It's Ernie & Bert. You Say Bert & Ernie And I Say, 'It's A Wonderful Life.'

I am STUNNED.  I am AGOG.

Once again, it appears that my quizzing has brought me [unwanted] unexpected answers.  Can it be that The Man is...well...[in agreement with you crazy people] actually RIGHT a lot of the time?  Have I been dismissing his rightness all these years?  Only to discover that [there are TONS of crazy people who agree with him] with examination of survey results, that his opinion was in line with the majority?

Nah.

I was thinking that it was REGIONAL.  But, perhaps you are all crazy.

The characters Bert & Ernie come from 'It's a Wonderful Life.'  Ernie was the cabby and Bert was the cop (You were close, BMom).

Here is Bert (of Bert & Ernie):

I couldn't find a picture of the two of them serenading.  The internet doesn't think much of cabbies, yo.

NOW.

Onto the Muppets. 

The two "Ever-Loving, Room-Sharing Muppets" are Ernie. and. Bert.

EVERYONE where I live now calls them, like you do, Bert & Ernie.  Everyone from my hometown (and maybe the midwest?) calls them Ernie & Bert.

I picked the picture with Bert first, so as not to draw IRE from The Man, for trying to 'LEAD YOU,' (and it looks like it worked, Julie.) 

But trust me when I tell you that it is almost ALWAYS Ernie first.  For real.

And listen, you don't have to just take MY word for it.  In fact, let's just take a look at the ALBUM, shall we?

Look CLOSELY.

What does it SAY?

I am taking it as EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE.*

Sorry. (I wish I would have bet you each a DOLLAR.)

And listen, you crazy kids, I don't have time to write a post about EACH duo in history.  And I don't want to shock you or anything, but these ladies?

 

Are NOT called, 'Shirley & Laverne.'

Just saying.

*There MAY be another album out there, with a different title.  It doesn't prove a thing. And anyway, to find it?  You'd have to be doing RESEARCH on MUPPETS, just to prove me wrong. Losah.

Comments

[mamatulip]

I wanted to comment on this when you originally posted it and your blog wouldn't load for me.

I blamed Bert.

[Don Mills Diva]

I do agree that record cover IS empirical evidence.

Also?

Bert is evil.

Just sayin'.

[Chibi Jeebs]

Seriously?!? My little world is shaken. I've been saying it wrong all this time? Dammit!

[Adorable Girlfriend]

I remember calling them Ernie and Bert until I went to college and read this feminist article on how they might not have just been roomates. It changed everything that day for me.

EVERYTHING.

[adil]

Sorry I missed the OP. I totally would have voted "Ernie and Bert". Because that's the order in which the names go. Definitely. "Bert and Ernie" is wrong-sounding and, well, wrong. I'm from the Northeast, by the by.

[Amy Jo]

You know I just watched It's A Wonderful Life and we discussed those very characters, but I forgot all about them! I still say Bert and Ernie, but I could be swayed.

Also I was wondering if you'd like to play a little purse game?
http://cheeseparty.blogspot.com/2009/01/in-bag.html

[astarte]

Hmmm, I think it's Bert and Ernie, too - did you Photoshop that or something?! :)

Also, Laverne and Shirly have no business singing ANYTHING. EVER. Yeesh.

[charmie]

I've only ever heard Bert and Ernie, and I'm from the midwest. But then again we say things like chimley and your guys and booshes here so don't take my word for it.

[Amelia Sprout]

I'm from the midwest, Bert & Ernie. Seriously, no jokes, never heard it the other way. Perhaps pull out the classic Sesame Street DVDs?

[Julie]

What Lora said. It's not a midwest thing, it's how it rolls off the tongue. My brother and I are "Jeff and Julie" even though I am older and naturally FAR superior to him in every way.

[Mama Bub]

As I sit here I'm thinking of the book sitting in Bub's room of Bert and Ernie and wondering if I will be vindicated or embarassed if I go look at the word order on the cover.

[Lora]

I used to say Ernie and Bert, but now that I've moved out of our hometown, I say Bert and Ernie.

Weird. I never noticed that.

[Amanda]

I grew up about as close to the Midwest as you can be without actually being in it (NWPA), and I've always said Bert and Ernie. I think your album has it wrong, the public wins.

[Bmom]

Oh man, I CANNOT believe that I had that wrong in my comment (re: who was Bert and who was Ernie in It's a Wonderful Life). I knew that - I can sit here and hear George yelling to Bert on that bridge 100x over.

BTW, how pathetic am I that I so enjoyed your post because I do not have a blog and I don't comment often, so to see "Bmom" on a blog made me stop for a minute and smile. Thanks for making my day. Even if I did get two characters that I love messed up. IAWL is a major tradition here with my hubby and kids. They'd be so disappointed in me. ;)

[Karly]

Honestly, I don't even know which one is which, so the picture didn't sway my answer a bit. It's still Bert and Ernie though. I don't care what your album says. :)

[Lora]

Well, I'm from the midwest and have always said "Bert and Ernie". For me, it's how it rolls off the tongue... just like when you say certain couples names. For example, my BFF's husband's name is Mike. And even though I much prefer my BFF, Julie, to him - when I refer to the two of them it's always "Mike and Julie", never the other way. It just doesn't roll out of my mouth the other way.

[*m*]

I think people made a conscious effort to write their names in the order in which they were pictured. So I don't think this proves anything -- sorry, The Man. (But I do say Burt and Ernie.)