Rikki Stevens on stage with Little Fred.  

Rikki Stevens

Little Fred
   
fred@littlefred.com
    

Rikki Stevens on stage with Little Fred.Little Fred the puppet monkey was purchased by Rikki in 1992 for the regal sum of ten pounds from John Menzies. Fred was intended to be a prop for an onstage comic impression of Michael Jackson.

Originally, Fred was only used for about thirty seconds of Rikki's cabaret act and as Michael Jackson became less popular, Fred was even relegated to the back of Rikki's prop box. Rikki continued performing as a solo comedian, but Little Fred was not forgotten.

When Rikki was working with Roger De Courcey (Nookie Bear) at Butlins, he was introduced to the world of ventriloquism and Little Fred was brought back as part of Rikki's show. Fred became an integral part of the performance and being a monkey was really popular with the Butlins kids. However, Rikki discovered that Fred was even more popular with the adults and over their ten years with Butlins, Fred and Rikki became one of the most sought after comedy acts on the Butlins circuit.

Little Fred retired in 2004, and his role in the act was taken over by his cousin - also called Little Fred, who Rikki found in America via the Internet.

The original Little Fred still lives with Rikki in Benidorm and Rikki has written the following poem to him. The original Little Fred has yet to reciprocate.

 

Lament to Fred - The Puppet Monkee
The original Little Fred.
 

Goodbye dear Fred you’ve always been a very special friend

But fourteen years have come and gone, your job's come to an end

We worked so well together and the memory of you lingers

And to think the thing that brought you life was my right hand's first three fingers

Ten pounds you cost from Menzies shop all those years ago

A prop for a Michael Jackson sketch, your part of my stage show

Butlins Ayr was your first gig, the kids loved you so much

You had a special way with them, a really magic touch

The working mens' club our next big challenge, we took them all by storm

Eight hundred miles in a working week was soon to be the norm

For years we travelled together the length and breadth of the land

To people who were not in showbiz this was hard to understand

You helped me through some hard times of trouble, strife and woe

By making me work you helped me forget I'm sad to see you go

You’ve done your bit, you were a pro, you always gave your best

So goodbye dear Fred from Rikki Stevens, enjoy your well earned rest.

 
 

Little Fred's Fan Club

Little Fred can be contacted at fred@littlefred.com

All pages © Rikki Stevens.