My own personal feelings about the burrokeet are mixed. On the one hand, the name itself is infinitely interesting- the double "rr" in "burro" gives it an exotic Latin element, and "keet" has a sharp and edgy quality. On the other hand, there is nothing particular exciting about a donkey- they are vulgar animals used for hard labour.

Other Caribbean islands have similar Carnival traditions that also feature tradional characters, but I don't know of any others outside of Trinidad and Tobago that include the burrokeet character.

Some good keywords to use when searching for more information about the burrokeet are: burrokeet, burroquite, burroquito, Trinidad and Tobago, Port Of Spain, Trini, carnival, mas, ole mas, fete, jump-up, West Indies, West Indian, Caribbean, Antilles, Junkanoo, Jonkanoo, soca, calypso, mento, steel pan, steel band, Dimanche Gras, Mardi Gras.

"The Burrokeet (alternative spelling Burroquite) is a character of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival in the Caribbean Islands."

"Burrokeet, derived from the Spanish word burroquito (little donkey), is constructed from bamboo so as to give the illusion of a dancer riding a small burro or donkey. This masquerade was derived from both the East Indian Hindu culture and the Venezuelan Spaniards or South American mainlands."

"The costume is a well-decorated donkey's head made from coloured paper. This head is attached to a bamboo frame. The masquerader enters through a hole at the back of the donkey's neck and carries the reins in his hands, thereby creating the illusion that he is its rider. The body of the donkey is covered in a long satin skirt with a sisal (rope)tail, sometimes decorated with flowers. The bit and bridle are made of coloured cord. The rider wears a satin skirt and a large matador straw hat and dances in a way that mimmicks the antics of a donkey. He also performs a dance called Burriquite, which originated in Venezuela."

The above quote is taken from the Wikipedia article "Burrokeet", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.