck (associate producer) for Range Games. It is developed and published by Staple Games.
This exciting new development from Kenan & Kel comes among a number of new projects from the duo. Feature film Kenan & Kel Meet Frankenstein is currently in development through Artists for Artists and Range. Their first comic book series, Kenan & Kel Meet Zombies is also in development, and will feature the pair battling an outbreak of undead miners, cowboys, and settlers after a chemical accident awakens a long-buried Old West town. It is being published by Range Comics, a division of Range Media Partners.
Additional projects slated for late 2026 include a lifestyle collection developed in collaboration with acclaimed designer Sean Wotherspoon. Inspired by the enduring cultural impact of Kenan & Kel, the collection will blend nostalgia, storytelling, and contemporary style for longtime fans and a new generation discovering the iconic duo.
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From People:
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell Reminisce About First Impressions from All That Days and Send Love to Costar Amanda Bynes (Exclusive)
The two talk about their early friendship and working relationship with PEOPLE
NEED TO KNOW
- Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell first met as castmates on All That in 1994
- Thompson, 48, and Mitchell, 47, share their memories of the early days with PEOPLE
- The pair also take time to shout out castmate Amanda Bynes, who joined the show's cast in 1996
- Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell will always feel connected to their roots.
The two comedians first met as each was hired to the cast of Nickelodeon's All That in 1994. Not only did the young funnymen show that they had what it takes to entertain, but they developed a comedic chemistry that led to some of the shows and films that made up millennial childhoods.
Thompson, 48, and Mitchell, 47, recently caught up with PEOPLE while launching the newest piece of the "Kenan & Kel universe," the pair's new mobile game, OrangePop! There, they recalled their first impressions of each other, early on.
"I was the nerdy one and just quiet because I was one of the last two hired. They had cast the first five, and I think y'all had a meet and greet before I even got there. I'm just naturally kind of introverted, I guess," Thompson shared.
"I was just doing my work like I thought a good boy's supposed to do. But they were all hanging out in the school hours in the beginning, and then once we started having rehearsals, that's when I emerged from my shell. At that point, the misunderstandings of me being weird or nerdy or stuck up or whatever kind of just went away. I was just quiet."
Mitchell points out that the cast did know him from D2: The Mighty Ducks, which came out that year, which Thompson admits he was careful not to bring up.
"He came in with the whole Mighty Ducks get-up, because he'd just finished the film, so he had the bag and the roller skates," Mitchell recalled.
"Because I was celebrating that... I didn't want to throw it over in y'all face. I was just used to wearing it because it was new free s--t," Thompson said.
Sharing his memories of Mitchell, Thompson said, "Kel was the coolest because Kel had gradient lenses at 14 and only players do s--t like that."
"If you have a prescription and you need it still, would you pick gradient lenses? Only motherf--kers that got flavor. I was like , 'Okay, that's interesting.' The guy's got style.' I noticed that."
When it comes to keeping in touch with members of the All That cast, the pair chose to call costar Josh Server in a prank call as part of PEOPLE's Truth or Dare. The two convinced Server that Mitchell was stuck in an elevator after a night of partying in New York City, with Thompson not particularly concerned about rescuing him, in a hilarious exchange.
The two also touched on their love for Amanda Bynes, who joined the All That cast in 1996.
"I haven't talked to Amanda in years, sadly, but we always send positive vibes and thoughts and prayers and whatever we can," Thompson said.
"Yeah. I haven't been in contact lately, but she's doing good. I've seen her posts. She's doing her fashion, dropping music, so we're always rooting for her," Mitchell said, adding, "Love you, Amanda!"
"Love you, girl," Thompson added.
Check out Kenan & Kel's new mobile game, OrangePop!, now available on the App Store and Google Play.
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From People:
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell Share One Habit They Avoid as Celebrities: 'It'll Mess with Your Head' (Exclusive)
Kenan & Kel catch up with PEOPLE about the release of their first mobile game, Orange Pop!
NEED TO KNOW
- Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell first met as castmates on All That in 1994 and have continued working together in the years since
- The pair recently played Truth or Dare with PEOPLE and talked about whether they look themselves up online
- Thompson, 48, and Mitchell, 47, are celebrating the release of their first mobile game, Orange Pop!
- Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell have been careful to protect themselves throughout their journey with fame.
The comedy duo with Nickelodeon roots recently chatted with PEOPLE about their new game, Orange Pop! While talking about all the elements that make up the "Kenan & Kel universe," the two were asked if they ever Google themselves.
Thompson, 48, shared, "Very randomly," while Mitchell, 47, revealed he used to indulge himself but has since decided to stop.
"You don't love to see that much influx of people's opinions on you, or just stories and a lot of made-up numbers around you and stuff," he explained, adding, "There's all kinds of craziness. It'll mess with you."
Mitchell noted, "I stopped doing it. I used to, but I had to stop doing that. You've got to."
Echoing Thompson's feelings, he agreed, "It'll mess with your head, what you hear. You don't like stuff like that to mess with your head."
The two comedians rose to fame, first individually on All That and later as a team in Kenan & Kel, Good Burger and more. Over two decades later, the pair aren't tired of hearing from fans about their favorite characters and moments from their projects.
Asked if they've ever been bothered by being recognized, Mitchell said, "It comes with it. You know what I mean? You got to know that that's what comes with it and it's going to happen in every situation, no matter how you feel about it. I've been [approached] at an awkward time, but I try to say, 'What up,' to people because you never know what they might be going through. And the memory that they have with you and them meeting the person that they looked up to or they're meeting someone that they have such a good memory of watching."
"If you were rude in that moment and it just stuck? It would've killed me. I'm that kid. You know what I mean? So I don't have a problem with it."
Thompson added, "I try not to wish down alternate reality roads because I'm very thankful for the experiences and the journeys. I wouldn't change any of that for the world. The only thing I would kind of put a sprinkle up in there is a little more information on what fame might be like in the beginning, before."
"We were just excited to be performers. And I can speak for myself, it wasn't about fame. It was about maybe making some money and doing some, having fun kind of thing and just being on TV, but I didn't know what being a public persona is and all that kind of stuff," he continued.
"So a little knowledge would've been helpful, so we don't just stumble and bump our heads as we go along or have moments of discomfort or questioning those things."
He admits, "I wish I could just go outside and not be bothered or whatever. But at the same time, the people that are bothering me are showing us love. They could easily not care and they could easily or be mean me ... that kind of energy, but it's never that. So that's nice."
Check out Kenan & Kel's new mobile game, Orange Pop!, now available on the App Store and Google Play.
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Originally published: June 13, 2026.
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