Bert and Ernie are two Muppet characters who appear together in numerous skits on the children's television show Sesame Street. Ernie acts the role of the naïve and exuberant troublemaker, while Bert is the world-weary foil.
Bert (left) with Ernie (right)
Originated by Frank Oz and Jim Henson, the characters are currently performed by puppeteers Eric Jacobson and Peter Linz.
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. The original idea was to show that even though two people can have totally different characteristics, they can still be good friends.
According to writer Jon Stone, the relationship between Bert and Ernie reflected the real-life friendship between Oz and Henson.[2] Although their names are commonly believed to have been drawn from those of two minor characters in the Frank Capra film It's a Wonderful Life, sources from within the Sesame Street production team suggest that the identical names were coincidental.[3] The common names were referenced during Bert & Ernie's cameo in Elmo Saves Christmas, when they walk by a TV showing a relevant scene from It's a Wonderful Life.
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. 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 they should also interact with the human characters, something that was not done in the pilot
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. For example, if Ernie wanted to do something loud while Bert is doing something quiet like reading a book or the newspaper, Bert would teach him how to be quiet; however, Ernie would still make some noise, which would cause Bert to either lose his temper or leave the room.
