Bert and Ernie in Elmo Saves Christmas

[Gonzo14]

Did they speak or were they just silent cameos?

 

[Princeton]

Sadly, they were just silent cameos. It's a real shame, because I think it would have been a better special if they talked.

 

[D'Snowth]

I totally agree.

 

[SSLFan]

I second with the agreeing! Lol.

But it was a rather odd decision (whoever decided that idea...) since Frank & Steve were still available to perform for the special. It's not like this was filmed around the time when SW were still looking for someone to perform Ernie after Jim's death either. Besides, Ernie & Bert are popular characters, so why not have them speak?

 

[D'Snowth]

It's kinda of like that poorly edited "episode" of Who's Line Is It Anyway?, where with the footage that was used for the episode resulted in an episode in where Kathy Greenwood didn't speak a single word for the entire half hour.

 

[minor muppetz]

I wonder if maybe Steve Whitmire was only available to perform Kermit's scene, which was presented on a TV and used a different set (though I don't know whether the regular street set is set up at all times). Frank Oz probablly had limited availability; the scenes with Grover and Cookie Monster could easily have been taped in less than 30 minutes.

 

[JimmyDeanDog]

Has Steve performed ERNIE before?

..and if so, when?

 

[minor muppetz]

Has Steve performed ERNIE before?

..and if so, when?

Yes. His first Ernie performance was in the season 25 sketch where Ernie and Bert go fishing. He also performed Ernie in 1993's Sesame Street Stays Up Late special.