Construction
The original Agro puppet was created by BTQ-7 employee Garry Rhodes. It was reputedly made from a bathmat, and Agro frequently described himself as a 'talking bathmat'.
However the puppet is really an altered Muppet Animal. The fisher price soft toy of Animal sold in the early 1980s was trimmed to produce the Agro puppet.
The puppet is unusual in its construction. The puppeteer can open and close the mouth, and can also slide the 'eyebrows' back and forth. This allows Agro to make a sexually-suggestive 'leering' expression which he often uses. The eyes and limbs do not move.
There was some squabbling between Rhodes and Jamie Dunn as Dunn attempted to claim creative ownership of the puppet. BTQ-7 and the parties involved reached a settlement that allowed Jamie Dunn to retain the rights.
In 2001 Channel Seven Productions enlisted puppeteer and puppet builder Warren Duxbury to rebuild Agro when the original Agro had deteriorated beyond repair. The new puppet was built for use on the revival of dating show Perfect Match. The nose of the new puppet was noticeably different to the old one.
Read more about this topic: Agro (puppet)
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