As we enter the Fuck Around and Find Out Phase of the American Experiment, I find myself longing for sunnier days. If only there were a way I could sweep these clouds away and find my way to where the air is sweet and not tainted by fascism. Right on cue, NECA has delivered the first two Ultimate Sesame Street figures: Bert and Ernie. I was raised on The Street, so you can bet your Snuffleupagus, I grabbed these two roommates the first chance I had. Here’s how NECA describes the pair:
The iconic residents of Sesame Street are getting NECA’s Ultimate treatment! Celebrate your favorite childhood pal Bert with this 7-inch scale action figure. Featuring 27 points of articulation, this figure is a must-have for any fan of the serious character. Accessories include interchangeable heads, hands, expressions, and eyebrows, paper clip collection, bottle cap collection, Bernice the pigeon, book, and the letter “A”!
Celebrate your favorite childhood pal Ernie with this 7-inch scale action figure. Featuring 27 points of articulation, this figure is a must-have for any fan of the mischievous character. Accessories include interchangeable heads and hands, rubber duckie, framed picture of Bert and Ernie, and the letter “C”!
The Muppets of Sesame Street are iconic, and while we’ve had plenty of statuesque figures with limited articulation, we haven’t had much in the way of highly articulated figures. (Blitzway makes Carbotix Sesame Street figures, but those aren’t traditional figures per se). These Ultimate figures have the same articulation you’ve come to expect from NECA, so if you’re looking to snap some figure photos, you’ll get a lot more use out of these figures compared to any previous offerings.
Out of the box and in my hand, it’s like a little piece of me is whole again. Reunited with childhood friends and able to appreciate them through a slightly aged perspective, Bert and Ernie are exactly the way I remember them. Ernie is ready to cause some foolishness the only way Ernie knows how. Bert is never prepared for the bullshit that Ernie is going to spring on him. Not only has NECA given us swappable heads with an open and closed mouth head for each figure, they’ve also made Bert’s unibrow removable. By simply removing the eyebrows and flipping them over you can take a surprised expression and turn it into a hard stare for when people have forgotten their manners. (Shout out, Aunt Lucy!)
Let’s talk about that fuzzy head of hair for a minute. We all know that Bert and Ernie were Muppets and that tuft on the top of their heads was extremely fine and furry on-screen. It’s not easy to translate hair to plastic. Some companies do it better than others, but this is by far the best translation of this type of hair that I can remember. It stays true to the look of the Muppets by remaining slightly asymmetric, so cosmetically it looks fantastic. The plastic is firm enough to stay in place but has some give to it. I may be slightly neurodivergent, but there’s something satisfying about running the tip of my finger over the spiky follicles. Another detail to highlight is the slight texture of the “skin” to account for the fabric the Muppets were made from. Those little details go a long way when you’re trying to convey realism. Bert and Ernie aren’t people, they’re Muppets. If they come out with a Mr. Hooper figure down the road, I wouldn’t expect his skin to appear plush since he’s an actual human person.
From their hair down to their shoes, there’s no doubt these are the characters you love. Ernie’s tennis shoes are weathered nicely, giving them a lived-in feel. Bert’s fancy saddle shoes are nicely polished because Bert ain’t got time for dirty kicks. There are also some slight variations in the paint applications on their pants, allowing some of the texture to pop a bit more. My only concern about these figures are those beautifully striped shirts. I can’t keep my hand off these guys. They’re so much fun, but I’m nervous that due to all that heavy handling, those crisp lines may show wear over time.
Turning our attention to accessories, these are the first two characters in the line, so let the Sesame Street world-building begin! Bert and Ernie each come packed with an Alphabet Character. These letters were part of the educational segments of the show that would teach kids their letters and numbers. Bert has his paperclip collection, his bottle cap collection, a book of Boring Stories and his pigeon, Bernice. Ernie comes with his Rubber Ducky and a picture of the roommates together. Conveniently enough, the picture has a notch on the back if you’d like to hang it in your display or diorama. All of the accessories are very nicely done and will provide lots of options for display and photography purposes.
When these figures debuted back at San Diego Comic Con, there was also an Ultimate Count Von Count figure shown. While he hasn’t been listed for preorder just yet, he’s immediately shot to the top of my most anticipated figures of 2025 list based solely on my experience with Bert and Ernie. This is going to be a special line for a lot of people. It would have been easy for NECA to treat these as “toys for kids” based on the license itself. The fact that they didn’t phone it in is truly appreciated by this lifelong Sesame Street fan. If the attention to detail carries through to the rest of the figures, I’ll be All-In on NECA’s Ultimate Sesame Street line.
