Bernd the Bread: German cult figure conquers US television

"Shit. This is all so pointless. My life is hell." - Bernd the Bread is perhaps Germany's most unusual children's TV character. For 25 years, the grumpy loaf of bread has stumbled through the world of children's television with a mixture of world-weariness and dry quips – and now across the Atlantic: Bernd was introduced on a US talk show and immediately declared a cult classic.

Why does the US public celebrate a sad bread?

On the show "Last Week Tonight," political host John Oliver introduced the bad-tempered German bread guy to his audience – and the audience couldn't stop laughing. Bernd embodies all the clichés of the humorless German who always has something to complain about. Oliver commented dryly: "That's the most German thing I've ever seen." The internet is buzzing with enthusiasm about the "weird German bread guy." Many US viewers became fans overnight.

"Voice of America," the US foreign broadcaster, stated almost incredulously: "Bernd the Bread, a depressed German bread, has been a TV cult classic for 25 years."

How did Bernd the Bread become a cult figure in Germany?

The character was invented as a mascot for the TV channel "KiKa" (short for children's channel). The first show aired in September 2000, featuring Bernd and his friends, Chili the Sheep and Briegel the flowering bush. However, the trio was only seen during the day – the children's channel had a break between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. This changed on January 1, 2003: The channel ran through the night, adding episodes of "Bernd das Brot" to its schedule on a continuous loop. This attracted an adult audience, often people returning from a long night of partying. The nighttime appearances definitively made Bernd a German cult classic. The highlight, according to his creator, Tommy Krappweis , is that children and adults both laugh at the character, just not at the same points.

In 2004, Bernd das Brot won the Adolf Grimme Award , the German TV equivalent of the US Emmy Awards . The jury judged that the "anti-fun guerrilla" "claims the right to be in a bad mood in the midst of a garish fun event culture with hyped-up mega-emotional shows." After all, he hadn't asked to be on television.

What makes Bernd so special?

Bernd isn't mainstream. While children's TV is usually colorful, cheerful, and motivating, Bernd, a depressed nerd with a constantly downcast mouth, trudges through absurd adventures. He just wants peace and quiet—and that's exactly what makes him so funny. Or as one YouTube comment put it after Bernd's US appearance: "For a children's show that airs at four in the morning—absolutely entertaining."

Fans love his stoic humor, his eternal listlessness, and his quirky friends Chili and Briegel. He seems honest—he doesn't want to shine, doesn't want to be perfect, but simply wants to wallow in his world-weariness.

Why is he so sad?

Bernd once told a story about a slim baguette he fell in love with. But she only had eyes for "a random multigrain bread with its ten varieties of grain." This was very depressing. "Since then, my heart has been a dry lump of flour."

Bernd creator Tommy Krappweis has clearly explained that unhappy love wasn't the real reason for Bernd's depression. It was primarily the fact that he exists. Bernd's biggest problem is that he was born against his will. He considers himself and his life meaningless. His main activity is staring at a wall and fending off his annoyingly cheerful friends Chili and Briegel.

So Bernd remains what he is: a grumpy bread who unintentionally conquers hearts – in Germany, online, and now also on American television. At the end of his TV appearance with John Oliver, Bernd the Bread bid a fitting farewell to the US television audience: "My life is hell." With this, he left a lasting impression and gained thousands of new fans – against his will, of course.