Bert and Ernie
Encyclopedia
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. The two appear together in numerous skits, forming a comic duo that is one of the centerpieces of the program. Originated by Frank Oz
Frank Oz
Frank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...
and Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
, the characters are currently performed by Muppeteers Eric Jacobson
Eric Jacobson
Eric Jacobson is a puppeteer and Muppet performer, who has been the primary replacement puppeteer for Frank Oz's characters since 2001.-Career:...
and Steve Whitmire
Steve Whitmire
Steven Whitmire is an American puppeteer who works for The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop and Disney's The Muppets Studio. He has been the performer of two signature Muppets - Kermit the Frog and Sesame Street's Ernie - since the death of their creator and original performer, Jim Henson, in...
, with Oz performing Bert occasionally since 2000. Ernie is orange and Bert is yellow.
History
Ernie and Bert were built by Don SahlinDon Sahlin
Don Sahlin was a Muppet design and builder who worked for Jim Henson from 1962 to 1977. His first creation for Jim Henson was Rowlf the Dog, which he built in 1962 for a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials. Don would go on to design and build most of the Muppet characters, including Bert and...
from a simple design scribbled by Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
, creator of The Muppets
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
. In a classic pairing, Ernie appears chubby while Bert appears quite skinny (in a similar way to Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
or Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
). They were originally intended to show that people can be friends, even though they are very different.
Initially, Henson performed Bert and Oz performed Ernie, but after just one day of rehearsal, they switched characters. According to writer Jon Stone
Jon Stone
Jon Stone is best known for writing and producing Sesame Street, and is credited with helping develop characters such as Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch. He is regarded by many as one of the best children's television writers. He started working for children's programs in 1955...
, the relationship between Ernie and Bert reflected the real-life friendship between Henson and Oz.
According to A&E's
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
Biography, Ernie and Bert were virtually the only Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
pilot episode, which was screen tested to a number of families in July 1969. Their brief appearance was the only part of the pilot that tested well, so it was decided that not only should Muppet characters be the "stars" of the show, but would also interact with the human characters, something that was not done in the pilot.
Ernie and Bert were designed by Don Sahlin
Don Sahlin
Don Sahlin was a Muppet design and builder who worked for Jim Henson from 1962 to 1977. His first creation for Jim Henson was Rowlf the Dog, which he built in 1962 for a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials. Don would go on to design and build most of the Muppet characters, including Bert and...
based on two fruits. Bert was based on a banana and Ernie was an orange.
Bert
Bert was initially performed by Frank OzFrank Oz
Frank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...
. Since 2001, Muppeteer Eric Jacobson
Eric Jacobson
Eric Jacobson is a puppeteer and Muppet performer, who has been the primary replacement puppeteer for Frank Oz's characters since 2001.-Career:...
has been phased in as Bert's primary performer after Oz retired. (Oz, however, does continue to perform the character occasionally.)
Bert is a hand-rod puppet which means that while the puppeteer's right arm is inserted into Bert's head to control the mouth, the puppeteer's left hand uses rods to control the arms of the puppet. Other versions of this puppet include Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
and Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy is a Muppet character who was primarily played by Frank Oz on The Muppet Show. In 2001, Eric Jacobson began performing the role, although Oz did not officially retire until 2002....
. Bert is known for his expressive eyebrows.
Bert has a major role in the movie Sesame Street Presents: Follow that Bird when he and Ernie go to search for Big Bird
Big Bird
Big Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
in an airplane. Eventually Bert and Ernie find Big Bird nearby a farm field, but just before they can reveal themselves to Big Bird, Ernie turns the plane upside down and begins to sing "Upside Down World" with Bert eventually joining in singing. Just when Bert finally begins to enjoy himself, Ernie turns the plane back up, finds Big Bird gone, and blames it all on Bert.
Bert is intelligent, though a "boring" character. He enjoys very boring activities such as paper clip and bottle cap collecting (especially the rare 12 ounce Figgy Fizz), cooking oatmeal
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is ground oat groats , or a porridge made from oats . Oatmeal can also be ground oat, steel-cut oats, crushed oats, or rolled oats....
and watching pigeons. In one sketch, Bert reads a book called Boring Stories and chuckles, "Wow! These Boring Stories are really exciting!" In the book Sesame Street Unpaved
Sesame Street Unpaved
Sesame Street Unpaved is a name used for numerous Sesame Street related productions.*Sesame Street Unpaved was a nationwide tour of ten United States colleges to mark the thirtieth anniversary of children's television show Sesame Street...
