Ernie (
Jim Henson until
1989, now it's
Steve Whitmire) and
Bert (
Frank Oz) are like
brothers.
Ernie is always tricking
Bert.
Ernie and
Bert were originally planned to be like parent/child but because Ernie (the child-like one) always tricked
Bert they decided to just make them
best friends.
You never talk about one without the other.
Never!
Their names are NOT taken from It's a Wonderful Life. This is simply a rumor and is not true.
See also:Sesame Street