Agro's Cartoon Connection

Agro's Cartoon Connection

Company type	Television program
Industry	Children's television
Founded	1990
Defunct	1997
Headquarters	Brisbane, Sydney , Australia
Area served	Australia
Products	Children's television programming

Agro's Cartoon Connection was a children's television program from Australia that aired on the Seven Network between 1990 and 1997. The show was mainly hosted by the puppet character Agro, brought to life by comedian Jamie Dunn. Production took place at BTQ7 from 1990 until 1996, after which it relocated to ATN7 in 1997.

History

Throughout its run, the program featured a variety of co-hosts such as Ann-Maree Biggar, Terasa Livingstone, Holly Brisley, Michael R Gibson (known as "Gibbo"), along with guest presenters Ian Calder and Stacey Thomson. It originated as a successor to Seven's Super Saturday and The Super Saturday Show (1989), initially broadcast exclusively in Brisbane. This series followed on from The Cartoon Connection, which was previously presented by Michael Horrocks and Alex Wileman.

The format blended well-known animated series including Samurai Pizza Cats, Magic Knight Rayearth, Sailor Moon (TV series), and Power Rangers Zeo with editorial content and character-driven comedy sketches, notably Ian Calder’s portrayal of "Crikey the Clown." Additionally, the show screened children’s feature films such as Dot Goes to Hollywood and Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers, alongside holiday specials like Silent Night, Holy Night (film).

On Sundays, the program aired as The Super Sunday Show, combining comedic sketches with British imports like The Dreamstone and UFO. The humor often contained subtle innuendo designed to entertain adults without alarming younger viewers. Despite this, the show attracted criticism in parliament for embedding sponsorship messages within the broadcast content rather than confining advertising to commercial breaks.

Beginning in 1995, it faced direct competition from Network Ten's Cheez TV. To boost viewership, Seven replaced Gibson and Thomson with Brad Hills in 1997. Later that year, Agro and all co-hosts were removed, and the program was rebranded as Cartoon Connection, focusing exclusively on cartoons until its conclusion in 1999.

Following the show's cancellation, Seven trialed various children's morning programs before ultimately shifting the timeslot to early news broadcasts with the debut of Sunrise in 2000.

Co-host Michael 'Gibbo' Gibson died on 10 June 2024.

Cast

Name	Role	Duration
Jamie Dunn	Agro/Host	1990–1997
Ann-Maree Biggar	Co-host	1990–1994
Terasa Livingstone	Reporter	1994
	Co-host	1995–1997
Holly Brisley	Reporter	1995–1997
Ian Calder	Various characters	1990–1992
	Crikey The Clown	1991–1997
Michael R Gibson	Gibbo	1990–1996
Stacey Thomson	Ranger Stacey	1990–1996
Brad Hills	Reporter	1997

Awards

|- ! scope="row" | Logie Awards of 1991 – Logie Awards of 1997 | Logie Awards | Most Popular Children's Program | Agro's Cartoon Connection |

See also

• List of Australian television series