, Frank Oz says, "I was never really happy with Bert's character until about a year in, when I realized… that he was a very boring character, and I'd use that weakness as a strength for him." Bert is often the mature half of the pair, and is easily frustrated at things that are not neat and tidy, including his roommate, Ernie. Things that bother Bert are being untidy, Ernie continuing to wake him up at night to ask stuff like "What are we going to do tomorrow?" or to ask him to play a game. There is only one sketch in the classic sketches where Bert triumphs over Ernie when showing off his bottlecap collection to Ernie who finds bottlecaps very boring.
Bert is good friends with a pigeon named Bernice (purely platonic), and has even created a dance called "Doin' the Pigeon." Bert serves as President of the National Association of W Lovers, a club
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
dedicated to the letter W
W
W is the 23rd letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.In other Germanic languages, including German, its pronunciation is similar or identical to that of English V...
. Two conventions held by the W Lovers have been shown on the show. Bert also has pet goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
, two of whom are named Lyle and Talbot, a reference to the actor Lyle Talbot
Lyle Talbot
Lyle Talbot , born Lisle Henderson, was an American actor on stage and screen, best known for his long career in movies from 1931 to 1960 and for his frequent appearances on TV in the 1950s and '60s, including his decade-long role as Joe Randolph on television's The Adventures of Ozzie and...
. A third goldfish is Talbot's wife, Melissa. Bert has a twin brother, Bart; a nephew, Brad; and an Aunt Matilda.
Ernie
Ernie was originally performed by Jim HensonJim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
. Since 1993, Muppeteer Steve Whitmire
Steve Whitmire
Steven Whitmire is an American puppeteer who works for The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop and Disney's The Muppets Studio. He has been the performer of two signature Muppets - Kermit the Frog and Sesame Street's Ernie - since the death of their creator and original performer, Jim Henson, in...
has taken on the role of Ernie (following the death of Henson in 1990).
Ernie is well-known for taking baths with his Rubber Duckie
Rubber duck
A rubber duck is a toy shaped like a stylised Yellow-billed Duck , and is generally yellow with a flat base. It may be made of rubber or rubber-like material such as vinyl plastic...
, and for having trouble trying to learn to play the saxophone because he would not "put down the duckie".
In the special Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is a Sesame Street Christmas special first broadcast on PBS on December 3, 1978.-Plot:The opening features the inhabitants of Sesame Street enjoying an ice skating party. Big Bird has trouble skating, but a child gives him a hand, and he ends up skating very well...
, Ernie decides to buy Bert a cigar box from Mr. Hooper's store, to put his paperclips in, but since Ernie has no money, he has to trade his Rubber Duckie for it. However Bert at the same time tries to buy Ernie a soap dish for his Rubber Duckie, but has to trade in his paperclip collection, but Mr. Hooper understands that they do not really want to give up their prized possessions so he gives them back to them as gifts.
In the movie Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, Ernie and Bert go to search for Big Bird in a plane. When Bert spots Big Bird, nearby a farm field, Ernie turns the plane upside down and begins to sing Upside Down World with Bert beginning to join in singing. However when Ernie turns the plane back up, Big Bird is gone and Ernie blames it all on Bert.
A running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
for the series involves Ernie presenting a hare-brained idea and Bert trying to dissuade him. Bert loses his temper while Ernie refuses to listen, and some element of truth in Ernie's idea adds to Bert's frustration. Another Ernie gag is that he refers to his bathtub and bath time as "Tubby time" before his performance of his song Rubber Duckie
Rubber duckie
"Rubber Duckie" is a song sung by the Muppet character Ernie on Sesame Street. The song is named after Ernie's toy, a rubber duck affectionately named Rubber Duckie....
. His catchphrase for his comic duo with his roommate Bert, is "Hi Bert!"
Ernie is a "live-hand puppet", meaning that while operating the head of the puppet with his right hand, the puppeteer inserts his left hand into a T-shaped sleeve, capped off with a glove that matches the fabric "skin" of the puppet, thus "becoming" the left arm of the puppet. A second puppeteer usually provides the right arm.
Ernie's performance of "Rubber Duckie
Rubber duckie
"Rubber Duckie" is a song sung by the Muppet character Ernie on Sesame Street. The song is named after Ernie's toy, a rubber duck affectionately named Rubber Duckie....
," wherein he sings affectionately about his squeaking toy duck and the joy it brings him during bathtime, became a modest mainstream hit, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in September 1970.
