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Emu

Rod Hull and Emu - Picture Courtesy of BBC's Radio Times Magazine - December 7, 1979Rod Hull's Emu - The mute, belligerent puppet sidekick of British comedian Rod Hull who were regular favorites on TV in the 1970s and early 1980s on such BBC shows as ROD HULL AND EMU, EBC (EMU'S BROADCASTING COMPANY) and EMU'S WORLD. Made in the image of a large flightless Australian bird (Dromiceiu Novaehollandiae) with brownish plumage, Rod Hull's Emu (or Emeu) appeared to sit snugly in his lap as he visited with a variety of celebrities. Actually, a fake arm held the Emu, while Hull's real arm ran through the puppet's body and terminated at the bird's beak.

Once, on the late night talk show THE TONIGHT SHOW, Hull instructed host Johnny Carson to sprinkle talcum powder on the bird as part of a bird grooming demonstration. The vicious and unpredictable bird then attacked Carson as Hull valiantly tried to pull the crazed bird off Mr. Carson's person. It was hilarious. A similar incident had occurred with the British chat show host, Michael Parkinson while interviewing Hull on his TV program.


TRIVIA NOTE: Rodney Stephen Hull was born on August 13, 1935 on the Isle of Sheppley in Kent, England. He moved to Australia in the 1960s but later returned to the United Kingdom as a successful comedian/puppeteer. In 1972, while in the presence of the Queen of England at the Royal Variety show, Rod's uncontrollable Emu actually ate the Queen's bouquet of flowers.

Sadly, on March 17,1999, Rod Hull accidentally fell of the roof of his cottage in Rye, East Sussex, England as he tried to adjust his TV aerial. He died from injuries sustained in the fall. Rod Hull married twice; he had five children.