Of puppets, headcanons, and gay agendas

Are Bert and Ernie really a couple?

The author as a toddler in 1971, holding their Ernie puppet.

Ernie and I have a long history together. My mother watched early episodes of Children’s Television Workshop series and similar programming when I was still in utero, and I spent many hours of my childhood immersed in the worlds of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, The Electric Company, Zoom, and, of course, Sesame Street.

I loved Ernie and Bert, who were among the first muppets to appear on the series when it launched in 1969. I had my own puppets of both characters (as well as Cookie Monster), and later got legs sewn onto my Bert puppet because I so loved his “Doin’ the Pigeon” dance.

Watching Sesame Street as a young child, I had no thoughts about Bert and Ernie being a couple; I just enjoyed their antics. As I grew up, it seemed clear to me that Bert was a mature (if quirky) adult, and Ernie was a child. I likened the relationship to one of uncle and nephew. I didn’t have any particular headcanon about what happened to Ernie’s parents to cause him to move in with uncle Bert, it just made sense to me. The fact that they shared a…