Ernie vs. Kermit - Could YOU tell the difference?

[jeffkjoe]

If someone were to blindfold you and then play you two soundbites - one with Ernie and one with Kermit the Frog - could you tell the difference?

I was sitting here in the bedroom while my daughter was watching Sesame Street in the den, and I could have sworn that Ernie sounded JUST like Kermit.

 

[Aaron]

ernie's voice has a slightly higher pitch then kermit's

 

[somethingofafan]

ernie's voice has a slightly higher pitch then kermit's

Except in the really early sketches, in which it's noticeably lower.

 

[Aaron]

you get my point

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I think that when Jim did the voices, Kermit is nasal and Ernie is more softly-scratchy voiced. It still sounds kind of the same for me nowadays. I think Steve now does both greatly.

 

[Jackie]

If someone were to blindfold you and then play you two soundbites - one with Ernie and one with Kermit the Frog - could you tell the difference?

I was sitting here in the bedroom while my daughter was watching Sesame Street in the den, and I could have sworn that Ernie sounded JUST like Kermit.

When I was little my parents were shocked that I could so easily tell Ernie apart from Kermit when sitting in another room.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Mine, too.

I'd say, "Kermit is green, Ernie is orange!"

 

[jeffkjoe]

Mine, too.

I'd say, "Kermit is green, Ernie is orange!"

Yeah, but really:

Kermit and Ernie are just extensions of Jim Henson's voice, and both sound VERY similar to each other.

Listen to: "Honker Donker Dinger Jamboree." Now picture Kermit singing it instead of Ernie. Totally plausible, right?

How about: "Moving Right Along" from the Muppet Movie. Now picture Ernie instead of Kermit singing it with Fozzie.

Plausible?

 

[somethingofafan]

Kermit and Ernie are just extensions of Jim Henson's voice, and both sound VERY similar to each other.

Kind of like how Rowlf and Dr. Teeth sound alike (though Dr. Teeth's voice has a bit more "jive" in it, if you know what I mean).

Or like how Fozzie sounds like Bert with a hint of Grover, who, if he whispered, would sound a lot like Yoda, which is what Piggy sounds like when she tries to sing too loudly.

Or, if you'll permit me to go off-Muppet for a minute, Sylvester and Daffy, Tweety and Henery Hawk (which aren't too far from Porky or Bugs), Barney Rubble and the Abominable Snowman, Mr. Spacely and Yosemite Sam...

 

[Hays]

We've been buying a lot of vintage SS cassettes lately, and it IS hard to tell, but not impossible - interestingly enough, my three-year-old can tell the difference better than I can!