Bert and Ernie

Ernie and his rubber duckie with Bert in Sesame Street

Bert and Ernie are two roommates on the long-running PBS children's television show Sesame Street. The two appear together in numerous skits, forming a comic duo that is one of the centerpieces of the program.

History of the duo

Ernie and Bert were built by Don Sahlin from a simple design scribbled by Muppets creator Jim Henson. According to Frank Oz, Sahlin also defined their characters on the basis of their physical appearance: Ernie was an orange and Bert was a banana.

According to A&E's Biography, Bert and Ernie were the only Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street 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 was originally performed by Jim Henson until his death in 1990. Muppeteer Steve Whitmire inherited the character. Bert was originally performed by now-director Frank Oz. When Henson died, Frank Oz commented that he "couldn't imagine doing Ernie and Bert without Jim." Despite this, Steve Whitmire took over performing Ernie. Beginning around 2001, Eric Jacobson took over as Bert's primary performer, although Oz still occasionally performs Bert.

Ernie's rendition of the song Rubber Duckie was released as a single in 1970 and reached #16 on the Billboard charts.

they are faggits

Rumors and misconceptions

Throughout the history of the duo, rumors have claimed that one (usually Ernie) would die of an accident or illness. In 1997, the parody website "Bert is Evil" displayed Bert in a number of doctored photographs, implicating him in crimes ranging from the John F. Kennedy assassination to those of Jack the Ripper. A similar image from another source and featuring Bert conferring with Osama bin Laden was mistakenly included by a Bangladeshi print shop on a series of protest signs in late 2001 and 2002.

Characters named Bert and Ernie appear in the film It's a Wonderful Life as a policeman and a taxi driver, respectively, though the use of the names by Henson is said to be a coincidence. In the movie Elmo Saves Christmas, Sesame pokes fun at this.

Ernie and Bert share an apartment in the basement of 123 Sesame Street. Although they sleep in separate beds, this has led some to suggest that they are representations of gay lovers since they share a bedroom. This is denied by Sesame Workshop, the corporation that owns the show and the characters, but the idea is sufficiently widespread that it has been used as the basis of jokes by Saturday Night Live, Family Guy, and the Broadway play "Avenue Q".

Some of Bert's interactions with female characters appear to show that he is attracted to women. Bert serenades Connie Stevens in the the "Some Enchanted Evening" segment of a Season One episode of The Muppet Show. Bert also recorded a song about his girlfriend, "I Want to Hold Your Ear", which was released on several albums.

Extended Family

Bert and Ernie are seen to have a number of relatives on-screen, with similar names. Bert's twin brother Bart, who resembles Bert in every physical way, including, as Ernie puts it, "the same pointy head, cucumbery nose and no-shoulders". Bart's personality is diametrically opposite to that of Bert; he constantly makes weak jokes and imitates a comedy-routine trumpet ("Bart's the name, selling's the game, waah-waah-waah!"). On one occasion Bert's absence from a skit is explained as a visit to his brother.

We also see Bert's quiet nephew Brad, whose bath is interfered with by Ernie and a number of bath toys and Ernie's young cousin Ernestine, whom Ernie encourages to speak by teaching her her own name. To his dismay, the first word she says is actually "Bert!".

Comedy routines

A typical Bert and Ernie 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.

An example Bert and Ernie skit is the banana in my ear joke:

Bert: "Hey, you've got a banana in your ear!"

Ernie: "What?"

Bert: "I said, YOU'VE GOT A BANANA IN YOUR EAR!"

Ernie: "What? I can't hear you; I've got a banana in my ear!"

Bert: "Hey, you've got a banana in your ear!"

Ernie: "I know, I'm keeping the alligator away."

Bert: "But there aren't any alligators on Sesame Street!"

Ernie: "I know, it's working!"

Internationally

• Arab World, Iftah Ya Simsim, Bert is "Badr", and Ernie is "Anis". They're referred to as "Anis w Badr"
• Brazil, Vila Sésamo, Bert is "Beto", and Ernie is "Ênio". They're referred to as "Ênio e Beto".
• France, 1, Rue Sésame, Bert is "Bart" and Ernie is "Ernest". They're 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, Sesamstraße, they are referred to as "Ernie und Bert". The duo were also subject to an adult parody on RTL Germany's 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.
• Israel, Rechov Sumsum, Bert is "Bentz", a common short-form for the name "Ben-Tzion", and Ernie is "Arik".
• Mexico, Plaza Sesamo, Bert is "Beto", while Ernie is "Enrique". In addition, Ernie's cousin Ernestine is referred to as "Enriquita".
• Netherlands, Sesamstraat they are "Bert en Ernie". Paul Haenen provides Bert's voice, and Wim T. Schippers provides Ernie's.
• Norway, Sesam Stasjon, Bert is "Bernt", while Ernie is "Erling". Usually they are referred to as "Erling og Bernt"
• Portugal, Rua Sésamo, Bert is "Becas" and Ernie is "Egas". They're referred to as "Egas e Becas", in the opposite order.
• Russia, Ulitsa Sezam, Bert is Vlas and Ernie is Yenik. They're referred to as Yenik i Vlas
• Spain, Barrio Sésamo, Bert is "Blas", and Ernie is "Epi". Also, they're always referred to as "Epi y Blas", in the opposite order.
• Turkey, Susam Sokağı, Bert is "Büdü", while Ernie is "Edi". They are commonly referred to as "Edi ile Büdü".

See also

• Sesame Street
• Bert
• Ernie

External links

• Sesame Street at PBS Kids
• Sesame Workshop
• Muppet Wiki: Ernie and Bert sketches
• Tough Pigs Anthology Transcripts of Ernie and Bert sketches