THE PRODUCERS OF Sesame Street have ruled out any plans that Bert and Ernie could get married – after almost 7,000 people signed a petition calling on the pair to wed.

Sesame Street is set in a fictional neighbourhood in New York city – where gay marriage has recently been legalised by the State Senate – and thousands had signed an online petition asking that the cohabiting males be wed as a pro-LGBT gesture.

But yesterday, responding to calls that the duo should marry, the show’s producers Sesame Workshop said there was no prospect of any such wedding.

“Bert and Ernie are best friends,” a brief statement posted online said. “They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves.”

It added:

Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.

Bert and Ernie have shared a bedroom for 42 years – living in the same room at 123 Sesame Street since the show was first aired in 1969 – though the sleeping arrangements have varied between twin and double beds in that time.

Last October, in a tweet which coincided with New York’s Gay Pride week, Bert posted a tweet on the official Sesame Street account which read:

Ever notice how similar my hair is to Mr. T’s? The only difference is mine is a little more ‘mo,’ a little less ‘hawk.’

Some had argued that the use of the word ‘mo’ – as in, ho-mo-sexual – had indicated that Bert had come out.

Read: Thousands call for Muppet marriage… between Bert and Ernie