The Bash Street Kids - Characters - 'Erbert

'Erbert

Erbert - A short-sighted boy who struggles to see, even with his spectacles. The rest of the class (excluding Cuthbert) have great fun swapping his thick-rimmed spectacles for others in the class and watching the resultant mayhem. In older strips the character is sometimes referred to as Herbert instead of 'Erbert. 'Erbert is sometimes considered to be the 'least' mischievous student and is often referred to as being like a human mole. His short sightedness is shared by his parents, who have on countless occasions ended up in different parts of the town during parents evening. During an escape plan, 'Erbert can usually be seen bumping into a wall or running in the opposite direction.

Playing on his references of being the least mischievous, feature length strips and cross overs brand most of the mischief 'Erbert gets up to as being by accident or through false direction. His short sightedness is renowned amongst other Beano stars, most evident in a strip in The Beano Annual 2000 where the stars had taken a cruise to Australia only to find out they had somehow ended up in Scotland. Upon making their way up to the Captain's quarters, the stars found that it was 'Erbert who had put himself in charge of the ship.

Whilst quiet and friendly, 'Erbert has been shown to be equally able to cause havoc like his classmates. He is often a source of entertainment for the others, as on one occasion where Sidney and Spotty sent him out into a Cow Pat field giving him misleading directions on how to get out. Despite this, they still consider him as 'one of the kids'.

Upon his move to Bash Street Academy, 'Erbert was given contact lenses to improve his sight. When he returned to his old school, however, he discarded them, resuming his short sighted antics.

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