Ernie & Me

The year was 1970. My 5 year old sister loved to watch the still new but very popular children's TV show Sesame Street. As a 10 year old I watched with her because the Muppets were on it.

My favorite Sesame Street Muppet was Ernie. He was a real happy clown of a character and was always pulling a punchline or a "fast one" on his "ol' buddy Burt. I was a real Ernie fan.

One day late in the fall of that same year my cousin, Gary, and I went to a local department store where we saw a new toy on the shelf. It was an Ernie.His head and arms were pliable plastic and his arms were filled with columns of foam.

Both of us were awed by the possibility of owning our own Ernie puppet to bring to life. We loved to imitate his voice and his unique and infectious laugh. On the way home we talked about what it would be like to have one. We vowed to let our parents know as soon as possible that Ernie was at the top of our Christmas list that year.

During that same trip home Gary found a $5 bill near a sewer grate. Ironically that was the exact price of the Ernie puppet. He went back to the store and bought his own Ernie puppet. I was very jealous and had no hope of getting $5 of my own any time soon. I had to wait until Christmas which that day seemed like an eternity.

The story has a happy ending though. I did get my own Ernie puppet that Christmas. It was the first of many Sesame Street puppets I would own. I had about 2 dozen including finger puppets and small plastic marionettes. I had my own troupe of puppets, just like the Muppets. I called them "The Happy Entertainers" and kept them in a small suitcase for easy transport.

Gary and I put on shows in church using our Ernies and other puppets. We even won 2nd place in a summer church camp talent show that summer. I really grew to love puppetry. But as I got older like most things those childhood toys went away. They either wore out, otherwise got broken or I just gave them away. Eventually I let go of most of my puppets. I used the Ernie puppet so much that its mouth split open. I believe I even got a 2nd one as a Christmas present later on. But that one wore out as well.

Now that was 39 years ago. Since discovering Ebay over 9 years ago many times I have tried to win an auction for an Ernie puppet. The price has always gone too high for me. That is until 2 weeks ago. I finally won one at a reasonable price. He came in the mail today and he's pictured above.

For some reason he seems a lot smaller than I remember him. My hand doesn't actually fit inside his head anymore. But that doesn't matter. Just having Ernie back by my side as a reminder of the passion and joy for puppetry that accompanied our initial friendship during my childhood is good enough for me.

Recently I discovered that having the same fun I had with Ernie as a 10 year old is an important element in my ventriloquist performances today. Ernie, welcome back old friend. It is my prayer that I will always see you as a reminder that performing with a puppet is supposed to be fun. That's a vital part of what it takes to be an effective minister for The Lord when it comes to a puppet ministry.