Ernie Through the Years
From Muppet Wiki
The Evolution of Ernie (1969-present)
| Image | As seen in | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sesame Street Season 1 | 1969 | The first Ernie puppet sports a pink and orange shirt, and, at times, a pink nose. During the pilot episodes, Jim experimented with Ernie's eye focus; at one point he looked downwards instead of upwards. |
| | Sesame Street Season 2 | 1970 | Ernie wears a red-blue pattern sweater instead of a purple-orange one. His nose changes from pink to red. |
| | Sesame Street Season 3 | 1971-1976 | Ernie's eye focus is improved, and he has a brighter orange skin tone. |
| | Sesame Street | 1983-1992 | Ernie's head becomes rounder and taller making it slightly less football-shaped. |
| | Sesame Street | 1993-present | |
| Predecessor Puppets and Planning | |||
| | Moldy Hay from Sam and Friends | circa 1960 | Distinct from the paper mache humanoid characters like Sam, Moldy Hay's orange fleshy skin and wide-mouthed grin are traits that would later be refined into Ernie. |
| Design sketch for Sesame Street | circa 1969 | Early sketches bear a closer similarity to Moldy Hay, with messier hair, and in some images, enormous ears. Contrast is established between Ernie's horizontal stripes and round-faced look and Bert's vertical stripes and leaner appearance. |


