I have been asked several times why my WordPress nickname states ‘Eric the Fruitbat’. When I ask people back if they knew who ‘Eric’ was or have heard of his fellow pets ‘Eric the Halibut’, ‘Eric the Dog’, ‘Eric the Cat’, and ‘Eric the Half a Bee’ – No one seems to know. Sigh.
Anyway, I guess I can’t blame them. After all, those Erics were conceptualized nearly a decade before I was born and halfway around the world no less. It is, however, something I want to share with other people and something that I hope would help them discover Monty Python.
To start off, here’s a video of the ‘Fish License’ from Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Eric the Fruitbat is mentioned here, but the focus is mainly on Eric the Halibut.
‘I am not a LOONEY!’
BTW, the man asking for the Fish License is ‘Eric Praline’ played by John Cleese. The clerk is ‘Eric Last’ and he is played by Michael Palin. Oh and the tall Mayor at the end is played by the incomparable Graham Chapman, at least I think so. The narration is by John Cleese too.
In the album, The Final Rip-Off, Eric Praline sings about his pet Eric the Half a Bee.
I find that Eric’s obsession and adoration for his pets all named ‘Eric’ is adorable in a crazy kind of way.
Oh and if the Norwegian Blue parrot had lived, it would have been the only one of Eric’s pet not named ‘Eric’. He called the Norwegian Blue ‘Polly Parrot’
So, there it is – Eric the Fruit Bat is Eric Praline’s pet. 😀
Hiding Machiavelli 