Bert



Bert is Ernie's best friend and roommate on Sesame Street. The pair share a basement apartment at 123 Sesame Street. In contrast to the practical-joking, extroverted Ernie, Bert is serious, studious, and tries to make sense of his friend's actions. His own passions include reading Boring Stories, collecting paper clips and bottle caps (especially the rare Figgy Fizz), consuming oatmeal, and studying pigeons. While Ernie's best companion outside of Bert is Rubber Duckie, Bert has his pet pigeon, Bernice. True to his detail-oriented, organized mind, Bert is president of the National Association of W Lovers. Unfortunately for Bert, his nose has come off of his face on a number of occasions.

He has a distinctive, bleating laugh.

While Ernie has often had scenes without Bert, Bert is seldom seen without Ernie. Notable exceptions include the songs "Doin' the Pigeon," "The Subway," and "Stick Out Your Hand and Say Hello" with Rick Moranis, as well as occasional Muppet/Kid scenes, such as discussing emotions with John John.

Some of Bert's memorable moments include riding with Ernie in a plane in Follow That Bird and interrupting The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland whenever it looked like the movie was becoming unsettling.

Whereas his friend Ernie enjoys taking a bath, Bert loves to take showers. He likes bubbles, but they make him sneeze.

Bert's extended family includes his identical twin brother salesman Bart, infant nephew Brad, and several unseen relatives, including his Aunt Matilda, Uncle Bart (who gave Bert his first paper clip), and great-great-great grandfather Mountain Mike. The album Sesame Street Sing-Along! also refers to Bert's Uncle Louie, who lives on a farm.

Specials
In Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, Bert decided to give Ernie a soap dish for christmas so that his Rubber Duckie would stop falling into the bottom of the bathtub. However, as he had no money, he made a trade at Hooper's Store, where he traded his paper clips for a soap dish. At the same time, Ernie decided to give Bert a cigar box to put his paper clips in, and traded his Rubber Duckie in order to get one. However, Mr. Hooper could see that neither of them was happy with trading their things, so he gave them their things back on Christmas eve.

In The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, Bert and Ernie introduced clips from Sesame Street.

In A Muppet Family Christmas, Ernie narrarated a christmas pageant, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and got Bert to play the mother. They also got to have a conversation with Doc.

In Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting, Bert and Ernie got a new video camera. Bert initially wanted to use the camera to make some pigeon videos, but Ernie wanted to use it to make some Sesame Street videos (Bert wonders, "Who wants to see Sesame Street on TV? We can look at it outside our window every day!"). However, Bert eventually liked the idea, and directed the footage.

Bert also got the job of director in Elmopalooza.

Bert made an appearance at Elmo's World in The Street We Live On, wondering how he could get out of Elmo's World.

Discography
Bert has had starring roles (often sharing billing with Ernie, but sometimes being billed alone) in a number of albums:
 * Havin' Fun with Ernie and Bert (1972)
 * Bert's Blockbusters (1974)
 * Bert and Ernie Sing Along (1975)
 * At Home with Ernie and Bert (1979)
 * Bert & Ernie: Side By Side (1981)
 * The Best of Bert (1983)
 * Bert and Ernie's Greatest Hits (1996)

Trivia

 * Bert made special appearances in two Muppet Show episodes: Episode 102: Connie Stevens, (where he sang "Some Enchanted Evening"), and Episode 518: Marty Feldman.


 * "I remember in the very beginning, we first built these characters and then we were trying to decide who should do which", said Jim Henson on Henson's Place. "I remember trying Bert and Frank tried Ernie for a while, and then we settled on the present arrangement. I can't imagine doing Bert now, because Bert has become so much of a part of Frank."


 * "In the beginning [of Sesame Street], Frank didn't like Bert," said Jim Henson in the 1984 documentary, Henson's Place. "He felt Bert was too dull. But then after a while he realized that Bert's dullness was really a lot of fun, and he got into this dullness thing and turned it into this wonderful personality." Frank Oz said in the same program, "Bert is a very boring facet of myself... I don't think I would latch onto that one character as being me."

Songs

 * See also: Ernie and Bert Songs

Bert's signature song is "Doin' the Pigeon." In one song he explains that his favorite number is 6, compared to Ernie's number 8,243,721. He has also sung "Keep the Park Clean for the Pigeons," "I Gotta Be Clean," "La, La, La," "I Wish I Had a Friend to Play with Me," "An Oatmeal Box" and other songs.