Bert & Ernie Puppets Stolen?

[BlueFrackle]

Here's another:

"Bert and Ernie are back, safe and sound, six weeks after they were abducted in a daring raid on an exhibition they were appearing in.
The pair were anonymously returned to German radio station "Antenne Thueringen" in Erfurt on Thursday (March 14).
They were the only two taken when the still-unknown assailants forced their way into the exhibition in Erfurt on January 29.
Shaken but otherwise unhurt, Ernie and Bert posed for photographers on Thursday but did not make any comment.
"From a medical viewpoint, it seems to be the case that they are still in shock and therefore cannot comment at the moment," head of police in Erfurt, Rainer Grube, said.
Their fans are simply relieved the pair weren't injured.
"I am so happy that Ernie and Bert are back," one girl said. "I was worried about them still being in the hands of thiefs because they could have been destroyed." The "Sesame Street" stars were abducted from the exhibition while on a tour through Germany with 36 of their Muppet colleagues.
None of the other Muppets were hurt in the raid.
The troupe's firey female star, Miss Piggy, showed she was made of sterner stuff than her male colleagues and successfully fought off her would-be abductors. However, the glass case she was posing in bore the brunt of the assailant's fury.
Much like the role she plays in the new Muppet movie "Treasure Island", Miss Piggy showed she wasn't to be trifled with.
Meanwhile, Ernie and Bert have now rejoined the other Muppets in Bremen, where the exhibit is now on display.
Handmade by Muppet creator Jim Henson, Ernie and Bert are valued at about 125,000 United States dollars. To their fans, however, they're priceless."

 

[D'Snowth]

Makes me wonder what might have ever become of the original orange Oscar puppet.

Granted, we know Jim did go ahead and rip it to shreads and such, but even way back when, Caroll felt that it could've been a museum piece someday.

 

[DePingPong]

Does anyone know if there are pics of those Ernie and Bert puppets? Like, from the display. Just curious if they are the originals, cause when I think of the originals I think of the Season 1 E&B puppets.