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In 2002, Sesame Workshop lawyers blocked further showings of the short film ''[[Ernest & Bertram]]'' by Peter Spears, in which a character based on Ernie confesses his romantic attraction to another character based on Bert.<ref name=ABC></ref><ref>Goodridge, Michael "The best films you can't see: Ernest & Bertram is the latest in a series of acclaimed queer films banned from public view because their makers stepped on some famous toes." ''The Advocate (The National Gay and Lesbian News Magazine)'', July 23, 2002. Web.[http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+best+films+you+can%27t+see:+Ernest+&+Bertram+is+the+latest+in+a...-a089871734] (Accessed 10/31/09.)</ref> |
In 2002, Sesame Workshop lawyers blocked further showings of the short film ''[[Ernest & Bertram]]'' by Peter Spears, in which a character based on Ernie confesses his romantic attraction to another character based on Bert.<ref name=ABC></ref><ref>Goodridge, Michael "The best films you can't see: Ernest & Bertram is the latest in a series of acclaimed queer films banned from public view because their makers stepped on some famous toes." ''The Advocate (The National Gay and Lesbian News Magazine)'', July 23, 2002. Web.[http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+best+films+you+can%27t+see:+Ernest+&+Bertram+is+the+latest+in+a...-a089871734] (Accessed 10/31/09.)</ref> |
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β | Another ''Sesame Street'' takeoff, the 2003 Tony Award-winning [[Broadway]] musical ''[[Avenue Q]]'', includes two puppet characters, Rod and Nicky, who bear a striking resemblance to Bert and Ernie. In the musical, Rod is an uptight Republican banker, who is secretly in love with his sloppy, over-enthusiastic roommate, Nicky. Several numbers during the show focus on Rod's feelings for Nicky, including "Fantasies Come True", in which Rod dreams that he and Nicky rise from their single beds to share a romantic dance. Several members of the original cast (including [[John Tartaglia]], [[Stephanie D'Abruzzo]] and [[Rick Lyon]]) were puppeteers who had worked on ''Sesame Street'', but the musical has no connection with the television show. Advertising and merchandise based on the show include a disclaimer: "''Avenue Q'' has not been authorized or approved in any manner by the Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop, which have no responsibility for its content." |
+ | Another ''Sesame Street'' takeoff, the 2003 Tony Award-winning [[Broadway]] musical ''[[Avenue Q]]'', includes two puppet characters, Rod and Nicky, who bear a striking resemblance to Bert and Ernie. In the musical, Rod is an uptight Republican banker, who is secretly in love with his sloppy, over-enthusiastic straight roommate, Nicky. Several numbers during the show focus on Rod's feelings for Nicky, including "Fantasies Come True", in which Rod dreams that he and Nicky rise from their single beds to share a romantic dance. Several members of the original cast (including [[John Tartaglia]], [[Stephanie D'Abruzzo]] and [[Rick Lyon]]) were puppeteers who had worked on ''Sesame Street'', but the musical has no connection with the television show. Advertising and merchandise based on the show include a disclaimer: "''Avenue Q'' has not been authorized or approved in any manner by the Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop, which have no responsibility for its content." |
==Official Statements== |
==Official Statements== |
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==Other Quotes== |
==Other Quotes== |
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+ | [[Image:TheNewYorker-Cover-BertErnieMarriageEquality-(2013-07-08+15).jpg|thumb|300px|''[[The New Yorker]]'' cover, in conjunction with the two historic SCOTUS gay rights rulings of 2013.]] |
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β | |||
*"They're puppets. They don't exist below the waist!" |
*"They're puppets. They don't exist below the waist!" |
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:: - [[Steve Whitmire]], who has performed Ernie on ''Sesame Street'' since 1993, to students in a Q&A session at Carnegie Mellon University. (September 10, 1997) [http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/quote/101298qu.htm] |
:: - [[Steve Whitmire]], who has performed Ernie on ''Sesame Street'' since 1993, to students in a Q&A session at Carnegie Mellon University. (September 10, 1997) [http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/quote/101298qu.htm] |
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*When Michael Davis, author of the 2008 book ''[[Street Gang]]'', was asked, "What's the biggest misconception that people have about Sesame Street that you're hoping to dispel with this book?," Davis responded, "That Bert and Ernie are gay... Certainly they [''Sesame Street'' cast members] played to that notion and laughed about it and enjoyed speculating about Bert and Ernie, but the truth is that those characters are a projection of the real-life friendship between Jim Henson and Frank Oz."<ref>Felion, Marc; FernΓ³s, Fausto "Sesame Street Cred" ''Feast of Fools'', podcast #926, February 6, 2009. Web.[http://www.feastoffools.net/gay-fun-show/2009/02/06/fof-926-sesame-street-cred-020609/] (Accessed 12/29/09.)</ref> |
