Bert and Ernie facts for kids
Bert and Ernie are two very famous Muppet characters. They appear together in many funny skits on the long-running children's TV show, Sesame Street.
These characters were first created by Frank Oz and Jim Henson. Today, talented puppeteers Eric Jacobson and Peter Linz bring them to life. Frank Oz used to perform Bert until 2006.
About Bert
Bert was first performed by Frank Oz. Since 1997, Eric Jacobson has taken over as Bert's main performer. This happened after Frank Oz started focusing more on directing movies.
Bert is a special kind of puppet called a "hand rod puppet". This means the puppeteer puts their right arm inside Bert's head to move his mouth. Then, they use rods with their left hand to control Bert's arms. Bert is easy to spot because he has one big eyebrow, called a unibrow.
About Ernie
Ernie was originally performed by Jim Henson until he passed away in 1990. After that, Steve Whitmire played Ernie from 1993 to 2014. Billy Barkhurst took over from 2014 to 2017. Currently, Peter Linz performs Ernie.
Ernie is a "live hand puppet". The puppeteer uses their right hand to move Ernie's head. Their left hand goes into a special sleeve to become Ernie's left arm. Usually, a second puppeteer helps by controlling Ernie's right arm.
Ernie is famous for his song "Rubber Duckie". In this song, he sings about his squeaky toy duck. He talks about how much joy it brings him during bath time. This song was quite popular and even reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970.
Bert and Ernie Around the World
Bert and Ernie are loved in many countries. Here are some of their names in different places:
- Arab World (Iftah Ya Simsim): Bert is "Badr", and Ernie is "Anis". They are called "Anis w Badr".
- Brazil (Vila Sésamo): Bert is "Beto", and Ernie is "Ênio". They are called "Ênio e Beto".
- Egypt (Alam Simsim): Bert is "Hadi", and Ernie is "Shadi". They are known as "Shadi w Hadi".
- France (1, Rue Sésame): Bert is "Bart" and Ernie is "Ernest". They are called "Ernest et Bart".
- Germany (Sesamstraße): They are called "Ernie und Bert".
- India (Galli Galli Sim Sim): They are called Bert aur Ernie.
- Israel (Rechov Sumsum): Bert is "Bentz", and Ernie is "Arik".
- Italy (Sesamo apriti): Bert is "Berto" and Ernie is "Ernesto". They are called "Ernesto e Berto".
- Mexico and Latin America (Plaza Sésamo): Bert is "Beto", and Ernie is "Enrique".
- Netherlands (Sesamstraat): They are "Bert en Ernie". Paul Haenen voices Bert, and Wim T. Schippers voices Ernie.
- Norway (Sesam Stasjon): Bert is "Bernt", and Ernie is "Erling". They are called "Bernt og Erling".
- Pakistan (Khul Ja Sim Sim): Bert is "Bablu", and Ernie is "Annu". They are called "Annu aur Bablu".
- Poland (Ulica Sezamkowa): Bert is "Hubert" and Ernie is "Emil". They are called "Hubert i Emil".
- Portugal (Rua Sésamo): Bert is "Becas" and Ernie is "Egas". They are called "Egas e Becas".
- Russia (Ulitsa Sezam): Bert is Vlas and Ernie is Yenik. They are called "Vlas i Yenik".
- Spain (Barrio Sésamo): Bert is "Blas", and Ernie is "Epi". They are always called "Epi y Blas". In the Catalan-language version, Barri Sèsam, they are "Epi i Blai".
- Turkey (Susam Sokağı): Bert is "Büdü", and Ernie is "Edi". They are called "Edi ile Büdü".
See also
In Spanish: Bert y Ernie para niños
