half of a comedy pair from the 70's, Rod Hull and Emu. Emu was actually a very large hand puppet; Rod's hand was the emu's head, and his "arm" was a fake, so it looked like he was carrying the large bird. Their routine was not too
funny at first, until the emu began to respond to the
bad jokes and puns Rod was saying. The emu would make strange faces, stick out his tongue, and mimic his handler, leading Rod to believe he was actually
funny. Usually the act ended when the emu attacked Rod. This explanation will make no sense to
people who haven't seen it (you young
people) but those who came of age in the 70's and 80's Rod Hull and Emu rank with Monty Python and the original cast of Saturday Night Live.
I can't remember which shows they appeared on, but Rod
Hull and Emu did all kinds of variety,
skit comedy, and
kids shows in the 70's.