Bert (Sesame Street)
Bert is a golden yellow Muppet character on the PBS/HBO children's television show Sesame Street. Bert was originally performed by Frank Oz.
| Bert | |
|---|---|
| Sesame Street character | |
Ernie and his rubber duckie with Bert (pictured on right) on Sesame Street in 1977. | |
| First appearance | Sesame Street Test Pilot 1 (July 21, 1969) |
| Performed by | Frank Oz (1969–2006) Eric Jacobson (1997–present) |
| Birthday | July 26 |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Human Muppet |
| Gender | Male |
Since 1999, Muppeteer Eric Jacobson has been phased in as Bert's primary performer. Bert has also made cameo appearances within The Muppets franchise, including The Muppet Show, its second pilot episode The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence, The Muppet Movie, and The Muppets Take Manhattan, in addition to an appearance with Ernie on The Flip Wilson Show on September 14, 1972, on which he sang "Clink, Clank", a song about noises. Jacobson joined Sesame Street in 1994.
Bert's age has never been defined, but performer on Sesame Street Live, Taylor Morgan, has said that "I just kind of try to think like a six year old or a seven year old, because that's how old Bert is." Bert's twin brother Bart is depicted as a traveling salesman who has a son named Brad. Bert and his roommate Ernie form a comic duo that is one of the program's centerpieces, with Bert acting as the world weary foil, to Ernie's naive troublemaking.