Bert and Ernie are two Muppet characters who appear together in numerous skits on the PBS/HBO children's television show Sesame Street. These characters have become iconic, appearing in various skits, songs, and even movies. This article explores some of their most memorable adventures, including their trip to Egypt.| Country | Show Name | Bert's Name | Ernie's Name ||------------------|--------------------|-------------|--------------|| Arab World | Iftah Ya Simsim | Badr | Anis || Brazil | Vila Sésamo | Beto | Ênio || Egypt | Alam Simsim | Hadi | Shadi || France | 1, Rue Sésame | Bart | Ernest || Italy | Sesamo apriti | Berto | Ernesto || Mexico | Plaza Sésamo | Beto | Enrique || Netherlands | Sesamstraat | Bert | Ernie || Norway | Sesam Stasjon | Bernt | Erling || Pakistan | Khul Ja Sim Sim | Bablu | Annu || Poland | Ulica Sezamkowa | Hubert | Emil || Portugal | Rua Sésamo | Becas | Egas || Russia | Ulitsa Sezam | Vlas | Yenik || Spain | Barrio Sésamo | Blas | Epi || Turkey | Susam Sokağı | Büdü | Edi |
Bert and Ernie, the iconic duo from Sesame Street.
The Creation and Evolution of Bert and Ernie
Bert and Ernie were built by Don Sahlin from a simple design scribbled by Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. Initially, Henson performed Bert, and Oz performed Ernie. After just one day of rehearsal, they switched characters. According to A&E's Biography, Bert and Ernie were virtually the only Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street pilot episode, which was screen-tested to a number of families in July 1969.Character Traits
Bert was initially performed by Frank Oz from 1969 to 2006. Since 1997, Eric Jacobson has been phased in as Bert's primary performer after Oz retired from most of his Muppet duties to focus on directing. Bert is a foamy and plasticky “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. Physically, Bert represents a human, with yellow skin, an orange nose, and a vertically elongated head, with a tuft of black hair at the top. Bert has a noted unibrow. Bert typically wears a shirt with vertical stripes, most commonly with orange, blue and green stripes.Ernie is a spongy "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. Ernie's appearance and clothing contrast with Bert, as he is the shorter and more round of the pair, and he wears a red and blue shirt with horizontal stripes, blue jeans, and red and white sneakers. Whereas Bert's shirt has vertical stripes, and Bert has a tall, narrow head while Ernie's is wider than it is high. Additionally, Ernie has no visible eyebrows, while Bert displays a pronounced unibrow.The Dynamic Between Ernie and Bert
An ordinary Bert and Ernie sketch involves Ernie coming up with a hare-brained idea, and Bert trying to talk him out of it, usually getting Bert frustrated and Ernie dumbfounded. Some other plotlines involved Ernie wanting to play a game with Bert, who would much rather do something else (like read). Ernie makes appearances without Bert, usually within the framework of another double act.Sesame Street: Best Bert and Ernie Moments Compilation | 60 Mins
Ernie and Bert's Egyptian Adventure
Egypt is a country on the continent of Africa, internationally famous for its pyramid structures, mythology, history, archeology and pharaohs, which have stood for thousands of years. The Global Grover segment on Sesame Street has featured the country in which Grover and his camel feature a video about Egyptian farmlands. Ernie and Bert explore an Egyptian pyramid. Bert is excited but Ernie is afraid. They see statues that look like them. Bert decides to explore a tunnel while Ernie looks at the statues, and then the Ernie statue starts tapping and talking to Ernie. But when Ernie calls Bert back to the room, the statue doesn't move. Ernie is scared until the statue starts singing "Rubber Duckie" and dancing with him. Bert doesn't believe Ernie until he says "Bye-bye, statue," and the statue replies "Bye-bye!" and laughs... just like Ernie, scaring Bert.Sesame Street's Global Grover explores Egyptian farmlands.
