It all started around mid 1995. I was a newbie into the Internet. It was an exciting new medium. I easily got addicted to it as we all did. I jumped in eyes closed and made a homepage, I called it Fractal Cow. It was very simple, just a collection of links and some of my drawings. As I slowly got more and more addicted I began to crave more supplemental information to the monster that is the web. I started collecting Internet Underground, a magazine I still consider the best Internet Publication ever made (bring it back!). My favorite section in this magazine was the "Weird Wide Web". I discovered some of the funniest websites in this monthly feature, Spam Cam, the Captain Kirk Sing Along and the Mr. T Ate My Balls Page to name a few.
It became my goal in life to come up with a website that would make it to "Weird Wide Web". "Bert is Evil" was my attempt. I collected pictures of Bert from the net and my niece' books and manipulated them and ended up with something that made my friends laugh. I figured it just might make other people laugh. I submitted the link information to more friends, search engines, Link Exchange, related websites and Internet Underground.
Six months later, towards one of the last issues on Internet Underground, "Bert is Evil!" was included in the "Weird Wide Web". I was so happy! I got what I wanted. I was so content with my life I could have died the next day and it would still be ok.
But this is where the horror started... After the article in IU and some other publications and mention in Radio Talk Shows, "Bert is Evil!" started gaining a following of people who needed to be fed new images and stories. I couldn't stop now. I had to continue.
Around this time submissions for inclusion into the archive started coming in. Many were funny, most were done well but few stood out. Some of the better contribution came from Victor J. Zuylen, N. Ross Gilbert, Wout Reinders and Jasper Hulshoff Pol. I posted their works along side the ones I did. This was a big help because I was running out of ideas for the site.
Around December of '97 an email came in announcing that "Bert is Evil!" was nominated for the Webby Awards, and it was gonna be held in San Francisco, I invited all the contributors to join me to see our chances at the award but only Wout and Jahupo could make it.
We met up in San Fran, me from the Philippines and Jahupo and Wout from the Netherlands. We had tons of fun walking around for three days then the big night came. Our website won "Weirdest Website" and the "People's Voice Award"
With all the recognition this site has gotten, we are still wondering when the Children's Television Workshop will sue us.
This website was such an experience from the day I first started it. It's been a fun 3 years. Thank you for the support.
- Dino Ignacio
