Agro (puppet)

Agro is an Australian puppet and media personality, operated by comedian and voice artist Jamie Dunn. He was especially prominent on Australian television in the 1990s due to his co-hosting opposite Ann-Maree Biggar and Terasa Livingstone of Agro's Cartoon Connection, a children's program that was aired from 1989 to 1997 on weekday mornings by the Seven network.

The word 'agro' (also spelled 'aggro') is English slang for 'aggressive', and may be used as an adjective to describe someone with a belligerent personality. Agro is sometimes said to have the surname Vation, though the puppet is rarely credited with a surname.

Agro's humour tends to be adult, with much sexual suggestion, cursing and uninhibited behaviour. He has often appeared with an innocent-acting female offsider, who is subjected to mocking and innuendo. His pre-taped performances in shows intended for a juvenile or family audience were vetted before broadcast, but in the adult-oriented shows (and in the Christmas tapes of Agro's Cartoon Connection) his largely uncensored antics were given full rein. Unlike many characters, particularly children's puppets, Agro often broke the fourth wall, making reference, for example, to the facts that he was a puppet, that his limbs did not move, and that a hand was up his back.

Agro was a fan of retired Australian rugby league player Wally Lewis, writing and singing many songs about him.

The original puppet was created by BTQ-7 employee Garry Rhodes, who was a floor manager at the time. It was an altered Vintage 1978 FISHER-PRICE puppet of Animal from the Muppet show although it is often joked that he is made from a bathmat (Agro frequently describes himself as a 'talking bathmat'), the Agro puppet is more-or-less a version of the Muppet character Animal. Later, the producer of Agro's Cartoon Connection claimed that Agro had been "altered by the Red Cross", after Jim Henson's Muppets made a claim regarding copyright.

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