They’re like peanut butter and jelly, Abbott and Costello. They’re Bert and Ernie, the inseparable team from “Sesame Street” – and they’ve just gotten their own video. In “Bert & Ernie’s Word Play,” they stage a musical intended to get young kids psyched about reading.

The Post caught up with the pair recently in a conference room high atop the Sony building on Madison Avenue, where they sat for a freewheeling interview following their appearance on the “Today” show.

They touted “Word Play,” argued over Bert’s always getting top billing, discussed the merits of banana cream pie, delved into Dostoyevsky – and generally kibitzed their way through the interview.

With Ernie’s friend Steve Whitmire, a long-haired 44-year-old from Georgia, and Bert’s 31-year-old friend, Eric Jacobson, a slender Texan partial to black T-shirts, were also there, sitting very close to the delightful duo, giving them a hand the whole time.

Here’s what Bert and Ernie had to say:

Post: How did you come up with the title for your play about words?

Ernie: That was Bert’s title, “Word Play.” A play about words. Playing with words. It has all these multiple meanings.

Bert: Words are very important, you know.

Post: What makes them so important?

Ernie: Where would we be without them? Where would you be without words, being a guy who writes stuff? Everyday you’d send out your paper and it would be blank.

Post: What do you like to read?

Ernie: I like nursery rhymes.

Bert: I like Dostoyevsky.

Ernie: I can’t even say that.

Post: In “Word Play,” Bert always get a pie in the face when he reads the word “go.” What kind of pie?

Ernie: Banana cream. I would naturally go with that because I knew Bert was going to say that word.

Post: Bert, did you mind getting hit with a pie?

Bert: Oh, no, no, no. It’s banana cream. I love banana cream – all over my face.

Post: Do you have a favorite word?

Ernie: One of my favorite words is “Duckie,” because I have a rubber duckie. It’s nice to have something to call him.

Bert: Tintinnabulation.

Post: Can you spell that?

Bert: No. I haven’t a clue even what it means. But it’s fun to say and it’s long. It’s really long. And long words impress people.

Post: You’ve been friends a long time. Do you ever fight?

Ernie: Oh never, no. Bert and I, what would we have a problem about?

Bert: All the time.

Post: How did you guys meet?

Ernie: It’s an odd thing. We’ve been together for 33 years, but I hardly feel a day over 6. It’s very strange. It’s like some sort of cosmic wormhole thing or something.

Bert: We met through mutual friends, Susan and Gordon.

Ernie: Yeah, they’re sort of our landlords. of course, we don’t actually pay rent.

Post: It must be a very rent-controlled apartment.

Ernie: The truth is, our apartment is sort of brought to us by people like you – viewers like you.

Bert: Where would we keep our money, anyhow? We don’t have any pockets.

Post: How does the video help kids read?

Ernie: What’s great about it is you can see the words on the screen while we say the words, so it can help. Bert and I both said, why don’t we put on a show. And then we got our friends together.

Bert: Cookie Monster did craft services for us – bad idea. He ate everything we put out on the table. If you ever need anything catered, don’t call Cookie Monster.

Post: Will there be a sequel?

Ernie: Yes, we’ll call it “Ernie and Bert’s Word Play.”

Bert: I don’t think so. I get top billing. It’s in the contract. It’s poetry, it rolls off the tongue – Bert and Ernie.

Post: “Word Play” is a musical. Do you have any favorite groups or musicians?

Ernie: Sure, sure. I like Weezer. I love Weezer. It’s a great use for the letter W.

Bert: Gershwin.

Post: George or Ira?

Bert: Who? I’m talking about Sammy.

Ernie: The long, lost Gershwin.

Post: What other showbiz pair would you liken yourselves to?

Ernie: Thelma and Louise.

Bert: A lot of people compare themselves to us. I’m not really sure why.

Post: Who does your wardrobe for the show?

Ernie: We only have one shirt each, so it’s not too hard.

Bert: I’ve got a whole closet full of these [pointing to striped shirt he’s wearing].

Post: Would you like to have stripes running the other way?

Bert: It would be very slimming on you, Ernie.

Ernie: I’ve considered that. But I do try to watch my weight. It’s important to stay fit.

Post: Do you have an exercise routine?

Ernie: No, maybe that’s the problem.

Post: Do you ever get hot in the turtleneck sweaters?

Bert: All the time. But fashion hurts sometimes.

Ernie: Gotta go with what works. I’ve been wearing this same shirt since 1968. I just patch it and put it back on.

Post: You did the “Today” show recently. What was Katie Couric like?

Ernie: We spoke with Ann Curry – she’s all right.

Bert: We’re trying to boost her career.

Post: Maybe next time she can be in your video.

Ernie: Yeah. She can get some time away from her husband, Tim.

Bert: I bet she takes a pie in the face really well, too.

Post: Have you seen the video yet?

Ernie: I saw it when we did it. I haven’t seen the tape – I don’t actually have a VCR.

Bert: From what I remember, I was very good. I was very funny.