Bert is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Service's long-running children's television show, Sesame Street. Bert was originally performed by Frank Oz. Since 2001, Muppeteer Eric Jacobson has been phased in as Bert's primary performer. Bert has made appearances within the Muppets franchise, including The Muppet Show and The Muppets Take Manhattan.
Bert, though kind and intelligent, is also grumpy, boring and easily frustrated. He enjoys activities such as paper clip and bottle cap collecting, cooking oatmeal and watching pigeons. Producer Arlene Sherman has called Bert everyone's idea of a blind date .[1] In one sketch, Bert reads a book called Boring Stories and chuckles, Boy, these Boring Stories are really exciting! In the book Sesame Street Unpaved, Frank Oz says, I was never really happy with Bert's character until about a year in, when I realized... that he was a very boring character, and I'd use that weakness as a strength for him.
Ernie and Bert are two roommates on the popular U.S. children's television show Sesame Street. The two appear together in numerous skits, forming a comic duo that is one of the centerpieces of the program. Originated by Frank Oz and Jim Henson, the characters are currently performed by Muppeteers Eric Jacobson and Steve Whitmire, with Oz performing Bert occasionally since 2000.
According to A&E's Biography, Ernie and Bert 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 would also interact with the human characters, something that was not done in the pilot.[citation needed]
