It has been suggested that Bert be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

It has been suggested that Ernie be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Ernie and his rubber duckie with Bert in Sesame Street

Bert and Ernie are two Muppets 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. In the tradition of many movie comic duos, notably Abbott and Costello, their humor is based on the interaction between a mischievous innocent (Ernie) and his world-weary partner (Bert). Image File history File links Mergefrom. ... Bert hosting a convention of the National Association of W Lovers meeting Bert is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Services long-running childrens television show, Sesame Street. ... Image File history File links Mergefrom. ... For other uses, see Ernie (disambiguation). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Bert_and_Ernie. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Bert_and_Ernie. ... For other uses, see Ernie (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Rubber duck (disambiguation). ... Bert hosting a convention of the National Association of W Lovers meeting Bert is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Services long-running childrens television show, Sesame Street. ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ... John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together The Muppets are a group of puppets and costume characters created by Jim Henson and the company he created. ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... Childrens television shows are television programs designed for and marketed to children, normally aired during the morning and afternoon hours, mainly before and after school. ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Ernie (disambiguation). ... Bert hosting a convention of the National Association of W Lovers meeting Bert is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Services long-running childrens television show, Sesame Street. ...

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. Don Sahlin (June 19, 1928 - February 19, 1978) was a Muppet design and builder who worked for Jim Henson from 1962 to 1977. ... Jim Henson, born James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990), was the most widely known American puppeteer in modern American television history. ... Frank Oz (born May 25, 1944) is an American film director, actor and puppeteer. ...

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. Steve Whitmire (born September 24, 1910) is a puppet with the Jim Henson Company. ... Frank Oz (born May 25, 1944) is an American film director, actor and puppeteer. ...

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. Steve Whitmire (born September 24, 1910) is a puppet with the Jim Henson Company. ... Eric Jacobson is a puppeteer and Muppet performer, who has been the primary replacement puppeteer for Frank Ozs characters since 2001. ...

Ernie's rendition of the song Rubber Duckie was released as a single in 1970 and reached #16 on the Billboard charts. The quintessential yellow rubber duckie. ... // Charles Wuorinen, aged 32, becomes the youngest composer ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. ... On January 4, 1936, Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade and on July 20, 1940 the first Music Popularity Chart was calculated. ...

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. ^[1] Bert is Evil is the name of a heavily mirrored web site, founded by Dino Ignacio, which featured Bert, a Muppet character on the American childrens television program Sesame Street. ... President Kennedy with his wife, Jacqueline, and Texas Governor John Connally in the presidential limousine just moments before his assassination The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, USA at 12:30 p. ... Jack the Ripper is the pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area of London, England in the second half of 1888. ... Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden (Arabic: ‎; born March 10, 1957[1]), most often mentioned as Osama bin Laden or Usama bin Laden, is a Saudi Arabian militant Islamist and is widely believed to be one of the founders of the organization called al-Qaeda. ...

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. ^[2] For other uses, see Its a Wonderful Life (disambiguation). ... This article, image, template or category should belong in one or more categories. ...

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. Connie Stevens Connie Stevens (born August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer. ... The Muppet Show was a television program featuring a cast of Muppets (diverse hand-operated puppets, typically with oversized eyes and large moving mouths) produced by Jim Henson and his team from 1976 to 1981. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• 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.
  • Bert's quiet nephew Brad, whose bath is interfered with by Ernie and a number of bath toys.
  • 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!".
• Comedian Frank Caliendo refers to renowned broadcasters John Madden and Pat Summerall as "The Bert and Ernie of Football" and how they were broken up by the broadcasting stations.
• 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.
• Bert and Ernie are parodied as Rod and Nicky, respectively, in Avenue Q.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... The following is a list of Muppet, animated, and human characters on Sesame Street, ordered alphabetically by first name. ... Frank Caliendo Frank Caliendo (born January 19, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American comedian best known for his impersonations on the FOX Network television series MADtv, and has been the in-house prognosticator for FOX NFL Sunday. ... John Earl Madden (born April 10, 1936) is a former National Football League player, head coach, and a Pro Football Hall-of-Famer. ... George Allen Pat Summerall (born May 10, 1930 in Lake City, Florida) is a former American football player and well-known television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, FOX, and, briefly, ESPN. Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on CBS and FOXs NFL telecasts, and in... Biography is one of A&Es longest-running and most popular programs. ... Avenue Q is a Tony award-winning musical that was conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. ...

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 lions away."

Bert: "But there aren't any lions 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".
• 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".
• 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".

Iftah Ya Simsim is the Kuwaiti version of the childrens television series Sesame Street. ... Vila Sésamo is the Brazilian version of the American childrens show Sesame Street. ... 1, rue Sésame is a French childrens television series based on the American classic Sesame Street. ... A large brown bear, Samson, is one of Sesamstraßes original creations . ... Rechov Sumsum is the Israeli spin-off series of Sesame Street. ... Plaza Sesamo is the Latin American version of the childrens television program Sesame Street. ... Sesamstraat is a childrens television show in the Netherlands, spun-off American program Sesame Street. ... Paul Haenen does the voices of Bert and Grover on Sesamstraat, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street. ... Wim T. Schippers Wim T. Schippers (born 1 July 1942 in Groningen) is a Dutch artist, comedian and voice actor. ... Sesam Stasjon is a childrens television series that ran on NRK from 1990 to 1998. ... Rua Sésamo is the Portuguese co-production of Sesame Street. ... Ulitsa Sezam (Russian: ) is a regional version of the childrens television program Sesame Street, for Russia. ... Barrio Sésamo was the Spanish version of Sesame Street, a childrens television program. ... Susam Sokağı is the Turkish adaptation of childrens television program Sesame Street. ...

See also

• Sesame Street
• Bert
• Ernie

Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ... Bert hosting a convention of the National Association of W Lovers meeting Bert is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Services long-running childrens television show, Sesame Street. ... For other uses, see Ernie (disambiguation). ...

External links

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

References

1. ^ BBC News - Bert in the frame with Bin Laden
2. ^ Muppet Wiki - Bert and Ernie: It's a Wonderful Life Connection