I couldn't think of a name for my friend Tricia's character, and she wasn't very helpful. Well, I didnt' think of a very good one for my friend Michaela, either, so... oh, well.
Anyway, the platypus wasn't actually my idea, it was suggested by a friend - so I just developed a story around it based on how my friend Tricia was in Europe, and lonely (she's home now, I need to do a follow-up on that).