The title screen for Journey to Ernie.
Big Bird asks a two-headed beachcomber if they've seen Ernie.
Journey to Ernie is a recurring Sesame Street segment which focuses on Big Bird's hide-and-seek game with Ernie. It premiered in Season 33 and features the Muppet characters interacting with computer-animated backdrops.
In the original format, Ernie hid inside a box with a striped pattern similar to that of his shirt and a rubber ducky. Big Bird had to locate Ernie's box, a task he usually accomplished after finding other, similar boxes which did not contain Ernie. Big Bird's discovery of an incorrect box triggered a non-Ernie sketch or film while the revelation of the correct box launched a segment prominently featuring Ernie.
In season 34, the format was changed. The segments began with a booming announcer (voiced by Joey Mazzarino) interrupting Big Bird's normal routine with a challenge to play the game. The animated environments in the new format are more fully realized than in the previous incarnation of the segment and Ernie no longer hides in a box. Big Bird now searches based on clues from Ernie, and the Two-Headed Monster appears regularly to offer some not-so-helpful advice. The new format also featured a closing song sung by Big Bird and Ernie at the end of every segment.
"Journey to Ernie" started to appear less frequently in season 36 and was dropped the following season. According to the book Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street,
Matt Vogel performed Big Bird in all "Journey to Ernie" segments.
Sequences from the Original Format (2002)[]
Each installment of "Journey to Ernie" during season 33 would feature two or three rotating sequences bookended by an introduction and closing. The last sequence shown would end with Big Bird finding Ernie. These initial segments were written by Joey Mazzarino and directed by Lisa Simon.[2]
| Picture | Location / First Appearance | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Park Episode 3981 |
The home base of every season 33 segment is a city park. Big Bird checks different parts of the park which transport him to another world where Ernie might be hiding. | |
 |
Martian World Episode 3981 |
Big Bird is in outer space, asking a Martian (David Rudman) for help finding Ernie's box.
| |
 |
Penguin World Episode 3981 |
Big Bird follows a penguin pattern at a snowy location to catch Ernie's box.
| |
 |
Disco World Episode 3982 |
Big Bird looks for Ernie at a disco, where a funky version of "Rubber Duckie" is playing. He finds a box that sprouts dancing feet, and has to copy the box's dance in order to open it. | |
 |
Supermarket World Episode 3982 |
Big Bird searches for Ernie's box at the supermarket, and spots it among a display of other striped boxes. A muzak version of the "Sesame Street Theme" plays, and Fran Brill is heard as the intercom announcer. | |
 |
Circus World Episode 3983 |
Big Bird has to walk a tight rope at the circus to reach Ernie's box on the other end. An unseen ringmaster (David Rudman) announces Big Bird's stunt, and a trapezing seal interjects. | |
 |
Clapping Box World Episode 3984 |
In a colorful swirling vortex, Big Bird encounters a box with hands that repeat a clapping pattern. Big Bird claps in the same way to open the box.
| |
 |
Chicken World Episode 3984 |
Big Bird talks to some egg-laying hens in a chicken coop in search for Ernie's box. | |
 |
Dinosaur World Episode 3984 |
Big Bird asks a dinosaur for help finding Ernie's box. The dinosaur communicates by stamping its tail at first, but he eventually speaks (voiced by Steve Whitmire) when he remembers the box was underneath him.
| |
 |
Pig World Episode 3993 |
Three pigs in a pig pen obscure Ernie's box, so Big Bird sings "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" with them in order to reveal the box. |
Segments (2003-2005)[]
Sources[]
- ↑ Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street, page 167
- ↑ documents provided by trusted source