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Emu (puppet)
Encyclopedia
Emu is a puppet
emu
given to Rod Hull
in the 1960s while he was presenting a children's breakfast television
programme in Australia
. Hull adopted the mute puppet for his cabaret
act, and took it with him to the United Kingdom
when he returned in 1970. While on stage, the character had a mischievous persona and often attacked the celebrity guests for comic effect.
Rod and Emu appeared on several episodes of The Hudson Brothers
' comedy show in the United States.
Hull's son Toby Hull
returned Emu to television on CITV
in October 2007. Unlike before, Emu now makes noises so viewers can get a good idea of what he is thinking, and whenever Toby needs to move around, an unseen puppeteer controls Emu. The new series had 26 episodes, and is set in a modern apartment block where no pets are allowed. so Emu has to beware of his next door neighbour, Sophie.
Toby and Emu's other neighbours are two young kids named Charlie and Dani who are cousins. In addition to helping Toby keep Emu a secret, they also help Emu outfox Sophie, who is obsessed with using Emu's feathers as a quick way to make money. While Toby is oblivious to Sophie's scheming ways, Charlie, Dani, and Emu know her true colours. Toby also has to keep Emu a secret from Ken Cole, a grumpy security guard with a dislike for all animals, especially birds.
In June 2009, it was announced that CITV had ordered a second series of the revived Emu show. Toby Hull would remain as Emu's sidekick, but now they would be running a craft cafe and again Emu had to avoid being found out, this time by health inspector Leo. The first 2 episodes in series 2 were broadcast on September 13th on ITV1
.
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
given to Rod Hull
Rod Hull
Rodney Stephen Hull , better known as Rod Hull, was a popular entertainer on British television in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without Emu, a mute, highly aggressive arm-length puppet of the flightless emu bird...
in the 1960s while he was presenting a children's breakfast television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programme in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Hull adopted the mute puppet for his cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
act, and took it with him to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
when he returned in 1970. While on stage, the character had a mischievous persona and often attacked the celebrity guests for comic effect.
Rod and Emu appeared on several episodes of The Hudson Brothers
Hudson Brothers
The Hudson Brothers are an American music group formed in Portland, Oregon in the 1970s and consisting of Bill Hudson, Brett Hudson and Mark Hudson...
' comedy show in the United States.
Emu's new series
Toby Hull
Toby Hull is the son of Rod Hull, a popular entertainer who appeared with an arm-length puppet known as Emu. He is one of three children from Hull's second marriage....
returned Emu to television on CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
in October 2007. Unlike before, Emu now makes noises so viewers can get a good idea of what he is thinking, and whenever Toby needs to move around, an unseen puppeteer controls Emu. The new series had 26 episodes, and is set in a modern apartment block where no pets are allowed. so Emu has to beware of his next door neighbour, Sophie.
Toby and Emu's other neighbours are two young kids named Charlie and Dani who are cousins. In addition to helping Toby keep Emu a secret, they also help Emu outfox Sophie, who is obsessed with using Emu's feathers as a quick way to make money. While Toby is oblivious to Sophie's scheming ways, Charlie, Dani, and Emu know her true colours. Toby also has to keep Emu a secret from Ken Cole, a grumpy security guard with a dislike for all animals, especially birds.
In June 2009, it was announced that CITV had ordered a second series of the revived Emu show. Toby Hull would remain as Emu's sidekick, but now they would be running a craft cafe and again Emu had to avoid being found out, this time by health inspector Leo. The first 2 episodes in series 2 were broadcast on September 13th on ITV1
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.