Back in the early 90’s, when Steve Whitmire first started performing Kermit, I always referred to the character as “the new Kermit.” It actually took me a couple years before I could think of him just as Kermit — partly because I had to get used to the new performance, and partly because Whitmire has gotten better and more fluent as Kermit over the years. Now Kermit is just Kermit to me.
Whitmire’s also performing “the new Ernie” now, and today is the first time I’ve seen Ernie back out on the Street, where he belongs. Ernie and Bert weren’t on the Street for a long time, since back in the 80’s, when Henson and Oz went off to work on other projects and could’t show up to film Sesame episodes anymore. But now Whitmire is available to perform Ernie on the Street, and check him out.
Ernie shows up at Luis’ Fix-it shop, announcing his new Instant Poetry Service: “Instant rhythm, instant rhyme!” He’s wearing a sideways baseball cap and a vest, and when he recites his poetry, he gets a little hip-hop backbeat: “Congratulations are in order. You just fixed a tape recorder!”
Luis is impressed: “Ernie! How do you do it?”
“Oh, I think it’s hat,” Ernie shrugs. “Poetry for the people, Luis!”
Later on, Ernie sits with Tarah and Samantha on the steps of 123 Sesame Street. As the scene starts, he’s explaining to the girls: “It’s called Instant Poetry. I think there’s a big market for it.” Noticing us, he announces that Tarah and Samantha are going to read us poems that they wrote. There’s some more Show-and-Tell Faber and Mazlish stuff here, with Ernie appreciating the “surprise ending” of Tarah’s poem. Then Ernie plays a game with Telly, playing the drums and trading rhymes with Telly. Ernie plays a funky backbeat on the drums that is so authentically cool that I can’t stand it.
Okay, ya got me. As far as I’m concerned, he’s not “the new Ernie” anymore. This is Ernie.
Meanwhile, on Elmo’s World, the topic is Birthdays — and it’s Dorothy the goldfish’s birthday today! Dorothy has a little cake in her bowl. Elmo turns to her: “Is Dorothy having a good birthday?” Close-up on the fish. It never occurred to me before what a serious, deadpan expression goldfish have. Elmo chirps, “Good!” Dorothy is a worthy co-star on this show. Elmo’s World must be sponsored by the Goldfish Council, because I suddenly have the impulse to go out and buy a goldfish. Dorothy imagines Elmo being born, and we see Elmo’s parents in the hospital. “Oh boy!” Elmo’s dad says. “George is almost a daddy!” His mom adds: “Gladys is almost a mommy!” The doctor puts Elmo in Gladys’ arms, and they all giggle just like Elmo. I’m having flashbacks; it’s Christmas ’96 all over again.
Happy birthday, Dorothy! Now blow out your candles.
by Danny Horn
