‘Karen from Brighton’ has her own fan club and now a line of merch is being created in her honour
The brains behind a fan club set up in Karen from Brighton’s honour says the bored walker is very similar to two Kath & Kim favourites, and she’d know — she was on the show. And now you can even buy a Karen face mask or bet on where she will show up next.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
When Melanie MJ saw footage of ‘Karen from Brighton’ defying lockdown restrictions she was reminded of her two favourite “foxy morons”.
The bored walker – later identified as Jodi Grollo – made Melanie think of comedians Gina Riley and Jame Turner of Kath and Kim and two of the characters they played – Prue and Trude.
“Years ago, I was lucky to be an extra on Kath and Kim, I didn’t speak on it or anything, was just in it and could be seen shopping in Ikea on the show,” Melanie said.
The memory inspired her to start a Facebook group celebrating ‘Karen from Brighton’.
The tongue in cheek group launched on Sunday and was quickly embraced by people looking for a laugh.
By Tuesday it had 269 members.
“My sense of humour is what keeps me going,” Melanie said.
“I love comedy and love to put a smile on peoples faces.”
As well as joining the Facebook group, ‘Karen from Brighton’ fans can also cover up with face masks and T-shirts created in her honour.
Brunswick creative Eavesdropper is selling both emblazoned with Karen’s catchcry – “I’ve done all of Brighton”.
And 50 per cent of the profits will be donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
Punters can also get in on the act and bet on where Karen will show up next.
Sportsbet now has a market that allows gamblers to pick her next outing.
The options range from news programs including Alan Jones on Sky to reality TV shows such as The Masked Singer and Big Brother.
The longest odds are currently on the walker making an appearance on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
Ms Grollo hit the headlines on Saturday when she was called out by Premier Daniel Andrews after she was interviewed about new coronavirus restrictions banning unreasonable travel for exercise as she walked with a friend at The Tan in Melbourne’s CBD.
“Well, you get sick of walking the same streets,” she said. “You know, I’ve done all of Brighton.”
The defiant walker was dubbed ‘Karen from Brighton’ and the memes quickly followed.
Mr Andrews was not amused and had a subtle dig at Ms Grollo during a press conference on Saturday.
“If walking your local streets is boring, well, being bored is much better than being in intensive care. That’s my clear message,” Mr Andrews said.
Ms Grollo snapped back saying she was providing people with some lighthearted relief during the “Dan-demic”.
By Sunday night the Karen from Brighton Facebook page had attracted 140 members.
“God bless Karen, you are a Brighton superstar. We loved your news interview,” the page stated.
The group rules made it clear it was not to be taken seriously with potential members warned not to join if “easily offended or triggered” and stressing the page was a “no snowflake zone”.
Kindness was a must for members and “mudslinging” was not welcome.
The weekend fun followed a sobering week for Bayside as the number of new coronavirus cases started to creep back up, tripling from three on July 11 to 14 on Monday.
The number of cases was still relatively low compared to those being recorded in nearby municipalities.
The most recent numbers, released on Monday at 2pm, revealed 32 active cases in Port Phillip and 20 in Kingston.
MORE NEWS
RECORD RUN OF GARFISH LURES ANGLERS
WHERE TO FIND THE GHOSTS THAT HAUNT MELBOURNE