Ernest Carroll was an Australian puppeteer, entertainer, radio and television personality, comic writer, television producer and comic strip writer, most recognised for his role as the sidekick opposite Daryl Somers, as the man behind Ossie Ostrich on Hey Hey It's Saturday, Cartoon Corner and The Daryl and Ossie Show.
10 Facts About Ernie Carroll
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Ernie Carroll was born in Geelong, the son of a fruit farmer.
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Ernie Carroll became well-known at Geelong radio station 3GL in the 1950s, and joined Melbourne television station GTV-9 in its first active year, 1956, as a producer for children's television.
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Ernie Carroll worked on shows such as The Tarax Show both on screen and as a producer, and later wrote for Graham Kennedy.
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Ernie Carroll created the character of the "squeaky-voiced moppet" Joy-Belle and Professor Ratbaggy, which owed its origins to Denzil Howson's Professor Nitwitty from the late 1950s, and he appeared as Uncle Ernie.
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Ernie Carroll penned the comic strip versions of Gerry Gee, Joy-Belle and Ossie Ostrich.
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Ossie, played by Ernie Carroll, was Somers' sidekick on Hey Hey from 1971 until December 1994, when Ernie Carroll retired.
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Ernie Carroll reprised his role as Ossie in 2009 with the second Hey Hey reunion special and later returned to the show's reinstatement in 2010.
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Ernie Carroll was notoriously eager to keep the illusion of Ossie separate from his role as puppeteer; for instance, he would refuse to have his picture taken with the puppet.
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Ernie Carroll died on 30 March 2022, aged 92, at Racecourse Grange Aged Care in Mornington, Victoria, Australia, where he had lived with his partner of almost 50 years, Miffy Marsh.