Paper clips

Paper clips are a small metal item used to hold papers together. Bert is a proud collector of paper clips.

Value

According to Bert at the beginning of "Let's Sing a Song That Everybody Knows", paperclips are very valuable, and are not something to play with on a moving bus. In Bert and the Broken Teapot, Bert considers selling his paper clips in order to pay for David's broken teapot. In Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, Bert goes as far as trading his paper clips for a present to buy Ernie. However, he eventually got them back, and keeps them in a cigar box that Ernie got Bert for Christmas.

Brands

Bert's collection consists of many types of paper clips from different manufacturers. Specific, branded entires include:

• 1937 Jumbo Jim (Bert and Sleeping Beauty)
• 1937 World's Fair (Bert and Sleeping Beauty)
• 1938 Stilson Luke (The Word of the Day)
• 1957 Acme (Christmas Eve on Sesame Street)
• 1969 Paper Pincher (Welcome Sesame)
• 1973 Manila-Bland (Estimation Vacation)
• 1984 factory reject (Episode 3962)

Other Opinions

Ernie doesn't care much for Bert's paper clips. According to Ernie, paperclips are the only thing more boring than Bert's bottle cap collection. However, Ernie once had a paper clip collection of his own. In an early sketch (first seen in Episode 0010), Ernie cleans out his toy box, and comes across a paper clip collection, which he referred to as his own.

Other Uses

Ernie's flower box for the Twiddlebugs includes a fence made from paper clips (whether this is from Bert's collection, Ernie's collection, or if it's even a collection is unknown). In one Twiddlebugs sketch, the Twiddlebugs find a paper clip, and think up many different uses for it. (First: Episode 4153)

Bert once showed Ernie a way to pick up paper clips without using his fingers, by using a magnet.

Outside of Sesame Street, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew once invented edible paper clips. Beaker enjoyed eating them, but they had a side effect: They caused Beaker's nose to fall off.