Agro's Cartoon Connection
Encyclopedia
Agro's Cartoon Connection was an Australian children's television show that aired on the Seven Network
from 1989 to 1997. Shown on weekday mornings, it was primarily hosted by Agro, a puppet played by comedian Jamie Dunn
. It was originally filmed at BTQ7 from 1989 to 1996, after which it moved to ATN7 in 1997.
, Terasa Livingstone
, Holly Brisley
, Michael R Gibson and guest hosts Ian Calder and Stacey Thomson
.
It followed on from a show called Cartoon Connection which had been hosted for many years previously by Michael Horrocks and Alex Wileman, Wileman went on to do New South Wales lottery broadcasts.
The show consisted of playing a variety of cartoons including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
, Popeye
, various Hanna-Barbera
cartoons, Samurai Pizza Cats
and Sailor Moon
while including small editorials presented between the cartoons in a variety of segments. One such example included Ian Calder appearing in a regular segment acting as a character, one of his more popular being Crikey the Clown where he would walk around the streets of Brisbane
in an aggressive manner asking questions to anyone he met.
Other shows presented during the series' run included G.I. Joe
, He-Man
, Robotech
, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and Power Rangers Zeo, The Bots Master
, Masked Rider, Sonic the Hedgehog
, Scooby Doo, The Mask
and Mega Man
. The Sunday morning edition of the program ran under the name The Super Sunday Show and included skits performed by the regulars, as well as presenting the UK sci-fi program UFO.
Notably the show's humour was sometimes provocative but always done in a way that would escape the notice of the show's primary audience of children. The program was criticized in Parliament for including product sponsorship within the program itself, rather than simply running commercial breaks.
In its final years the show lost in the ratings to its competitor Cheez TV
, causing the Seven Network
to cut its running time and funding until it was cancelled.
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
from 1989 to 1997. Shown on weekday mornings, it was primarily hosted by Agro, a puppet played by comedian Jamie Dunn
Jamie Dunn
Jamie Dunn is an Australian comedian.Starting his entertainment career as a singer, Jamie Dunn moved into television, working the puppet Agro on Agro's Cartoon Connection.- Radio :Up until 2005, Dunn was a member of a radio breakfast show in Brisbane...
. It was originally filmed at BTQ7 from 1989 to 1996, after which it moved to ATN7 in 1997.
History
Over the years the show had a number of co-hosts including Ann-Maree BiggarAnn-Maree Biggar
-Career:In 1989, Biggar began hosting the children's morning program Agro's Cartoon Connection. She remained on the show for a number of years, finishing up at the end of the 1995 season....
, Terasa Livingstone
Terasa Livingstone
Terasa Livingstone is an Australian theatre, film and television actress.-Career:She began her career as a roving reporter for Agro's Cartoon Connection on the Seven Network, eventually taking over the role of co-host from Ann-Maree Biggar in 1996. She also served as a reporter for Seven's The...
, Holly Brisley
Holly Brisley
Holly Brisley is an Australian actress and television presenter. She began her career at the age of 15 on Agro's Cartoon Connection and more recently portrayed Amanda Vale-Baker on Home And Away...
, Michael R Gibson and guest hosts Ian Calder and Stacey Thomson
Stacey Thomson
Stacey Thomson is an Australian television presenter. She is currently a host on the long running nature and science themed series Totally Wild, and has been with the show since its premiere in 1992...
.
It followed on from a show called Cartoon Connection which had been hosted for many years previously by Michael Horrocks and Alex Wileman, Wileman went on to do New South Wales lottery broadcasts.
The show consisted of playing a variety of cartoons including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
, Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
, various Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
cartoons, Samurai Pizza Cats
Samurai Pizza Cats
Samurai Pizza Cats, known as in Japan, is an anime series produced by Tatsunoko Productions and Sotsu Agency. The series was aired from February 1, 1990 to February 12, 1991, totaling up to 54 episodes...
and Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
while including small editorials presented between the cartoons in a variety of segments. One such example included Ian Calder appearing in a regular segment acting as a character, one of his more popular being Crikey the Clown where he would walk around the streets of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in an aggressive manner asking questions to anyone he met.
Other shows presented during the series' run included G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
, He-Man
He-Man
He-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...
, Robotech
Robotech (TV series)
Robotech is an 85-episode adaptation of three different anime television series made between 1982-1984 in Japan, the adaptation was aired in 1985. Within the combined and edited story, Robotechnology refers to the scientific advances discovered in an alien starship that crashed on a South Pacific...
, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and Power Rangers Zeo, The Bots Master
The Bots Master
The Bots Master was a 1993 cartoon series, produced by Jean Chalopin through his company "Creativite et Developpement" in France . In total 40 episodes were made, each one having a special 3D segment and titles. The series was co-produced by Avi Arad and Associates...
, Masked Rider, Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
, Scooby Doo, The Mask
The Mask
The Mask is a Dark Horse comic book series created by writer John Arcudi and artist Doug Mahnke, and based on a concept by publisher Mike Richardson. The series follows a magical mask which imbues the wearer with reality-bending powers and physical imperviousness, as well as bypassing the wearer's...
and Mega Man
Mega Man (series)
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
. The Sunday morning edition of the program ran under the name The Super Sunday Show and included skits performed by the regulars, as well as presenting the UK sci-fi program UFO.
Notably the show's humour was sometimes provocative but always done in a way that would escape the notice of the show's primary audience of children. The program was criticized in Parliament for including product sponsorship within the program itself, rather than simply running commercial breaks.
In its final years the show lost in the ratings to its competitor Cheez TV
Cheez TV
Cheez TV was an Australian children's cartoon show, created by Bill McQueen, that aired on weekday mornings on Network Ten. It began broadcasting on 2 July 1995 and it ended on 31 December 2004 with the presenters leaving. After eight months of being without presenters, it officially ended on 20...
, causing the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
to cut its running time and funding until it was cancelled.