Koko B. Ware had been a successful and serious wrestler since his days in Mid South Wrestling in the early 1980s. He often spent his time there wrestling in tag teams, perhaps most famously as partners with Norvell Austin as the Pretty Young Things (a Michael Jackson inspired gimmick). However, when he made his way to the WWE in 1986, they decided to rebrand him as a smiling, singing babyface character who came to the ring with his pet parrot named Frankie. It can not be overstated just how popular Ware was in the 1980s WWE. He had everything the fans wanted at the time: cool theme music, bright colored outfits, and a memorable sidekick. While in hindsight, coming to the ring with a parrot who watched him wrestle from a perch seems a bit silly, it worked perfectly for the time period it was used during. Eventually, Koko's character died out and he was relegated to the mid card, but if you ask any wrestling fans in their 30s or 40s about Koko B. Ware, they will instantly think of that parrot named Frankie.