*When Michael Davis, author of the 2008 book ''[[Street Gang]]'', was asked, "What's the biggest misconception that people have about Sesame Street that you're hoping to dispel with this book?," Davis responded, "That Bert and Ernie are gay... Certainly they [''Sesame Street'' cast members] played to that notion and laughed about it and enjoyed speculating about Bert and Ernie, but the truth is that those characters are a projection of the real-life friendship between Jim Henson and Frank Oz."<ref>Felion, Marc; FernΓ³s, Fausto "Sesame Street Cred" ''Feast of Fools'', podcast #926, February 6, 2009. Web.[http://www.feastoffools.net/gay-fun-show/2009/02/06/fof-926-sesame-street-cred-020609/] (Accessed 12/29/09.)</ref> |
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+ | *Eric Jacobson to Vanity Fair, 2011:[http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/09/-i-sesame-street--i--puppeteer-eric-jacobson-reveals-shocking-ne] |
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β | *"Are you all that stupid? Seriously? I bet you thought [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Bert Bert] and [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Ernie Ernie] were just roommates." |
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+ | <p style="margin-left: 40px; ">'''Iβm sure youβre aware of the online movement this last summer to get Bert and Ernie married. Do you have an opinion about what did or didnβt or shouldβve happened?'''<br />[''Long pause''.] Youβre going to have to talk to our P.R. department about that.<br />'''But youβre the guy who plays Bert. You donβt have any thoughts about his sexual orientation? '''<br />If you know the genesis of the characters, itβs an absurd idea. Theyβre like ''The Odd Couple''. Just think of it like that. Itβs Felix and Oscar from ''The Odd Couple''. Thatβs what I believe the inspiration for Bert and Ernie was. If you look at the history, when the show first aired, that makes sense.</p> |
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β | <p style="margin-left: 40px; ">ββ -Puck in Season 1, on [[Glee]] </p> |
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+ | * "Hallo, wie wΓ€r's mit einem O?" (the [[Germany|German]] dub of "[[Would You Like to Buy an O?]]") also provided a reference to the pair's relationship on [[Sesamstrasse|that country's version of the show]]: [[Lefty]]'s lyrics at 0:45 are changed not only for rhyming's sake, but for comedic purposes also. "So buy the O, and take it home tonight" turns into "Nun kauf schon, und schenk es Deiner Frau!," which translates to "Come buy it, and give it to your wife," to which Ernie quickly asks: "Bert?" |
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β | |||
+ | {{br}} |
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β | *"There is NO WAY that Bert and Ernie are gay. They haven't changed their outfits in 25 years." |
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⚫ | |||
β | :: - [[Joan Rivers]] in 2011, [http://twitter.com/#!/Joan_Rivers/status/102101247544406016 on Twitter]. |
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β | :: |
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⚫ | |||
Image:Ssmag.197710.jpg|"Fly with us to Fairyland!"<br>''[[Sesame Street Magazine]]'' cover, October 1977. |
Image:Ssmag.197710.jpg|"Fly with us to Fairyland!"<br>''[[Sesame Street Magazine]]'' cover, October 1977. |
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Image:Ssmag.198010.jpg|Ernie and Bert travel on a rainbow to a magical city surrounded by pink, fluffy clouds.<br>''Sesame Street Magazine'' cover, October 1980. |
Image:Ssmag.198010.jpg|Ernie and Bert travel on a rainbow to a magical city surrounded by pink, fluffy clouds.<br>''Sesame Street Magazine'' cover, October 1980. |
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</gallery> |
</gallery> |
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β | <gallery orientation=landscape widths= |
+ | <gallery orientation=landscape widths=270 bordersize=none> |
β | File:HotTopic-T-Shirt-E&B-2009-06-29.jpg|The duo under the rainbow, on |
+ | File:HotTopic-T-Shirt-E&B-2009-06-29.jpg|The duo under the rainbow, on an official [[Sesame Street T-shirts|t-shirt]] found in the rainbow symbol section at Hot Topic in 2009. |
β | File:Beltbuckle-erniebert.jpg|[[Sesame Street belt buckles| |
+ | File:Beltbuckle-erniebert.jpg|[[Sesame Street belt buckles|An official belt buckle]] produced in 2009. |
</gallery> |
</gallery> |
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β | |||
==Parody and References== |
==Parody and References== |
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* ''[[The Jay Leno Show]]'' |
* ''[[The Jay Leno Show]]'' |
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* [[Minor Comics Mentions#Newspaper comics|Matt Bors' 2011 newspaper cartoon]] |
* [[Minor Comics Mentions#Newspaper comics|Matt Bors' 2011 newspaper cartoon]] |
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β | * ''[[Glee]]'', ''[[Minor_TV_Mentions#Supernatural|Supernatural]]'', ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', ''[[Greg the Bunny]]'', ''[[Minor_TV_Mentions#The King of Queens|The King of Queens]]'', ''[[Minor_TV_Mentions#The_Cleveland_Show|The Cleveland Show]]'', and ''[[Medium Large]]'' have made minor references. |