Don't Eat the Pictures: A Museum Adventure
Perhaps the most prominently featured Egyptian-related story took place in Don't Eat the Pictures. While on a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus encounter a young prince from ancient Egypt, who has been held prisoner for thousands of years within the confines of relics procured from the country.Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (or simply Don't Eat the Pictures) is a one-hour Sesame Street special that aired on PBS on November 16, 1983. The story takes on them getting locked in the Metropolitan Museum of Art overnight as they embark on an adventure to find their friend, Big Bird, who has gotten lost looking for Snuffy. They must stay there until the morning while avoiding a night watchman. The special features the regular human cast of Sesame Street along with several Muppet characters, including Cookie Monster, Telly, Bert & Ernie, The Count, Grover, and Oscar the Grouch.Plot Summary of Don't Eat the Pictures
The Sesame Street gang have gone on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Big Bird has arranged to meet with Snuffy there but before he can, it is closing time. He decides to go off and look for Snuffy. Before the group can leave, they realize he is missing and run all through the museum looking for him. The chase has them going through different exhibits at high speed and missing, spotting, and chasing him. After a bit, they give up, only to find that they are locked in the museum overnight.Big Bird eventually finds Snuffy and they wander the Egyptian exhibit and encounter the ghost of an Egyptian prince named Sahu (Aram Chowdhury) and his cat who have been cursed to remain on Earth until he answers the question "Where does today meet yesterday?" Through drawings, he explains his dilemma. A demon appears to ask him the question. If he does not know or answers incorrectly, the demon vanishes until the next night. If he answers correctly, he will then be taken to Osiris, who shall weigh his heart against a feather. If it is lighter, then he can rejoin his parents among the stars, but if it is heavier he will remain on Earth forever.Big Bird considers all this too daunting and instead suggests he remain on Earth and become "the only 4,000-year-old kid on Sesame Street". Meanwhile, the group has split up and are all in different exhibits. Bob and Cookie Monster find themselves looking at pictures with food in them. While Cookie Monster tries to eat them, Bob points out a museum's policy sign that says, "Please Don't Eat The Pictures". He replies with, "Oh, this going to be a long night."As the night passes, Big Bird and Snuffy continue to try to figure out the answer to the question. Soon, just before midnight, Big Bird unknowingly figures out the answer is "a museum". When the demon appears that night, the question is answered correctly and Sahu is sent to Osiris (Fritz Weaver) to have his heart weighed. When the feather to weigh it doesn't appear, Big Bird offers one of his to help. After this, Sahu's heart becomes lighter and he is now ready to join his parents and take his cat. Big Bird and Snuffy then look up into the night sky through a glass window, and see four stars in a straight line (representing Sahu, his parents and cat), and are glad that they reunited him with his parents. When morning comes, Big Bird finds the group and Snuffy is not there. Bob commends Cookie Monster for behaving himself inside the museum and rewards him by saying he can have anything for sale on a hot dog cart. After the closing credits, Big Bird pretends to be a statue.Prince Sahu from Don't Eat the Pictures.
Bert and Ernie's Musical Contributions
As the duo often sing in their skits, several albums were released, containing studio recorded versions of their songs. Bert's best known song is "Doin' the Pigeon". He and Ernie both had their own video, The Best of Ernie and Bert, and their own album, Bert and Ernie's Greatest Hits. Ernie's performance of "Rubber Duckie," wherein he sings affectionately about his squeaking toy duck and the joy it brings him during bath time, became a modest mainstream hit, reaching No.Bert and Ernie in Other Media
Bert and Ernie appear in both of the Sesame Street movies. In Follow That Bird (1985), they search for Big Bird by plane. Ernie pilots the plane, and eventually, after they find Big Bird, he flies the plane upside-down, singing "Upside Down World".Parodies and Cultural Impact
The musical Avenue Q, an adult-oriented parody of Sesame Street, features a pair of characters named Rod and Nicky, who are parodies of Bert and Ernie, respectively. The German comedy sketch series, Freitag Nacht News had a recurring sketch called Bernie und Ert created by Attik Kargar, who performed the puppets and supplied the voice of Bernie. Bernie and Ert are a parody of Ernie and Bert, and especially redubbed on Sesamstrasse.International Adaptations
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