Pop Culture References of Wizard101: Grizzleheim / Wintertusk – Berni and Urt

Berni and Urt – Ernie and Bert
https://www.wizard101central.com/wiki/NPC:Berni#ixzz7esRjqS9U
https://www.wizard101central.com/wiki/NPC:Urt#ixzz7esSa6ojy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_and_Ernie
https://youtu.be/Mh85R-S-dh8

Berni is upset that his brother Urt lost Goldie (a toy duck), Berni’s most treasured possession. Someone needs to find Goldie and restore peace between the two brothers.

Urt needs help mending relations with his brother Berni over a lost possession.
Before you interact with Urt for any quests, he says “If your craft is to mend the peace between brothers, here is your grimmest work.”

Please note the coloration of Berni and Urt’s wardrobe and compare to their namesakes.

This quest is called Brothers Grim which in itself is a reference to the Brothers Grimm, authors of many of the most well-known fairy tales.

Bert and Ernie are two Muppet characters who appear together in numerous skits on the long-running PBS/HBO children’s television show, Sesame Street. Originated by Frank Oz and Jim Henson, the characters are currently performed by puppeteers Eric Jacobson and Peter Linz; Oz began sharing performance duties with Linz in 1997 and performed as Bert’s voice until 2006. Jim Henson performed Ernie until his death in 1990.

Bert and Ernie were built by Don Sahlin from a simple design scribbled by Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. Initially, Henson performed Bert and Oz performed Ernie, but after just one day of rehearsal, they switched characters. The original idea was to show that even though two people can have totally different characteristics, they can still be good friends. According to writer Jon Stone, the relationship between Bert and Ernie reflected the real life friendship between Oz and Henson.

Bert and Ernie were virtually the only Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street pilot episode, which was screen-tested to a number of families in July 1969. Their brief appearance was the only part of the pilot that tested well, so it was decided that not only should Muppet characters be the “stars” of the show, but would also interact with the human characters, something that was not done in the pilot.

Ernie’s performance of “Rubber Duckie,” wherein he sings affectionately about his squeaking toy duck and the joy it brings him during bath time, became a modest mainstream hit, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1970.

The current list of all the (known) Grizzleheim/Wintertusk references are located here.

Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references, I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.

Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages

Berni and Urt images are from Wizard101, and are copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.

Ernie and Bert images are copyright by the Children’s Television Workshop

Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.