the prince of purple finches

I think my fascination with avian royalty began with a television show produced locally in Chicago called Garfield Goose and Friends. It featured a guy named Frazier Thomas—who, by the way, was dressed in a pseudo-Bavarian military uniform. Between him, Captain Kangaroo, and the Beatles, it’s no wonder I turned out this way. (See the portfolio entry on King Ludwig II if confused. Look for the swan.)
Anyway, the characters on the show were all ruled over by a king—the aforementioned Garfield Goose. Garfield was a puppet, along with most of the other characters on the show.

And I don’t know why they’re called purple finches. They look red to me, too.