Comedy routines
A typical Ernie and Bert skit follows one of two similar patterns, both beginning with Ernie devising a hare-brained idea and Bert calmly attempting to talk him out of it. Usually, this ends with Bert losing his temper and Ernie remaining oblivious to his own bad idea. Sometimes, Ernie's idea miraculously turns out to be correct, much to Bert's evident frustration.One example Ernie and Bert skit is the popular "banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
in my ear" joke:
Part One: Bert attempts to tell Ernie that he has a banana in his ear, but Ernie cannot hear him because he has a banana in his ear.
- Bert: (sees Ernie with a banana in his ear) Ernie? (Ernie does not respond) Hey, uh, Ern?
- Ernie: (sees him) OH! Hi, Bert!
- Bert: Hey, Ernie, you know that you have a banana in your ear?
- Ernie: What was that, Bert?
- Bert: (more loudly) I said, you have a banana in your ear, Ernie. Bananas are food. They are to eat, not to put in your ear, Ernie!
- Ernie: What did you say, Bert?
- Bert: (shouting) WILL YOU JUST TAKE THAT BANANA OUT OF YOUR EAR?!
- Ernie: I'm sorry, you'll have to speak a little louder, Bert! I can't hear you! I have a banana in my ear! (Bert rumples in anger)
Part Two: Bert comes back and Ernie reveals to him that he uses the banana to keep the alligators away. He uses Bert's denial of there being alligators on Sesame Street as proof that his method works.
(Later Bert comes back, while Ernie still has the banana in his ear.)
- Bert: Ernie…
- Ernie: Oh! Hi, Bert!
- Bert: You still have that banana in your ear?
- Ernie: What?
- Bert: (more loudly) I said, you still have that banana in your ear!
- Ernie: (hears him, then nods) Yeah, Bert. I know.
- Bert: You know? Ernie, why is that banana still in your ear?
- Ernie: Listen Bert. I use the banana to keep the alligators away!
- Bert: Alligators?? Ernie, there are no alligators on Sesame Street!
- Ernie: Right! It's doing a good job. Isn't it, Bert? (chuckles while Bert rumples in anger again)
Rumors, controversies, and misconceptions
In 1997, the parody website "Bert is EvilBert is Evil
Bert is Evil is the name of a widely mirrored web site, founded by Dino Ignacio, which featured Bert, a character on the American children's television program Sesame Street...
" displayed Bert in a number of doctored photographs, implicating him in crimes ranging from the John F. Kennedy assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
to those of Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
. A similar image from another source and featuring Bert conferring with Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
was mistakenly included by a Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i print shop on a series of protest signs in late 2001 and 2002.
Characters named Ernie and Bert appear in the film It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
as a policeman and a taxi driver, respectively, but those behind Sesame Street claim that it is merely a coincidence. Jerry Juhl
Jerry Juhl
Jerome Ravn "Jerry" Juhl was an American television and movie writer, best known for his work with Jim Henson's "Muppets".Juhl was born in St. Paul, Minnesota; his family moved to Menlo Park, California, when he was 14...
, a writer on many Henson-related projects, said, "Despite his many talents, Jim had no memory for details like this. He knew the movie, of course, but would not have remembered the cop and the cabdriver."
Despite speculation about Bert's and Ernie's relationship and sexuality, Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop , is a Worldwide American non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children's programs that have run on public broadcasting around the world...
states that the two "do not have a sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
." Ernie and Bert live together in an apartment in the basement of 123 Sesame Street. Ernie and Bert sleep in separate beds, though they still share a bedroom. Some of Bert's interactions with female characters appear to show that he is attracted to women: serenading Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
in the Some Enchanted Evening segment of a first-season episode of The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, and recording a song about his girlfriend, I Want to Hold Your Ear, which was released on several albums.
Internationally
- Arab World, Iftah Ya SimsimIftah Ya SimsimIftah Ya Simsim is the first Arabic-speaking version of the children's television series Sesame Street. Indoor scenes have been taken in Kuwait, while outdoor scenes were in many Arab countries and the world...
, Bert is "Badr", and Ernie is "Anis". They are referred to as "Anis w Badr" - Brazil, Vila SésamoVila SésamoVila Sésamo is the Brazilian version of the American children's show Sesame Street. As of 2009 it airs on TV Rá-Tim-Bum.- History :Vila Sésamo is the Brazilian version of the popular American educational children’s show, Sesame Street...
, Bert is "Beto", and Ernie is "Ênio". They are referred to as "Ênio e Beto". - Egypt, Alam SimsimAlam SimsimAlam Simsim is an Arabic language Egyptian-made adaptation of the format used in the children's television series Sesame Street. Alam Simsim is Arabic for "Sesame World".The show, funded by the U.S. Government's U.S...