+ | * ''[[Glee]]'', ''[[Minor_TV_Mentions#Supernatural|Supernatural]]'', ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', ''[[Greg the Bunny]]'', ''[[Minor_TV_Mentions#The King of Queens|The King of Queens]]'', ''[[Minor_TV_Mentions#The_Cleveland_Show|The Cleveland Show]]'', and ''[[Medium Large]]'' have all made minor references. |
β | |||
==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [http://www.toughpigs.com/extrasesamesexuality.htm Tough Pigs] - Muppet Sexuality |
* [http://www.toughpigs.com/extrasesamesexuality.htm Tough Pigs] - Muppet Sexuality |
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* [http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/gaymupp.htm Snopes.com] Bert & Ernie's Relationship |
* [http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/gaymupp.htm Snopes.com] Bert & Ernie's Relationship |
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+ | * [http://web.archive.org/web/20090330055343/http://tafkac.org/tv/bert_and_ernie_gay.html TV Guide Letter Column, 12/18-24/1993] |
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* [http://www.answers.com/topic/bert-and-ernie Answers.com] Bert & Ernie |
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/bert-and-ernie Answers.com] Bert & Ernie |
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* [http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/quote/101298qu.htm Gay Today] Quotes |
* [http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/quote/101298qu.htm Gay Today] Quotes |
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* [http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/stories/s1317473.htm ABC Brisbane] - Eric Jacobson interview |
* [http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/stories/s1317473.htm ABC Brisbane] - Eric Jacobson interview |
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+ | *[http://www.bilerico.com/2011/08/bert_ernies_big_love.php "Bert & Ernie's Big Love"], Jessica Max Stein (Richard Hunt's biographer) analyzes the controversy. |
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β | * Stein, Jessica Max. ''[[The Rainbow Connection: Richard Hunt, Gay Muppeteer]]''; Brooklyn, NY: Long Walk Press, 2009. |
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β | * "[[Would You Like to Buy an O?#Notes|Hallo, wie wΓ€r's mit einem O?]]," Actual reference to the pair's relationship on the German version of the show |
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==Sources== |
==Sources== |
Revision as of 02:47, 18 February 2014
Rumors have long circulated that Ernie and Bert are a gay couple as seen on Sesame Street.[1] Sesame Workshop disavows these rumors and points out that Ernie and Bert are puppets, not humans; the Workshop's official position, therefore, is that Muppet characters Ernie and Bert are simply good friends. Advocates of this position note that Ernie and Bert's bedroom contains two single beds rather than one larger bed.
Rumor Sources
- - The Real Thing by Kurt Andersen, 1980[2]
- - Reverend Joseph Chambers on his radio show, 1994 [4]
Note that no skit has ever shown either character sewing, wearing the other's clothing, or cooking. Ernie tends to his plants alone.
On October 24, 2010, the Los Angeles Times published an article about how some gay advocates believed that Sesame Street was intentionally appealing more to gay viewers. The article commented on a tweet posted by Bert in June of that year: "Ever notice how similar my hair is to Mr. Tβs? The only difference is mine is a little more βmo,β a little less βhawk.β" Although meant as a reference to the recent release of the feature film adaptation of The A-Team, some interpreted the tweet's timing (around the time of a number of gay pride celebrations) and the use of the word "mo" (which could be read as short for "homo") as a sly, under-the-table effective outing of Bert. Sesame Workshop denied that they were intentionally trying to reach a gay audience, stating that "the idea that anyone would interpret this season that way never crossed our minds."[3]
Spoofs
In 2002, Sesame Workshop lawyers blocked further showings of the short film Ernest & Bertram by Peter Spears, in which a character based on Ernie confesses his romantic attraction to another character based on Bert.[1][4]
Another Sesame Street takeoff, the 2003 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q, includes two puppet characters, Rod and Nicky, who bear a striking resemblance to Bert and Ernie. In the musical, Rod is an uptight Republican banker, who is secretly in love with his sloppy, over-enthusiastic straight roommate, Nicky. Several numbers during the show focus on Rod's feelings for Nicky, including "Fantasies Come True", in which Rod dreams that he and Nicky rise from their single beds to share a romantic dance. Several members of the original cast (including John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo and Rick Lyon) were puppeteers who had worked on Sesame Street, but the musical has no connection with the television show. Advertising and merchandise based on the show include a disclaimer: "Avenue Q has not been authorized or approved in any manner by the Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop, which have no responsibility for its content."
