Cole JensenLandry BenderOana GregoryAaron R. Landon
Opening theme
"Crash & Bernstein" performed by Cole Jensen and Tim Lagasse
Ending theme
"Crash & Bernstein" (short version)
Similar
Dog with a Blog, Best Friends Whenever, Lab Rats, Kickin' It, Pair of Kings
Crash & Bernstein was an American live action television comedy series with puppetry which premiered on October 8, 2012 and ended on August 11, 2014 on Disney XD. Created by Eric Friedman, the series centered on a boy with three sisters who wishes to have a brother. His wishes come true when a puppet named Crash comes to life. Production for the series began in May 2012.
Disney XD renewed the series for a second season on April 15, 2013, which premiered on October 7, 2013.
Sesame Street and Muppets performer Tim Lagasse stars as the voice and puppeteer for Crash. Greg Ballora works as the puppet captain.
Plot
Wyatt Bernstein is a boy who lives with his mom Mel and his sisters Cleo, Jasmine and Amanda in the town of Portland, Oregon (the location was revealed in the theme song). For his 12th birthday, Wyatt is taken to a Build-A-Bestie store where he creates a puppet he names Crash, who comes to life as the brother he always wanted. Crash and Wyatt must deal with the sisters, while having their brotherly differences and still watching each other's back.
Main characters
Crash (performed by Tim Lagasse) – Crash is a puppet character who was created at the time of Wyatt's visit to Build-A-Bestie. He has a reckless and destructive personality where he causes some damages in the Bernstein's apartment. Crash is very gullible and dim-witted and often gets either himself or others in trouble, but overall he has a good heart and his intentions are usually in the right place. However, he can be prone to jealousy at times. In "Monkey Business", it is revealed that he can temporarily gain the knowledge of different things by eating the books about that topic. It is hinted that Crash can also speak Spanish, and he is a professional "vomit whisperer", and on one episode when a loud noise was made, he developed some temporary alter egos. Tim Lagasse is assisted in performing Crash by Paul McGinnis and Rob Sanders who operates the arms, legs, and props of Crash.
Wyatt Bernstein (played by Cole Jensen) – Wyatt is a 12-year-old boy among three sisters who wishes to have a brother. Wyatt is the middle child in the Bernstein family. This results in his building Crash at Build-A-Bestie. He is often exasperated by Crash's antics, especially when they get him in trouble too, but generally loves spending time with his brother. He is best friends with Pesto.
Cleopatra "Cleo" Bernstein (played by Landry Bender) – Cleo is Amanda, Wyatt, and Jasmine's 10-year-old sister who shares a room with Wyatt. She makes products for her "company" called "CLEO" where she serves as the self-proclaimed CEO. It is revealed that she has a crush on Pesto. Cleo is often bossy, but is considered to be the superior member of the family. Cleo is very business-savvy and will sell just about anything from makeup and lotions to "monster truck" dirt to make money.
Amanda Bernstein (played by Oana Gregory) – Amanda is Wyatt, Cleo, and Jasmine's 16-year-old sister. She is very popular, and Pesto has a crush on her. She also seems to be a stereotype blond, or just have the personality of one. Amanda is very sociable, but can also be annoying to other characters (Especially Crash, Wyatt, and Pesto), She's the "it" girl for English and Australian boys, and just likes to enjoy herself and have fun. She is also a terrible cook.
Jasmine Bernstein (played by Mckenna Grace) - Jasmine is Amanda, Wyatt, and Cleo's 6-year-old sister. Jasmine the youngest member of the Bernstein family. When Jasmine doesn't get her way she throws a tantrum. She owns a doll named Princess Glitter that Crash is in love with. She also has a signature scream that she lets loose when she doesn't get her way. Despite her age, she is shown to be very intelligent, and is very skilled at doing things that most kids in her own age group would not be able to do. (e.g. Use electronics) She also has an assertive side, which she displays in several episodes. Jasmine's middle name is Erica.
Melanie "Mel" Bernstein (played by Mary Birdsong) – Mel is the wife of Karl and the mother of Amanda, Wyatt, Cleo, and Jasmine. Mel doesn't approve of Crash.
Pesto (played by Aaron Landon) – Pesto is Wyatt's friend. His parents own Iconic Arcade which is where he works. Pesto has a crush on Amanda and often tries to woo her, but fails miserably. He is often shown to be a momma's boy and mentions his mother in several episodes. He used to hate Crash, but now seems to be somewhat friends with him.
Recurring characters
Scottie (played by Curtis Harris) – Scottie is one of Wyatt's friends at Linus Pauling Middle School. He is also the host of the school's show "Good Morning Linus Pauling."
Martin Poulos (played by Danny Woodburn) – Martin Poulos is the landlord of the Bernsteins' apartment building. He carries around a swear jar which he swears into so that nobody can hear his profanity. In "Crashlemania," it is revealed that he was a wrestler named "Plunger" when he was a wrestling partner of Coach Urkhart.
Rufus "The Slapper" (played by Zachary Conneen) – Rufus is the school bully at Linus Pauling Middle School.
Mrs. Lopez – A tenant in the Bernsteins' apartment building who is a known cat lady. Although she owns a lot of cats, Mrs. Lopez also owns a Basset Hound as seen in "Comic Book Crash."
Roland (played by Ron Funches) – A newsdealer and vendor that works at the newsstand in Wyatt's neighborhood.
Coach Urkhart (played by Chip Chinery) – The coach of the wrestling team at Wyatt's school and one of Martin Poulos' old friends. He and Martin were a wrestling duo where Coach Urkhart was the "Cyclone." In "Health-O-Ween," it is revealed that Coach Urkhart is a member of the Nightmare Society.
Karl Bernstein (played by Richard Ruccolo) – Karl is the husband of Mel and the father of Amanda, Wyatt, Cleo and Jasmine who debuts in Season 2. He works as a wildlife photographer and travels a lot.
Interactivity
Starting in July 2013 on DisneyXD.com online, viewers can vote for their favorite nose for Crash. The winning nose will be revealed during the second season's premiere. In conjunction with the second season's premiere, the website will also launch "Crash & Bernstein: Cluck n' Chuck," an interactive game where fans play as Crash and Wyatt and take on the neighborhood. The game will be playable on both computer and mobile devices.
Reception
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media, which informs parents about media choices for their children, gave Crash & Bernstein a three star rating out of five, stating, "This is one of those case-by-case shows that needs you to be mindful of your child's response to what he or she sees on TV". She added, "Since much of the show's laughs result from the characters' misbehavior, it's important that viewers understand the difference between fantasy and reality. If your son and his brother decide to remedy a lack of space in their bedroom by knocking down a wall, that will have more serious consequences than what they see Wyatt and Crash suffer from the same action. If your kids do watch, be sure you talk about how the characters' actions would be received in the real world instead of the TV universe."
Broadcast
Crash & Bernstein originally premiered on October 8, 2012 on Disney XD. It also airs on Disney Channel. It premiered on November 3, 2012 on Disney XD (Canada), on January 10, 2013 on Disney XD (UK and Ireland), and on February 9, 2013 on Disney XD (South Africa). In Australia the series premiered on April 19, 2013 on Disney Channel and on April 10, 2014 on Disney XD.
Planned spin-off
On July 10, 2014, it was reported that Disney XD had begun production for the pilot of a possible spin-off of Crash & Bernstein, titled Commando Crash, The plot entails Crash enrolling in Oak Shield Military School. Adam Dorfman, Cameron Ocasio, Armaan Juneja, Nicholas Stargel, and Megan Goodman co-star in the pilot. The pilot was completed, but it has not been picked up as a series yet.
