Meet Bernd das Brot, a depressed German loaf of bread that's spent 25 years as a TV cult classic

BERLIN (AP) — Forget SpongeBob SquarePants, Sesame Street and the sourdough starter craze: a depressed German loaf of bread named Bernd das Brot is celebrating his 25th anniversary as the reluctant star of a children's television program that accidentally became equally popular with adults.

A cult classic in Germany, Bernd das Brot (Bernd the Bread) is a puppet renowned for his deep, gloomy voice, his perpetual pessimism and his signature expression, "Mist!" (Think “crap!” in English.)

Played and voiced by puppeteer Jörg Teichgraeber, Bernd is a television presenter who wants nothing to do with TV and can’t wait to go home to stare at the wallpaper.

This year, his friends — a sheep and a flower bush — are urging him to become a bread influencer.

Born as a sketch on the back of a napkin in a pizzeria, Bernd’s infamous grimace was drawn by Tommy Krappweis who modeled it after co-creator Norman Cöster’s face. The duo had been asked to come up with mascots for KiKA, a German children’s public television channel.

Comic artist Georg Graf von Westphalen designed Bernd as a pullman loaf — white bread typically sliced for sandwiches — with short arms and a permanent scowl. Bernd channels German stereotypes with his grumpy disposition, penchant for complaining and dry sense of humor and irony.

Bernd's first episode aired on KiKA in 2000 alongside his more-optimistic pals, Chili the Sheep and Briegel the Bush.

Because KiKA is a children's channel, there was typically dead air from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. On Jan. 1, 2003, the network put Bernd's short episodes into the night loop for the first time.

The move brought an adult audience — often those sitting at home and smoking pot, or returning after a long night of partying — into Bernd's world, cementing his popularity as a German cult classic.

In 2004, Bernd won the Adolf Grimme Prize — the German television equivalent of an Emmy — because the jury said he represents “the right to be in a bad mood.”

“Bernd shows you that you are less vulnerable with humor and self-irony. And perhaps the most important point is: It’s totally okay if you don’t feel well sometimes. That’s completely fine,” Krappweis, Bernd's creator, said in a KiKA Q&A about Bernd's anniversary.

Bernd is depressed for a multitude of reasons, including his failed attempt to be the mascot for a bakery's advertising campaign (that's how he ended up as a TV presenter, as a last resort).

But it's in Episode 85 that we finally learn about Bernd's broken heart.

“A long, long time ago I fell in love with a beautiful, slim baguette. She was so incredibly charming and funny,” Bernd tells Chili and Briegel. “But unfortunately it was in vain.

“She only had eyes for this run-of-the-mill multigrain bread with its 10 types of grain. It was so depressing.”

Despite Bernd’s best efforts — one of his catchphrases is “I would like to leave this show” — the episodes have never become stale. He sings, he dances, he’s been to space. He's the star of merchandise, a video game and headlines like “Give Us Our Daily Bernd.”

He was even kidnapped! In 2009, his 2-meter-tall (6.56 feet) statue was stolen from his traditional place outside the town hall in Erfurt, where KiKA is based.

A claim of responsibility surfaced on YouTube, by sympathizers of a group of demonstrators who were protesting a company that had produced cremation ovens for the Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz. The demonstrators, however, denied involvement in Bernd’s kidnapping and the video was removed from the internet.

Bernd was held hostage for nearly two weeks before being discovered unharmed in an abandoned barracks.

KiKA is honoring Bernd's 25th anniversary — despite his complaints — with new episodes, an update to his hit song and online activities for kids and adults alike. The celebrations begin now, as Bernd’s birthday is Feb. 29.

The latest series will premiere in September as Bernd, Chili and Briegel launch the social media channel “Better with Bernd" in their efforts to make him into a bread influencer.

The trio will present inventions to make school, and life, easier for viewers but naturally their concoctions backfire. Bernd instead becomes a defluencer — and an involuntary trendsetter.

AP journalist Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.

FILE - The tv figure "Bernd das Brot" on stage during the Grimme awards in Marl, Germany, Saturday, April 3, 2004. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

FILE - The statue "Bernd das Brot" stand in front of the City hall in Erfurt, Germany, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer, File)

FILE - The puppet characters on the German children's television channel 'Kika' 'Briegel der Busch', left, and 'Chilie das Schaf', right, present the statue "Bernd das Brot" at his regular place in front of the City hall in Erfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer, File)

FILE - The tv figure "Bernd das Brot" on stage during the Grimme awards in Marl, Germany, Saturday, April 3, 2004. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

MADRID (AP) — Spain star Lamine Yamal on Wednesday condemned the anti-Muslim chants made by Spanish fans during a friendly soccer game in the latest incident to dent the nation’s sporting image.

The Spanish government and the soccer federation also condemned the chants, and police said they were investigating the behavior by fans during Tuesday's game between Spain and Egypt in the city of Barcelona.

Yamal, who is Muslim, said the chants made by part of the fans at RCDE Stadium were disrespectful and intolerable. He said it didn't matter that the chants were not directed at him personally.

“I understand that not all fans are like that, but to those who chant these things: Using a religion as a taunt on the field makes you look ignorant and racist,” he wrote on Instagram. “Football is for enjoying and cheering, not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe."

Racist abuse against players are not uncommon in Spain. Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior has often been subjected to racist taunts during soccer matches. Sexism has also been an issue, as Spanish soccer endured one of its most embarrassing incidents when then-federation boss Luis Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final. He was eventually found guilty of sexual assault.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente also condemned the anti-Muslim chants after the game, which was part of the team's preparations for the World Cup.

“I feel total and absolute repulsion towards any xenophobic or racist attitudes," he said. "They are intolerable.”

The game ended in a 0-0 draw. Egypt is a majority-Muslim country.

“Hate, racism, and xenophobia have no place in stadiums or in our society,” Milagros Tolón, the Spanish minister in charge of sports, said Wednesday.

Catalonia’s regional police said "we will investigate yesterday’s Islamophobic and xenophobic chants at the RCDE Stadium during the friendly match Spain-Egypt.”

Barcelona-based club Espanyol condemned what it called “racist behavior" at its stadium.

“Such actions are reprehensible and unacceptable, do not represent the values ​​of sport, and must be firmly condemned and eradicated from all sporting venues,” Espanyol said.

The club claimed that its supporters were being unfairly blamed for the incident in a “smear campaign” and that the national team fans came from “very diverse geographical and footballing backgrounds.”

Last year, an Espanyol fan accused of racially insulting Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams during a Spanish league game in 2020 accepted a deal to avoid prison time.

Spain is due to play Saudi Arabia at the World Cup, and also faces Cape Verde and Uruguay in Group H of the 48-team tournament. Egypt has games against Belgium, New Zealand and Iran in Group G.

Spain was hosting Egypt for the game, which had originally been expected to be played in Qatar before the region was affected by the Iran war. A “Finalissima” game there between South American champion Argentina and European champion Spain was canceled after they couldn't agree to reschedule.

FIFA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about Tuesday's chants.

AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth contributed to this report.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Spain's Lamine Yamal controls the ball during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Spain's Lamine Yamal reacts during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Egypt's goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir saves during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Spain's coach Luis de la Fuente reacts during the international friendly soccer match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona , Spain, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)