Official Statements
- - Sesame Workshop's consumer response prepared statement, 1993.
- - Sesame Workshop statement, August 11, 2011 (issued in response to a Change.org petition to have Bert and Ernie marry which circulated shortly after gay marriage was legalized in the state of New York) [5]
Other Quotes
- "They're puppets. They don't exist below the waist!"
- - Steve Whitmire, who has performed Ernie on Sesame Street since 1993, to students in a Q&A session at Carnegie Mellon University. (September 10, 1997) [5]
- "All that stuff about me and Bert? It's not true. We're both very happy, but we're not gay."
- "Oh, you had to ask that question. No, no. In fact, sometimes we are not even friends; he can be a pain in the neck."
- - Bert to Spencer Howson when asked if he and Ernie are "more than just good friends" in an ABC Brisbane radio interview, March 7, 2005. (sound bite)
- When Michael Davis, author of the 2008 book Street Gang, was asked, "What's the biggest misconception that people have about Sesame Street that you're hoping to dispel with this book?," Davis responded, "That Bert and Ernie are gay... Certainly they [Sesame Street cast members] played to that notion and laughed about it and enjoyed speculating about Bert and Ernie, but the truth is that those characters are a projection of the real-life friendship between Jim Henson and Frank Oz."[6]
- Eric Jacobson to Vanity Fair, 2011:[7]
Iβm sure youβre aware of the online movement this last summer to get Bert and Ernie married. Do you have an opinion about what did or didnβt or shouldβve happened?
[Long pause.] Youβre going to have to talk to our P.R. department about that.
But youβre the guy who plays Bert. You donβt have any thoughts about his sexual orientation?
If you know the genesis of the characters, itβs an absurd idea. Theyβre like The Odd Couple. Just think of it like that. Itβs Felix and Oscar from The Odd Couple. Thatβs what I believe the inspiration for Bert and Ernie was. If you look at the history, when the show first aired, that makes sense.
- "Hallo, wie wΓ€r's mit einem O?" (the German dub of "Would You Like to Buy an O?") also provided a reference to the pair's relationship on that country's version of the show: Lefty's lyrics at 0:45 are changed not only for rhyming's sake, but for comedic purposes also. "So buy the O, and take it home tonight" turns into "Nun kauf schon, und schenk es Deiner Frau!," which translates to "Come buy it, and give it to your wife," to which Ernie quickly asks: "Bert?"
Parody and References
- Family Guy
- American Dad
- Avenue Q
- Bernie und Ert
- Ernest & Bertram
- Daryl Cagle's 2003 editorial cartoon on gay marriage
- The Jay Leno Show
- Matt Bors' 2011 newspaper cartoon
- Glee, Supernatural, The Colbert Report, Greg the Bunny, The King of Queens, The Cleveland Show, and Medium Large have all made minor references.
See also
- Tough Pigs - Muppet Sexuality
- Snopes.com Bert & Ernie's Relationship
- TV Guide Letter Column, 12/18-24/1993
- Answers.com Bert & Ernie
- Gay Today Quotes
- ABC Brisbane - Eric Jacobson interview
- "Bert & Ernie's Big Love", Jessica Max Stein (Richard Hunt's biographer) analyzes the controversy.
Sources
- β 1.0 1.1 Wolf, Buck "'Sesame Street' Threatens Lawsuit Over Gay Muppet Rumors" ABC News, April 9, 2002. Web.[1] (Accessed 11/1/09.)
- β Andersen, Kurt The Real Thing; Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.
- β Maerz, Melissa. "Some 'Sesame Street' viewers sense a gay-friendly vibe." Los Angeles Times, October 24, 2010.
- β Goodridge, Michael "The best films you can't see: Ernest & Bertram is the latest in a series of acclaimed queer films banned from public view because their makers stepped on some famous toes." The Advocate (The National Gay and Lesbian News Magazine), July 23, 2002. Web.[2] (Accessed 10/31/09.)
- β Oldenburg, Ann. "Marriage for Sesame Street pals Bert and Ernie?", USA Today. August 11, 2011.
- β Felion, Marc; FernΓ³s, Fausto "Sesame Street Cred" Feast of Fools, podcast #926, February 6, 2009. Web.[3] (Accessed 12/29/09.)