This by far trumps everything else that put the fear of God in me as a child; and of course it had to star another range of puppets….from JIM HENSON….(WTF!!!!)….the loveable duo, Ernie and Bert.
I must have been 4 years old when I first saw this episode on T.V., and it was the first time that I witnessed fear in one of the SESAME STREET characters. Now, as a four year old, you're pretty much completely naive to all things frightening, so you would never think that you're favourite first-openly-gay-puppet-couple would even think of stepping foot in a dark Egyptian pyramid….but I was sorely mistaken. They didn't just walk in…they ended up splitting up because Ernie was too scared to go into a "dark and scary cave" with Bert. As I sat watching in absolute disbelief that they had even stepped foot in there in the first place, Ernie started to show signs of true panic and uneasiness. I TOO started to feel the same…..this all started to get way too out of hand when Ernie walked past two "statues" (looking exactly like Bert and Ernie, but in 'King Tut' wardrobes) and one of them poked him on the back with his cane.
The mere fact that it moved made me instantly start screaming and crying. I had never ever seen my little buddy Ernie so scared….so what happens next? Bert comes racing back into the main chamber and the statue goes back to its spot, making Ernie look like he was just "seeing things." BERT DIDN'T BELIEVE HIM!!! I even remember trying to yell at Bert to look at the goddamn statue, or touch it, or something so that he would believe Ernie and then they could get the hell outta there!
Anyways, it wasn't until a few years later that I saw it again…and although the fear came back in floods…I quickly scoffed it all off, changed the channel back to T.M.N.T. and carried on with my fantasies of living in sewers and being taught to fight by a huge rat. (now how the hell is that not scary?!)
Kinder-dudes, you guys have created a site that allows us all to open up our memories to what truly scarred us as children. And now that I have two daughters I am always questioning to myself when THEY are going to have their first…. Kindertrauma ….mwuuuaaahahahahahahaaaaaa!!!!! (I hope they don't though because I love them and I don't want them to ever be scared….mwuuuahahhaha..ah forget it…).
Hey, Ernie does that hyperventilating thing at 2:42 that Lou Costello always used to do when trying to explain to Abbott that he'd just seen Dracula rollerskating on the ceiling. Â Nice tip of the pith helmet to one of the many comedy duos E&B are indebted to.
"I even remember trying to yell at Bert to look at the goddamn statue, or touch it, or something so that he would believe Ernie and then they could get the hell outta there!"
Okay, I about fell off my chair and spit my coffee out at the same time, that was so funny:-)>