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.