Ernest P. Worrell facts for kids
Ernest P. Worrell is a funny fictional character played by the actor Jim Varney. Ernest was first created by an advertising company called Carden & Cherry in Nashville. He became famous in many TV commercials.
Ernest usually wore a denim vest and a baseball cap. In his commercials, he would often show up at the door of his neighbor, Vern. You never saw or heard Vern, but it seemed like Vern wasn't too happy to see Ernest! The commercials were made so that you, the viewer, would feel like you were Vern, because Ernest would look right at the camera when he talked to him.
Ernest's chats with Vern were really just him talking to himself, because Vern never said a word back. Ernest would always end up talking about how great the product in the commercial was. He would finish by asking, "KnowhutImean?" Even though Vern never spoke, it was clear he thought Ernest was a bit of a bother. Sometimes Vern would even try to close the door on Ernest! Vern would also shake his head "no" when Ernest invited him to do things. But Ernest, always meaning well, never seemed to notice Vern's annoyance. He always thought of Vern as his best friend.
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Ernest's Movies: Box Office Fun
Ernest P. Worrell became so popular that he starred in many movies! Here's how well some of his films did at the box office:
| Movie Title | Release Date | Money Made (Box Office) |
|---|---|---|
| Ernest Goes to Camp | May 22, 1987 | $23,509,382 |
| Ernest Saves Christmas | November 11, 1988 | $28,202,109 |
| Ernest Goes to Jail | April 6, 1990 | $25,029,569 |
| Ernest Scared Stupid | October 11, 1991 | $14,143,280 |
| Ernest Rides Again | November 12, 1993 | $1,450,029 |
Who Else Was in Ernest's World?
Besides Jim Varney as Ernest, some other actors appeared in many of his movies and TV shows:
- Gailard Sartain often played Chuck.
- Bill Byrge was frequently seen as Bobby.
- Jackie Welch and Daniel Butler also played different characters in many Ernest adventures.
- Later on, Linda Kash and John R. Cherry III (who helped create Ernest!) also joined the fun in some of the films.
Ernest in Other Shows: Parodies and References
Ernest was so well-known that other TV shows often made fun of him or mentioned him! This is called a parody or a reference.
- He was parodied in popular cartoons like Beavis and Butt-Head, Family Guy, and The Simpsons.
- In The Simpsons, they even made up fake Ernest movies like Ernest Needs a Kidney and Ernest Goes to Broadway.
- In one Beavis and Butt-Head episode, the boys watch Ernest at a drive-in movie. Ernest is inside the Statue of Liberty and falls out of its nose after misreading a "DO NOT ENTER" sign as "donut entry"!
- Many other shows have mentioned Ernest, including ALF, Saved by the Bell, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Kenan & Kel, The Nanny, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, and Teen Titans Go.
Ernest's Commercials at Home
Many of Ernest's funny commercials were put on VHS tapes (an old type of video cassette) by Disney's Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures Home Video. You can also find some of them on DVDs today.
Ernest Merchandise
Because Ernest was so popular, you could even buy things related to him!
- In 1986, a book called "The Ernest P. Worrell Book of Knawledge" was published.
- In 1989, a 16-inch Ernest talking doll was made by a toy company called Kenner.
A New Ernest?
In October 2012, there was talk about making a new Ernest movie! It was going to be called Son of Ernest. This movie would focus on Ernest's son, possibly named Ernie P. Worrell.
