Ernie and Bert
The Banana Sketch, Part I
(Ernie is standing in the aprtment humming to himself. He’s holding a banana in his ear. Bert approaches.)
Bert: Hey Ernie? Hey, uh, Ernie?
Ernie: (Notices Bert) Oh! Hi Bert!
Bert: Uh yeah. Hey Ernie, uh, you know that you have a banana in your ear?
Ernie: (Loudly) What was that, Bert?
Bert: I said, you have a banana in your ear, Ernie. Uh, bananas are food. They are to eat, not to put in your ear, Ernie.
Ernie: (Loudly) Whatdya say, Bert?
Bert: (Yelling) WILL YOU JUST TAKE THAT BANANA OUTTA YOUR EAR!
Ernie: I’M SORRY - YOU’LL HAVE TO SPEAK A LITTLE LOUDER, BERT! I CAN’T HEAR YOU! I HAVE A BANANA IN MY EAR!
Bert: Ernie, why do you have that banana in your ear?
Ernie: To keep the alligators away.
Bert: Er-nie - there aren’t on alligators on Sesame Street!
Ernie: Works pretty good, doesn’t it, Bert?
What We’ve Learned from Ernie and Bert
* If you don’t want to get cookie crumbs in your bed, eat the cookies in your best friend’s bed.
* When you can’t get to sleep, try counting sheep. If the sheep are too loud, try fire engines. If the fire engines are too loud, try popping balloons. If all else fails, dance yourself to sleep.
* Be careful when you sneeze or your nose might come off in the hanky.
* Pigeons are darn good dancers.
* It’s okay to be boring.
More from Sesame Street in the quotes section.