Mr Praline
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Mr Eric Praline is a character from the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus. Praline first appeared in a first series episode during a "Vox Pop" segment to announce he would be appearing later in the show. This he did as a policeman following up on the case of Whizzo's Chocolates, which produced such gems as "Cockroach Cluster", "Anthrax Ripple" and the titular "Crunchy Frog". Another sketch detailed Praline's attempts to buy a cat from a pet shop which had none (but whose owner offered to 'convert' other animals to cat-ness by modifying assorted body parts).
However, Praline's defining moment came in a later first series episode, when he attempted to return his recently-purchased Dead Parrot to the pet shop from which he bought it. In the second series Praline had more pet trouble, this time trying to buy a Fish Licence for his pet halibut, Eric. This final sketch later led to Praline singing on the 'Monty Python's Previous Record' LP, the song being 'Eric The Half-A-Bee'. However, it will forever be the 'Dead Parrot' sketch with which Praline is associated. John Cleese later got so fed up with "doing the one with the parrot", that he vowed never again to perform the sketch; conversely, the 'Eric the Half-A-Bee' segment is one of Cleese's personal favourites. (It is also where we learn Praline's first name, also Eric) In Episode 18, Live from the Grill-o-mat, this character appears with his flatmate Brooky as a host of a new chat show. However, the show in the sketch is canceled and they later appear in the sketch, The Seven Brides For Seven Brothers Sketch".
