Bert Bert is Ernie ' s best friend and roommate on " Sesame Street " . The pair share the basement apartment at 123 Sesame Street . In contrast to the practical - joking , extroverted Ernie , Bert is serious , studious , and tries to make sense of his friend ' s actions . His own passions include reading " Boring Stories " , collecting paper clips and bottle caps ( especially the rare Figgy Fizz ) , consuming oatmeal , and studying pigeons . While Ernie ' s best companion outside of Bert is Rubber Duckie , Bert has his pet pigeon , Bernice . True to his detail - oriented , organized mind , Bert is president of the National Association of W Lovers . Unfortunately for Bert , his nose has come off of his face on a number of occasions . He has a distinctive , bleating laugh . While Ernie has appeared in many of scenes without Bert , Bert has not been seen without Ernie quite so often . Notable exceptions include the songs " Doin ' the Pigeon , " " The Subway , " " Bert ' s Blanket , " and " Stick Out Your Hand and Say Hello " with Rick Moranis , as well as occasional Muppet / Kid scenes , such as discussing emotions with John John . Some of Bert ' s memorable moments include riding with Ernie in a plane in " Follow That Bird " , and interrupting " The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland " whenever it looked like the movie was becoming unsettling . Bert ' s extended family includes his identical twin brother salesman Bart , infant nephew Brad , and several unseen relatives , including his Aunt Matilda , Uncle Bart ( who gave Bert his first paper clip ) , and great - great - grandfather Mountain Mike . The album " Sesame Street Sing - Along ! " also refers to Bert ' s Uncle Louie , who lives on a farm . Bert and Ernie were the only Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street Pilot Episodes , and they also hosted " This Way to Sesame Street " , a special sneak preview special promoting " Sesame Street " . Play With Me Sesame . Bert was one of the hosts of " Play With Me Sesame " . On that show , he often played games on a computer , such as " Pigeon Patterns " and " Perfect Pairs " ( the latter of which involved matching socks ) . He also showcased " oatmeal art " from kids . Specials . In " Christmas Eve on Sesame Street " , Bert decided to give Ernie a soap dish for Christmas so that his Rubber Duckie would stop falling into the bottom of the bathtub . However , as he had no money , he made a trade at Hooper ' s Store , where he traded his paper clips for a soap dish . At the same time , Ernie decided to give Bert a cigar box to put his paper clips in and traded his Rubber Duckie in order to get one . However , Mr . Hooper could see that neither of them was happy with trading their things , so he gave them their things back on Christmas Eve . In " " , Bert and Ernie introduced clips from " Sesame Street " . In " A Muppet Family Christmas " , Ernie narrated a Christmas pageant , " ' Twas the Night Before Christmas " , and got Bert to play Mama . They also conversed with Doc . In " " , Bert and Ernie got a new video camera . Bert initially wanted to use the camera to make some pigeon videos , but Ernie wanted to use it to make some Sesame Street videos ( Bert wonders , " Who wants to see Sesame Street on TV ? We can look at it outside our window every day ! " ) . However , Bert eventually liked the idea and directed the footage . Bert served as director in " Elmopalooza " . Bert made an appearance in Elmo ' s World in " The Street We Live On " , wondering how he could get out of Elmo ' s World . Performing Bert . Bert is a Hand - Rod Muppet , a puppet which is controlled by both hands . The puppeteer ' s dominant hand goes into Bert ' s head , operating his mouth , and at times , facial features . The puppeteer ' s less dominant hand controls the " arm rods " , thin rods connected to Bert ' s hands . Songs . Bert ' s signature song is " Doin ' the Pigeon . " In one song he explains that his favorite number is 6 , compared to Ernie ' s number 8 , 243 , 721 . He has also sung " Keep the Park Clean for the Pigeons , " " I Gotta Be Clean , " " La , La , La , " " I Wish I Had a Friend to Play with Me , " " Oatmeal Box " and other songs . External links . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _