Yes, this is an odd title, and it’s going to be an odd post. I am an open-minded sort of person. I am most certainly not homophobic, nor am I opposed to alternative sexuality among consenting adults. If you’re practicing safe and consensual sex, then do whatever you want. AND I really like Sesame Street (although Elmo’s Mr. Noodle is annoying).
But I’m slightly baffled by Bert and Ernie’s new little show. It’s very short. Here are the opening lyrics. Now the first time I heard this, I thought “adventures in bed”? Huh? If they’re going to make them openly gay, no problem. After all, gay couples are a reality for kids today (up here in Canada – maybe less so in the States). But even the straight couples on Sesame Street don’t push sexually suggestive stuff, do they? And apparently Sesame Street has put out numerous statements that Bert and Ernie are not gay. So why do they continue to make it so *easy* for people to wonder about Bert and Ernie?
So I listened to the lyrics. Not believing what I was hearing, I Googled the lyrics. Sure enough, other people have wondered the same thing. Here are the lyrics as I hear them.
Ernie sings the main bits, and Bert sings the parts in parenthesis:
Every night when I lie in bed, (Oh no)
I see pictures dancing in my head. (Picture sleep!)
Buddy Bert, buckle up and we’ll fly awaaaay
We’re adventuring!
Every time the bed starts tapping
Something special’s gonna happen (This IS kinda kinky!)
My favourite kind of traveling
We’re adventuring
Come along with Bert and Ernie
We’re going to take a little journey
Bert and Ernie’s great adventures!!
Here it is on Youtube, if you haven’t heard it, or don’t have preschooler shows playing all day, every day….
Now, it’s weird enough that Bert and Ernie are talking about having adventures every time they get into bed. That line that “Every time the bed starts tapping, something special’s gonna happen” – that’s a very adult line. But here’s the thing – does Bert say “kinky” or does he say “kicky”? If he says kicky, does Sesame Street realize that practically everyone online seems to think he says kinky?
So lend me your thoughts, folks. Is the sexual undertone accidental? Am I imagining it? Does he say kinky or kicky? What in the world does kicky even mean? Would it be acceptable if Maria and Luis talked about having adventures in bed? Talk to me, people. What do you think?
December 11, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I…Every Day…I just can’t articulate how hilarous all this is to me. I mean they watch it every day and I’ve just seemed to tune it out but yes, its KINKY damnit! I doubt they’re so bold to let Maria and Luis talk about it though. Question is should the mb’s be told so we can sit back and watch the firestorm that follows?
December 15, 2008 at 3:18 am
It is weird that they would leave so much ambiguity… Sesame Street has always been such a great kids’ show and you’d think they would not want there to be any question about the appropriateness of the subject matter.
January 2, 2009 at 9:20 am
Thanks for the post, Marie! We enjoy any online dialog on our show, even when in concerns the controversy of our misunderstood lyrics!
We can assure you that Sesame Workshop is very aware of the “kicky vs. kinky” back and forth that has been occuring all over the web. We must admit to being caught a little flat-footed over it. Perhaps because we work within the context of media for preschoolers it makes us a little naive, but we never imagined that Bert using his signature adjective of “kicky” would be misinterpreted as being “kinky”. Not to mention that the detail of Bert & Ernie flying on the bed together to be interpreted as homoerotic!
Let’s just say that our adult audience seems to have dirtier minds than our 3 year-old one!
As our intended audience for Bert & Ernie’s Great Adventures will not see this double entendre, we are not too concerned by this. Still, as it is not our intention to invite controversy amongst the blogosphere, we have decided to to address this issue, and in the series’ second season you can expect to hear a slight change in the theme song’s lyrics.
Thanks again for watching!
January 2, 2009 at 10:21 am
The word is KICKY, nothing sexual about it.
January 2, 2009 at 8:20 pm
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March 27, 2009 at 10:00 am
Having a 20month old, I find myself watching Sesame St. often. It’s pretty clear there’s an underlying extreme left wing objective in SS… at least in the writers. Example: GNN… Grouch News Network. In an episode about GNN they say something like, “that’s not trashy, if you want real trashy news go to Fox News, now that’s trashy”.
Hearing this every day, it wouldn’t surprise me if it is KINKY. Bert and Ernie are supposed to be gay after all… it would just be faux pas for SS to fess up and say, yes, this is what it says. We are furthering our agenda of indoctrinating as many youths as we can.
Yawn. It would be nice to see some balance. Not everyone is from the left. There are more views out there than just yours. If you insist on injecting CHILDRENS television with comments on news channels that oppose your political orientation (and possibly sexual in the case of Fox news), then present something in opposition of your own views as well to be fair. But that’s not what its about is it? If your going to force your views you want it your way period.
SS, buck up, admit to putting “kinky” in the song, and to trying to force your views on our youths. If your going to do it, be fair about it. Elmo is sad.
May 20, 2009 at 9:44 am
I dont know if I buy that it’s ‘KICKY’. Who the hell says ‘this is kinda kicky’? It doesn’t make any sense. I have never in my life heard anyone say that. Maybe its some kind of urban slang term I’m not aware of but regardless, I’m pretty sure I hear an ‘N’ in that word when Bert sings it.
‘Every time the bed starts tapping
Something special’s gonna happen (This IS kinda kinky!)’
That context is TOTALLY GAY man. What disturbs me is that ernie is grinding behind bert as they glide through the sky on a flying bed while they sing this gay song. What is even more disturbing is not that Bert and Ernie may be gay, but that if they were having a sexual relationship then that makes Bert a pedofile, as he is very obviously not a child and Ernie seems to be. Ready for one worse? What if Ernie isn’t a child, but instead just really slow or mentally handicapped in some way? That would make Bert a really bad person…..
May 21, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I’m convinced that the people making these shows do this stuff on purpose, both for their own entertainment and for all us adults out there whose brains are turning to mush while we watch this stuff…all day long. I can’t cite other examples, but I notice it all the time in different kids shows…or maybe I just have a dirty mind. LOL
June 9, 2009 at 6:25 am
Im on here because lately I noticed SOMETHING that sounded remotely like that, I just hear dit again, I have DVR so I rewinded to make sure. It sounds like KINKY, BUT, the definition on dictionary .com is.
kick·y (kĭk’ē)
adj. kick·i·er, kick·i·est Slang
So unusual or unconventional in character or nature as to provide a thrill.
Sooo, maybe it might be kicky. Sesame street is doin a good job of keeping us wondering about bert and ernie though.
June 9, 2009 at 6:30 am
Oh and KURT, enough with all the spanish being stuffed down our throats too. I want my child to learn Italian, but the words are so similar to spanish that she gets messed up. It’s not fair to parents who are trying to teach their kid english and whatever language THEY CHOOSE to teach their children. The kid shows are great, but way too much social enginerring in this area of spanish speaking. No one forced italian down Americas throat in the 1920’s and 30’s, why now? Dont cater to that.
June 9, 2009 at 9:36 am
My daughter is three and she goes around singing the song and I try to correct her on the wording but, it amazes me that even she hears the word “kinky” … now I thank all my lucky stars that she doesn’t know the meaning of the word but, can anyone see what that will do if the wrong person heard??? After she started to sing thelyrics as she heard them, we no longer watch the show….
July 15, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Even if they’re not saying kinky, the rest of the song sure does alot of alluding. And the misinterpretation sure has caught alot of attention so why run the risk? I think it should be changed.
July 28, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I thought the same thing, It’s on t.v right now and I just had to google it.. LMAO.. The bed tapping was what I always heard before, but I just noticed that kinky part too.. Haha.. wow, that’s an interesting lyric for a kids show
lol.
August 20, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Bert SAYS kicky, not kinky. Yes, it does seems a little odd that there is an overt sexual tone, but we really need to get our minds out of the gutter. The producers know that parents are watching the show and probably just aiming something at us. Geeze people, other kids’ shows have been doing this for years. Why should Sesame Street be any different?
August 25, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I agree – this is a little much. I understand it is 2009 and all, and I understand that B&E are representative of the Gay community…you can say they are not, but come on. Anyway, the bed? Kinky vs. Kicky? SS knew what they were going for and put it out there. Sure my 2 year old doesn’t know what it means, but everyone over the age of 12 does. Can we not leave childrens television just that – for children. Do we need to make adult statements in them? Lets just teach them 123 and ABC. I don’t like the clay figures anyway, not half as cute as good old 1974 version.
August 25, 2009 at 3:43 pm
I wondered the exact same thing as Marie and I am so glad I found this post. I am not sure that I consider myself to have a dirty mind, it is just what it sounds like and I don’t know what kicky means to be honest. I did not have a problem with the word, I just was really surprised to hear it. Thanks for the clarification.
August 25, 2009 at 8:48 pm
just because “the intended audience” doesn’t understand the double entendre doesn’t mean we should make it available to their ears. they don’t fully understand things that are inappropriate but it’s our job as parents to protect them. it’s too bad Sesame Street Workshop is unconcerned. it’s also not suprising given their liberal views.
