xg15 5 months ago

The idea and the character design were fun, but the "night loops" (footage specifically produced for the nighttime "dead air" timeslots) became too mean for my liking.

I think the original premise was a grumpy main character interacting with his wacky and slightly-too-wellmeaning friends, which is fine. But it somehow ended up with an unseen narrator putting him into an endless loop of (mildly) unpleasant situations on purpose and making cynical comments about it.

Could be a case of flanderization or the series trying to embrace its adult following, but either case, I don't think it did the series well.

  • torlok 4 months ago

    I never heard of Bernd das Brot, and having watched a few clips just now, I have to admit that a loaf of muppet bread that's forced in front of a camera and just wants to leave is exactly my kind of humour.

  • ahartmetz 5 months ago

    I recently wondered whether Bernd was funnier or the novelty of it was more amusing in the earlier 2000s or I was simply younger... But yeah, his friends were around much more often then and there was more variety and "action". I guess they reduced expenses by having only Bernd around most of the time. I mean it is a filler program...

    • xg15 5 months ago

      If I remember correctly, there were two different formats: A normal kid's TV series which featured Bernd and his friends and had regular episodes; and the "night loop" which was more surreal/"edgy", featured Bernd alone and had no real plot, only a sequence of random events that eventually looped. (And I think the latter was what made it go viral at some point)

      I can fully imagine that the actual target audience for the loop were stoners...

      • ahartmetz 5 months ago

        >the actual target audience for the loop

        I, ahem, may have heard about that. At the time. In Minecraft.

lqet 5 months ago

> Bernd is a television presenter who wants nothing to do with TV and can’t wait to go home to stare at the wallpaper.

A national treasure.

I you visit the Reichstag in Berlin, they have an audio guide spoken by Bernd das Brot!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh_ViVyz474

ashoeafoot 5 months ago

You could watch wallpaper dry, but instead you watch a depressed loaf watching wallpaper dry. Very meta.

sandreas 5 months ago

There is also an opinionated point and click adventure called "Bernd das Brot und die Unmöglichen" (German title). Although not the greatest game, I somehow enjoyed it (bought it used for 5 bucks).

exz 4 months ago

Ich will hier weg

yuserx 4 months ago

Very young children like to watch it (because there is movement) but not necessarily voluntarily (children's programming stops early in the evening and then this is shown until the next morning). While some people behind the show had done great TV in the past, I would not allow my kids to watch it (too uninspiring, to put it mildly).

warpspin 5 months ago

You either love or hate Bernd das Brot. I'm on the hate side. Cannot stand this for just 30 seconds.

  • xg15 5 months ago

    And Bernd would agree with you, he cannot stand it either!

  • atoav 4 months ago

    My theory always was that this is television that was meant as a signal for kids to go to sleep.

  • lifestyleguru 5 months ago

    [flagged]

    • Sabinus 4 months ago

      This isn't how the government works. I also pay into a system that fixes roads I'll never drive on but that isn't a reason to complain.

fennecfoxy 4 months ago

I remember the first time I saw him after moving to the UK was on the trip to Berlin when I chucked the TV on after getting back to the hotel absolutely blasted and was just enamoured with how weird it was - gave me mighty boosh/adventure time kinda vibes.

Since then I've seen him on TV in Austria, Netherlands, etc. Usually floating around in space making dry comments that I can't understand.

panick21_ 4 months ago

The option when watching TV late at night when younger was watching Bernd das Brot or Soft-Porn. Bernd was more entertaining.

blacksqr 4 months ago

Not a berliner by the looks of him.

mschuster91 4 months ago

Y'all have Spongebob Squarepants, we have Bernd das Brot.

nakedneuron 4 months ago

I wonder if the character was ever used to raise awareness for depression. Does anybody know?

Seems like a no-brainer.

zakki 4 months ago

I guess Bread Barbershop on YT got the idea of Mr Bread from this Bend das Brot.

ngruhn 4 months ago

he's basically squidward

MichaelMoser123 4 months ago

Bernd is explaining German history https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCbOtJftDks

Spoiler: at 11:12 Nazi Germany is done as ... the scene with the globe from Chaplin's Dictator. I didn't like that: as if that was someone else on the stage (at 10:36 - the twenties were all fun and dance, no then came the guy with the mustache and spoiled the party, not that one - this was supposed to be a different one)