The Evolution of Ernie (1969-present)
Image | As seen in | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Sesame Street Season 1 |
1969 | The first Ernie puppet sports a purple and orange shirt, with yellow collar and cuffs (resembling that of a turtle neck shirt), and a purple 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. | |
File:Erniemid70's.jpg | Sesame Street Season 8 |
1976-1982 | Ernie's skin is now darker orange antron fleece, instead of blanket fleece. Also, his head is considerably rounder. |
Sesame Street Season 14 |
1982-1985 | Ernie's head becomes taller making it slightly less football-shaped. His skin color reverts back to a more vibrant orange. The collar and cuffs of his shirt also change, looking more like such of a regular shirt. | |
File:Ernie1980's.jpg | Sesame Street Season 17 |
1985-1995 | Similar to the previous Ernie puppet, except the eyes are somewhat separated apart, and his hair is thinner. |
Sesame Street Season 27 |
1995-1999 | ||
File:Ernieearly2000's.jpg | Sesame Street Season 31 |
2000-2002 | Once again, Ernie has a rounder head, closely akin to the 1976-1982 version. He also has a fuller tuft of hair, making it appear somewhat longer. |
File:Ernie2000's.jpg | Sesame Street Season 34 |
2003-present | The structure of Ernie's head is much smoother and less bumpy than earlier puppets. |
Predecessor Puppets and Planning | |||
Moldy Hay from Sam and Friends | circa 1960 | Distinct from the papier-mâché humanoid characters like Sam, Moldy Hay's orange fleshy skin and wide-mouthed grin are traits that would later be refined into Ernie. | |
File:Erniesketch.jpg | 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. |