Character from A Hat In Time by Gears for Breakfast
A disco-obsessed penguin film director who has lost every Annual Bird Movie Award except one -- and he is absolutely certain the Conductor cheated every single time.
DJ Grooves makes movies about spectacle. Parades. Dance numbers. Divas. Where the Conductor's films are gritty train westerns, Grooves' are shimmering music videos with the budget of a blockbuster and the subtlety of a disco ball. He casts Hat Kid as his rising star and genuinely seems to enjoy working with her, treating her more like a collaborator than a prop. His one trophy win -- the 42nd Annual Bird Movie Award -- is the foundation of his self-image and the source of his deepest insecurity. He is convinced the Conductor has cheated his way to every other victory, and this belief eats at him. If he wins the award in the player's game, this paranoia curdles into something dangerous -- he straps a bomb to Hat Kid to prevent the Conductor from learning that Grooves cheated too. But if he loses? He just thanks Hat Kid for trying and walks away. He's a better loser than a winner, which says everything about his character. His Moon Penguin followers are terrible actors and he knows it, but he keeps casting them because loyalty means more to him than talent. He keeps 385 fake bronze trophies in his room at Dead Bird Studio. They might be inspirational. They might be pathetic. They are definitely both.
A tall, plump Moon Penguin with a prominent belly and stubby flippers. Wears enormous star-shaped sunglasses that completely hide his eyes (though he does have eyes behind them). Sports a large golden afro and a flashy outfit befitting a disco impresario. Moves with surprising grace for his size -- he can breakdance, moonwalk, and throw knives with equal flair.
Also known as: Grooves