Parrot Shopkeeper

The shopkeeper who insists a deceased bird is merely 'pining for the fjords' or simply stunned.

The Parrot Shopkeeper is a key character in the 'Dead Parrot sketch', a cornerstone of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Portrayed by Michael Palin, he runs a shop where he attempts to sell a fictional breed of parrot called the 'Norwegian Blue'. Written by John Cleese and Graham Chapman, this satire on poor customer service debuted in the eighth episode of the show's first series, titled 'Full Frontal Nudity', which aired on 7 December 1969. The character is defined by his stubborn refusal to acknowledge that a bird nailed to its perch has ceased to be, engaging in a legendary argument with a disgruntled customer named Mr Praline.

Quick Facts

Affiliation: The Parrot Shop
First appearance: Monty Python's Flying Circus (Series 1, Episode 8)
Notable item: A Norwegian Blue parrot

Lore & Background

He operates on the premise that a parrot, which is not native to Norway and has been nailed to its perch, is still alive. When Mr Praline (played by John Cleese) enters to complain about his 'Norwegian Blue', the shopkeeper offers increasingly ridiculous euphemisms for death, claiming the bird is 'pining for the fjords' or has merely been 'stunned'. The conflict escalates when the shopkeeper attempts to revive the bird by hitting the cage and later directs Praline to a branch in Bolton. The sketch is abruptly ended by the arrival of a Colonel (John Cleese) who orders it to stop.

Reader's Guide

He transitions from claiming the bird is alive to suggesting it is merely resting or stunned. In live performances, variations exist: the Drury Lane version ends with him offering a talking slug; the 1976 City Center performance concludes with him asking Mr Praline if he wants to 'come back to my place', to which Praline replies, 'I thought you'd never ask.' In the film And Now for Something Completely Different (1971), the sketch ends with the shopkeeper claiming he always wanted to be a lumberjack and singing 'The Lumberjack Song'. During the 2014 Monty Python Live (Mostly) reunion, the sketch ended similarly by transitioning into the Cheese Shop Sketch.

Did You Know?

The Dead Parrot sketch was originally written as a car salesman sketch, not inspired by a specific routine from 'How to Irritate People'.
In early drafts of the sketch, the frustrated customer was attempting to return a faulty toaster before John Cleese decided the situation needed to be 'madder' and suggested using a parrot.
Margaret Thatcher famously used the sketch in a 1990 speech against the Liberal Democrats, though her former secretary John Whittingdale noted she did not initially understand why the joke was funny.