September 24, 2009 at 10:27 am
what the heck? i heard the song not long ago myself, and it sounds like there’s a lot of sexual undertones to it. i don’t mind teaching kids that being gay is ok, i let my son watch Spongebob and there’s a lot of “girly” things that little sponge does. whatever. but you can’t tell me that the adults who wrote this weren’t able to step back and look at it objectively and not like children. saying that they didn’t know is bull and it upsets me that they would try to play it off like that. i’ve thought it over many times, and even using the line “that is kindda kicky” doesn’t even make since in the song. it’s just weird.
October 8, 2009 at 10:23 pm
SOOO funny because I’ve been wondering the same thing for a long while whenever that weird portion of SS comes on! I just saw it now and had the computer on so I thought I’d look it up. What a bore. I agree with Benjamin that it’s pretty clear there’s an underlying left wing objective in SS. Living near NYC, I’m used to people in the media feigning left as en vogue – and it is just annoying. Maria and Luis barely tap each other on the shoulder in a show of affection. I think they danced together formally in one episode. It’s just boring and old, I can’t think of any better adjectives — probably because it’s so boring and old! But what is scary is that this subconcious social conditioning (which happens everywhere all the time and is not necessarily a bad thing because it helps kids learn to live in our society) is purposely being contaminated by the liberal writers’ opinions – and probably well-intentioned because they actually think it is important to teach this generation of children to save them from their “ignorant, intolerant conservative parents!” (I say facetiously). In 10-20 years this country will be filled with socialists! Alas, I digress… One can argue that writers pass along their opinions in any TV show – but Sesame Street? Can’t that just be about ABC’s and not male monsters having kinky adventures in bed? LOL! And the flagrancy makes it almost seem like it is a tongue-in-cheek response to all those gay questions. That’s – you guess it – just boring. We just can’t be shocked anymore. Sesame Street is going down hill and Elmo even annoys my toddler!
October 29, 2009 at 8:42 am
The first time I heard it I thought I heard ‘kinky’ but the subtitles say ‘kicky’. Come on Sesame Street, you’re trying to play the naive card? The Bert+Ernie thing has been floating around for years and in answer to it they put the two spooning togehter on a flying bed talking about majical ‘kicky’ things happening. They didn’t consider maybe having one stand or even jumping, slight distance back from the other, while the bed flies?
Sesame Street writers aren’t idiots nor are they completely tuned away from the outside world. I think they knew what they were doing, but it doesn’t matter anyway. They show is so different than what it was they should take away all the classic characters before they completely ruin their good names. They just don’t get the true spirit of the classic characters. It’s like in Looney Tunes when a once ‘Daffy’ duck became ‘P*ssed off annoying duck’ in the later shows. The true essence of the character is forgotten and replaced by gimmicky stereotyping. Case in point – Bert didn’t fetishize rubber ducky’s, he just enjoyed them immensely when he took a bath.
November 3, 2009 at 10:31 am
I think that, as adults watching children’s shows, sometime we read into things more than we should and usually I tend to roll my eyes at things people say. This being said, I just heard this song and had to google to make sure my ears weren’t deceiving me. My daughter is only 18 months so I’m not worried about her and my two 7 year old boys don’t watch it anymore. My problem is, if SS knows it’s an issue with parents, why wouldn’t they just change the lyrics around? I don’t belive they’re using Bert and Ernie to represent the Gay community but obviously that song would lead people to believe that. I say, just change around the lyrics to make the parents happy because children do parrot the songs of their favorite shows. Why my daughter is a little bit older and can start singing this, I wouldn’t want her to say kinky (whether it really is kicky or not, it sounds like kinky)..she may not know what it means but other people will.
November 5, 2009 at 4:53 pm
If those that think it’s “Kinky” must have not watched very much Sesame Street. Had you been long time viewers, you would know that Bert always uses the adjective “Kicky”. He’s been doing that for a long time.
I think people are reading into it much more than what is intended. The reaction is quite amusing.
And to the person going off about the GNN episode, they called the other station Pox News. It’s all in good fun. They also made fun of Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite.
Honestly, I had though only the puppets had something up their backsides but it appears that some “outraged” viewers do too.
November 6, 2009 at 9:40 am
Oh who really cares? I have a small child who loves SS (we watch it together), and believe me, it’ll take until adulthood for her to start reading things like this into the show.
Watch some of your favourite shows/movies from your childhood, and then you’ll suddenly see how sexual most of them really were (and I especially mean movies from the 40s-80s).
November 6, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Lol. Ya, who really cares… this is why we don’t, any longer, have cartoons / muppets / kids shows having the characters doing drugs. If you want to think your child is a retard and will never pick up on it, have fun with that.
For those of us with a little brighter children, we take offense.
November 6, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Lol, all in good fun. It would be all in good fun if they made jest of CNN as well, but they decide to protect their liberal interests. Yay, Sesame Street, convert my child to a flaming liberal before they have time to think for themselves. woot.