, Bert is "Hadi", and Ernie is Shadi. They are known as "Shadi w Hadi". - France, 1, Rue Sésame1, rue Sesame1, rue Sésame is a French children's television series based on the popular U.S. children's program Sesame Street. The show first aired January 4, 1978 at 6:25 p.m. on TF1. Its musical director was Roger Elcourt, composer Jean Morlier....
, Bert is "Bart" and Ernie is "Ernest". They are referred to as "Ernest et Bart". It is also interesting to note that in the French version, when Bert's brother Bart comes to visit, he is called "Bert". - Germany, SesamstraßeSesamstraßeSesamstraße is the German-language version of Sesame Street, a children's television program. It airs primarily in Germany and the surrounding German-speaking countries. The show premièred on 8th January 1973, Sesamstraße has been running on Norddeutscher Rundfunk since 1973; it's now in its...
, they are referred to as "Ernie und Bert". The duo were also subject to an adult parody on RTL Germany'sRTL TelevisionRtl.de' redirects here. For other uses, see RTL.RTL Television , or simply RTL, is a German commercial television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T , in larger population centres...
show Freitag Nacht News (Friday Night News). There were 27 skits entitled Bernie und Ert, which figured the pair engaged in a variety of criminal behaviours and/or sexual practices, with many episodes ending with Ert getting hurt. - Israel, Rechov Sumsum, Bert is "Bentz", a common short-form for the name "Ben-Tzion", and Ernie is "Arik", short-form for "Ariel".
- Italy, "Sesamo apriti", Bert is "Berto" and Ernie is "Ernesto". They are referred to as "Ernesto e Berto".
- Mexico and all Latin America, Plaza SésamoPlaza SésamoPlaza Sésamo is an educational children's television series for preschoolers, which is the Spanish-language adaptation for Latin America of Sesame Street. Both programs are pioneers of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment.The program was first...
, Bert is "Beto", while Ernie is "Enrique". In addition, Ernie's cousin Ernestine is referred to as "Enriqueta". - Netherlands, SesamstraatSesamstraatSesamstraat is a children's television show in the Netherlands, spin off the popular U.S. children's program Sesame Street. In its early days the show was broadcast in Flanders as well. It is the second longest running foreign adaptation of Sesame Street without interruptions, behind only...
they are "Bert en Ernie". Paul HaenenPaul HaenenPaul Haenen is a Dutch comedian and voice actor.Paul Haenen is a well-known comedian in the Netherlands and also provides the voices of Bert, Grover and other minor characters on Sesamstraat, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street, since Sesamstraat's first season in 1976. Wim T...
provides Bert's voice, and Wim T. SchippersWim T. SchippersWim T. Schippers is a Dutch artist, comedian and voice actor, loosely related to the international Fluxus-movement....
provides Ernie's. - Norway, Sesam StasjonSesam StasjonSesam Stasjon was a Norwegian children's television series that ran on NRK1 based on Sesame Street. It quickly became the most popular children's show in Norway after its début in 1991, and 198 episodes were made until 1998. Unlike their predecessors from all over the world it is set in a railway...
, Bert is "Bernt", while Ernie is "Erling". Usually they are referred to as "Bernt og Erling" - Portugal, Rua Sésamo, Bert is "Becas" and Ernie is "Egas". They are referred to as "Egas e Becas", in the opposite order.
- Russia, Ulitsa SezamUlitsa SezamUlitsa Sezam is a regional version of the children's television program Sesame Street, for Russia and Bulgaria.-History:The series debuted in October 22, 1996 on TV channels NTV and ORT and was entitled in English, "Life in an open society." The Muppet characters include: a seven-foot tall...
, Bert is Vlas and Ernie is Yenik. They are referred to as Yenik i Vlas - Spain, Barrio SésamoBarrio SésamoBarrio Sésamo was the Spanish version of the popular U.S. children's program Sesame Street. The show premièred in 1979...
, Bert is "Blas", and Ernie is "Epi". Also, they are always referred to as "Epi y Blas", in the opposite order. - Turkey, Susam SokağıSusam SokagiSusam Sokağı is the Turkish adaptation of children's television program Sesame Street. It was aired on weekday mornings 9:00 a.m./8:00 central on TRT, the state television in Turkey, between late 1980s and early 1990s. It involved a street design in a studio, and original Sesame Street material,...
, Bert is "Büdü", while Ernie is "Edi". They are commonly referred to as "Edi ve Büdü".
External links
- Sesame Street at PBS Kids
- Sesame Workshop
- Muppet Wiki: Ernie and Bert sketches
- Tough Pigs Anthology Transcripts of Ernie and Bert sketches