Bert and Ernie Costume
Bring Sesame Street's favorite roommates to life with classic striped sweaters.
Bert and Ernie are the beloved, bickering roommates from Sesame Street, making them one of the most recognizable and nostalgic couples or best-friend costumes of all time. This guide covers how to assemble both looks, focusing on their signature striped sweaters, colored noses, and distinct hairstyles. Whether you go DIY or buy official kits, this duo is guaranteed to bring smiles.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- ~30 min
- Budget
- $30–80
Try it on
See yourself as Bert and Ernie
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What you need for a Bert and Ernie costume
Short on time? Buy it ready-made
Spirit Halloween sells the complete Bert and Ernie costume — one box instead of 6 pieces.
Bert's Striped Sweater
A long-sleeve knit sweater or t-shirt featuring vertical stripes of yellow, blue, green, and orange, worn over a white turtleneck.
DIY: Use fabric paint or colored tape to add vertical blue, green, and orange stripes to a plain yellow long-sleeve shirt.
Ernie's Striped Sweater
A long-sleeve knit sweater or t-shirt featuring bold horizontal stripes of red, blue, and yellow, with a blue collar.
DIY: Paint horizontal blue and yellow stripes onto a plain red long-sleeve shirt.
Bert's Pants
Classic, straight-leg olive green or khaki trousers.
DIY: Any pair of green or tan pants from your closet will work perfectly.
Ernie's Pants
Classic blue jeans or simple blue denim trousers.
DIY: Use any standard pair of blue jeans you already own.
Character Headpieces or Masks
Plush overhead masks or simple felt headbands featuring Bert's tall yellow head and black unibrow, or Ernie's round orange head and black hair.
DIY: Craft felt headbands with a vertical black felt tuft for Bert, or a messy black felt wig shape for Ernie.
Rubber Duckie Prop
A classic yellow squeaking rubber duck, which is Ernie's signature prized possession.
Rather not assemble it? See ready-made Bert and Ernie costumes at Spirit Halloween ↗
How to put it together
- 1
Coordinate with your partner to decide who is playing Bert (tall, serious, vertical stripes) and who is playing Ernie (short, cheerful, horizontal stripes).
- 2
For Bert: Put on a white turtleneck shirt, then layer the vertically striped yellow, blue, and green sweater over it.
- 3
For Bert: Put on the olive green trousers and slip on simple beige or white sneakers.
- 4
For Ernie: Put on the horizontally striped red, blue, and yellow sweater, and pair it with blue jeans and casual sneakers.
- 5
Put on the respective character masks, or apply face paint (yellow for Bert, orange for Ernie) and add their signature noses (orange carrot-shape for Bert, red ball-shape for Ernie).
- 6
Have Ernie carry the yellow rubber duckie prop to complete the iconic Sesame Street look.
Makeup & hair
If not using full masks, use yellow face paint for Bert and orange face paint for Ernie. Style Bert's hair straight up in a tall, spiky black tuft with a prominent black unibrow drawn on, and style Ernie's hair in a messy, forward-facing black shag.
Bert and Ernie for couples, groups, kids & more
- couples
- One partner dresses as Bert with vertical stripes and a unibrow, while the other dresses as Ernie with horizontal stripes and a rubber duck.
- group
- Expand the group by adding other Sesame Street characters like Big Bird, Elmo, or Cookie Monster.
- kids
- Available in cozy fleece jumpsuit versions that are perfect for keeping toddlers warm on Halloween.
- Plus size
- The loose-fitting knit sweaters and relaxed-fit pants make this an incredibly comfortable and size-inclusive option.
- pet
- A small yellow dog sweater can turn your pet into the perfect 'Rubber Duckie' companion.
Tips
- Keep the sweaters lightweight if you plan to wear them indoors, as heavy knit wool can get very hot at parties.
- If using full latex masks, make sure to test the eyeholes beforehand and widen them carefully with scissors if visibility is limited.
- For photos, have Bert strike a serious, slightly annoyed pose while Ernie smiles widely and squeezes his rubber duck.
- This is a great budget costume because the base pants and shoes are everyday wardrobe items you likely already own.
Bert and Ernie costume FAQ
- What are the colors of Bert and Ernie's stripes?
- Bert wears vertical stripes of blue, green, and orange on a yellow background. Ernie wears horizontal stripes of blue and yellow on a red background.
- How do you make a DIY Bert and Ernie costume?
- You can easily DIY this by purchasing a plain yellow long-sleeve shirt for Bert and a red one for Ernie, then using fabric paint or colored duct tape to create their iconic vertical and horizontal stripe patterns.
- What props should Ernie have?
- Ernie's essential prop is his beloved yellow Rubber Duckie, which you can find at any toy store or bath section.
Did you know? Bert and Ernie are the only Muppets to have appeared in the original pilot episode of Sesame Street in 1969, and their designs have remained virtually unchanged ever since.