Ernie Ernie has been one of the stars of " Sesame Street " since its first episode in 1969 . Ernie and his best friend Bert share the basement apartment at 123 Sesame Street . Together they form a comic duo that is one of the program ' s centerpieces , with Ernie acting the role of the naïve trouble - maker and Bert the world - weary foil . Ernie is well known for his fondness for bubble baths with his Rubber Duckie , and for trying to learn to play the saxophone although he wouldn ' t " put down the duckie . " Ernie is also known for keeping Bert awake at night , for reasons such as wanting to play the drums , wanting to count something ( like sheep ) , to observe something like a blackout , or even because he is waiting for his upstairs neighbor to drop his shoes . He has a distinctive , chuckling laugh ( a trait he shares with his baby cousin Ernestine ) . Many Ernie and Bert sketches involve Ernie wanting to play a game with Bert , who would much rather do something else ( like read ) . Ernie keeps annoying Bert with the game until Bert joins in - - and usually , by the time Bert starts enjoying the game , Ernie is tired of playing the game and wants to do something else . Other sketches have involved them sharing some food by dividing it equally , only for one of them to have a bit more than the other , leading Ernie to make it even by eating the extra piece . Ernie has also frequently made appearances without Bert . He has regularly appeared in skits with Cookie Monster , Sherlock Hemlock and Lefty the Salesman . From season 33 until season 36 , he and Big Bird starred in a daily segment called " Journey to Ernie " . Starting in season 39 , Ernie and Bert have appeared in animated form in the " Bert and Ernie ' s Great Adventures " segments . " Play with Me Sesame " . Ernie was one of the hosts of " Play with Me Sesame " . One regular segment that he hosted was " Ernie Says " , a variation of " Simon Says " . Movies . Ernie has appeared in both of the " Sesame Street " movies . In " Follow That Bird " , he and Bert searched for Big Bird by plane . Ernie piloted the plane , and eventually , after they found Big Bird , he flew the plane upside - down , singing " Upside Down World " . However , after they lost Big Bird , Ernie blamed Bert . In " The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland " , Ernie and Bert served as hosts . Whenever it looked like something unsettling happened , Ernie had to reassure Bert ( and the audience ) that nothing bad was going to happen . Ernie also appeared in the finales of " The Muppet Movie " and " The Muppets Take Manhattan " , in the last of which he got a line . Specials . In " Christmas Eve on Sesame Street " , Ernie decided to buy Bert a cigar box to store his paper clips in . However , as he didn ' t have any money , he traded his own Rubber Duckie for it . At the same time , Bert decided to get Ernie a soap dish to put his Rubber Duckie in , so that it wouldn ' t keep falling into the tub , but had to trade his paper clips for it . However , Mr . Hooper could tell that neither of them really wanted to give up their prized possessions , so Mr . Hooper gave them their things back as presents . Ernie and Bert introduced a montage of " Sesame Street " clips in " " . Ernie also narrated a Christmas pageant , " ' Twas the Night Before Christmas " , in " A Muppet Family Christmas " . In that same special , Ernie and Bert had a conversation with Doc , making them the only " Sesame Street " characters ( not counting Kermit the Frog ) to have interacted with Doc . In " " , he and Bert got a new video camera , and he talked Bert into using the camera to record footage of Sesame Street so that they could watch Sesame Street on television . Performing Ernie . Ernie is a Live - Hand Muppet ( unlike Bert , who is a Hand - Rod Muppet ) , meaning that while operating the head of the puppet with his right hand , the puppeteer inserts his left hand into a T - shaped sleeve , capped off with a glove that matches the fabric " skin " of the puppet , thus " becoming " the left arm of the puppet . A second puppeteer usually provides the right arm , although sometimes the right arm is simply stuffed and pinned to the puppet ' s chest . Other puppets of this type include Cookie Monster , Fozzie Bear , Beaker and Bunsen Honeydew . Jim Henson ' s last performance as Ernie was for the 1989 song " Don ' t Throw That Trash on the Ground " . For a time after Henson ' s passing , Ernie ' s new appearances were limited to brief ( usually silent ) cameos ; as in " The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson " , " Rock & Roll ! " , " Big Bird ' s Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake " , " " , " " , the songs " Adventure " and " Dancin ' Shoes " , and the 1992 - 1998 intro . Steve Whitmire began performing Ernie in 1993 . Whitmire ' s first televised performance as Ernie was in the TV special " Sesame Street Stays Up Late " . Newly taped Ernie and Bert sketches with Whitmire performing began airing on " Sesame Street " in February of 1994 . John Tartaglia performed Ernie for the second season of " Play with Me Sesame " . In a Tough Pigs interview , Tartaglia spoke of his time performing Ernie : Billy Barkhurst performed Ernie from seasons 45 through 48 and for various appearances in that time . Barkhurst had previously voiced Ernie for several stage shows including " A Sesame Street Christmas " . In 2017 , Peter Linz began performing Ernie starting with the Annual Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala and a series of Chrysler car commercials . Casting History . Primary Performers Other Performers External links . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _