was this Steve Whitmires first Ernie sketch?

[minor muppetz]

I know that Steve Whitmires first performance as Ernie was in the sesame street new years special (although in the Muppet central interview Steve said that he was chosen to take over as Ernie when it was decided to make some talking Ernie toys), but I would like to know if this was the first sketch on Sesame Street where Steve Whitmire performed Ernie. it is certainly the first one I recall seeing where Steve Whitmire performed the voice of Ernie, and i first saw it in either 1994 or 1995.

In this sketch, Ernie and bert are fishing in a small boat. Ernie keeps catching fish, but bert doesn't. Ernie decides to let Bert catch a fish by switching sides to fish on, but Ernie still keeps catching fish. Ernie then decides to not use any bait, but he still catches fish, so finally he decides to just stop fishing untill bert catches something. Then, bert catches something... a note that reads, "what happened to your friend?"

Does anybody know if this was the first Sesame Street insert where Steve Whitmire performed Ernie? Does anybody else remember this?

 

[TotallySpiesFan]

I'm sure it was the one where Ernie tells about loud things while Bert is busy reading.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I'm pretty sure the "Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!" sketch was Jim's Ernie.

I'm not really sure of Steve's first Ernie sketch though. These days they do a lot with Steve's Ernie. It's hard to keep up.

 

[minor muppetz]

different sketch

I'm pretty sure the "Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!" sketch was Jim's Ernie.

This is not the "her fishy, fishy, fishy" sketch. In the one i'm talking about, Ernie doens't catch fish by calling them. He just has better luck than Bert. Fish do not fly into the boat. Ernie keeps trying to let Bert catch some fish by not using bait and then by not fishing. At the end, Bert gets a note instead of a shark. The note asks what happened to his friend.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

Oh, I see what you mean. Kind of like a Warner Bros. cartoon I remember where a cat goes fishing and the fish leave him a note that says, "You can't catch us fish without a worm." I guess the "Sesame Street" writers might have had that one in mind when they wrote the script.

I really didn't see too many episodes around the time when Steve started performing Ernie, so I really don't remember that one. It sounds like a good sketch though.

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

Just out of curiosity--did Steve perform "Mummy Ernie" in the classic Egypt sketch? I seem to remember somebody besides Jim performing him.

 

[minor muppetz]

Oh, I see what you mean. Kind of like a Warner Bros. cartoon I remember where a cat goes fishing and the fish leave him a note that says, "You can't catch us fish without a worm." I guess the "Sesame Street" writers might have had that one in mind when they wrote the script.

I'm not sure if you know the title, but that cartoon was called "A Fractured Leghorn", starring Foghorn leghorn and a cat.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I'm not sure if you know the title, but that cartoon was called "A Fractured Leghorn", starring Foghorn leghorn and a cat.

Believe me. I knew that. I'm an expert on Warner Bros. cartoons. That one has always been one of my favorites.

Just out of curiosity--did Steve perform "Mummy Ernie" in the classic Egypt sketch? I seem to remember somebody besides Jim performing him.

I think Jim was still around when that one was made. I do recall seeing in Sesame Encyclopedia something about a Mummy or Pharoh Ernie performed by Jerry Nelson. That's probably what you're thinking of.

 

[minor muppetz]

I think Jim was still around when that one was made. I do recall seeing in Sesame Encyclopedia something about a Mummy or Pharoh Ernie performed by Jerry Nelson. That's probably what you're thinking of.

That's weird. Mummy Ernie didn't sound like he had a Jerry Nelson voice. Was that voice used for any other characters?

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I really don't know. I don't remember the voice. I just remember reading he was performed by Jerry Nelson. I'm sorry I don't know enough about the sketch to give you more info than that.