You've got to be kidding me? Who came up with that idea? Surely Bert was intended to be a child, or at least a teen, not an old man who's spent far too many hours frying out in the sun. The wrinkles and frown lines just don't suit him, he looks weird and down right scary.
http://a8.ahfunny.com/stories/celebrities/15-cartoon-characters-in-real-life/11