He rose from the regional commercials of the 1980s, a hapless, overconfident man in a denim vest and a beige cap, come to pester his ever-silent, ever-suffering, never-seen neighbor Vern about dairy products or car dealerships or local restaurants.
Like the California Raisins, the Crash Test Dummies and the GEICO cavemen, Jim Varney’s Ernest P. Worrell — and the ad men who helped birth him — transferred that fame into TV. Unlike those other characters, however, Ernest found himself the star of nine — count ‘em, nine — movies, in a career that lasted 20 years until Varney’s death in 2000 of lung cancer.
The Ernest movies — Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Saves Christmas, Ernest Goes to Jail, Ernest Scared Stupid, etc. — were low-budget, kid-friendly, slapstick feasts that played on Varney’s penchant for playing all kinds of zany characters, from the titular blue-collar hero to his neckbrace-sporting Auntie Nelda and beyond.
(Varney’s career wasn’t limited to Ernest. He also was the voice of Slinky Dog in the first two Toy Story movies and played patriarch Jed Clampett in the 1993 Beverly Hillbillies movie.)
It’s been 26 years since the final Ernest film, 1998’s Ernest in the Army, but the character is finding new life in comics with Ernest & the Dream Stone, a graphic novel currently funding on Kickstarter, created with the blessing of Varney’s family and the owners of the Ernest IP.
The 150-plus-page graphic novel is written by Ernest superfan Corey Perkins, drawn by M. Arief Russanto, colored by Mariam Yasser, lettered by Rob Jones and edited by Erin Natal, creator of the podcast Ernest Goes to Podcast. With less than two weeks left to go, the campaign is nearing $90,000, well over its original target of $35,000.
ComicsXF spoke to Perkins about why: Why Ernest? Why now? KnowhutImean?
CXF: What was your first encounter with Ernest P. Worrell? What is it about the character that speaks to you?
Corey Perkins: My first friend in preschool, Eric Jones, told me about this crazy movie with “flying turtle-shell paratroopers.” We must’ve been 5 or 6 years old. Since then it’s been a lifelong love.
In fact, fast forward to when I was 18 years old, me and Eric are at a wild parents-are-gone party and instead of doing all the things other kids are doing, we pop in the VHS of Ernest Scared Stupid and laugh our butts off, ignoring everyone else. No wonder girls didn’t like me at that age!
Ernest as a character is brilliant. He’s kind. Empathic. Authentic. He believes in people that the rest of us wouldn’t. He forgives those that the rest of us couldn’t. He makes mistakes, but puts himself on the line for others to undo whatever trouble he’s bumbled himself into. He’s got the heart of Rocky Balboa. He’s more Clark Kent than Superman. He’s got the kindness of Ted Lasso.
Ernest P. Worrell is an amazing character.
CXF: Did his Auntie Nelda character lead you to believe you’d encounter a lot more older women in neck braces in your life?
Corey: LOL. I think it made me scared of women in neck braces. A guilt trip will be soon to follow!
CXF: Do you have a favorite Ernest thing, whether it be one of the movies, his TV show or maybe even one of his regional commercials?
Corey: Yeah. Ernest Scared Stupid is my personal favorite. I don’t mean it’s my favorite Ernest movie. I mean, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time… KnoWhutImean?! The writing is brilliant, Jim Varney’s Ernest performance is at its peak, the cinematography is zany and fast paced, it’s got pathos, and it scared the living daylights out of me when I was a kid. And I’ve always loved that it didn’t pull punches. A lot of kids movies do, and they become forgettable. Ernest Scared Stupid is a cult classic!
PS – Want me to blow your minds? Ernest Scared Stupid was made two years before Hocus Pocus (which gets WAY more plaudits). Both by Disney. Watch Ernest Scared Stupid. Then watch Hocus Pocus. Then tell me who did what first with the plot! …Yeah, you’re smelling what I’m stepping in! Maybe Ernest Scared Stupid should be getting more props!
Favorite commercial: I’ve always loved this one because it’s cinematic. It feels like movie Ernest in commercial form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqIjVwIG10Iv
CXF: OK, on to Ernest & the Dream Stone. What is the origin of this project?
Corey: Me and the owner of the Ernest franchise, Josh Cherry, just sat down a few years ago and started talking about how awesome it would be to have Ernest in a graphic novel. And then we kind of realized – that’s never been done before! Which is wild because Ernest is already such a cartoony character.
Once the seed of that idea was planted in my brain, I was incepted! It was something I absolutely had to do. I probably started working on the script in 2021.
CXF: There’s a bit of distance between 2024 and when Ernest was at the height of his cultural cache. Jim Varney died in 2000. Looking online it seems pretty scattershot which movies are available for streaming (I found Ernest Saves Christmas on Disney+, but the other major ones appear to be buy-or-rent only). Why now for an Ernest renaissance?
Corey: Because I just love Ernest.
Oh, you’re looking for more of an in-depth answer?
Our cultural and media landscape has done so much to push the boundaries of edgy material and anti-heroes and such. And don’t get me wrong, I LOVE characters like Batman. Growing up I was a big Gambit fan (when he was a dark, rageful, cigarette-smoking hero who was toting the line between good and bad).
But I think it might be a great time for heroes who win through being caring and doing the right thing. The massive success of Ted Lasso is proof in the pudding. He’s in a world surrounded by cynical forces, and he wins through kindness. Maybe, simply doing what’s right has swung so far into cheesiness, it can actually be cool again!
Ernest is an amazing character.
CXF: At the same time, the project funded pretty quickly. What’s it been like seeing quantifiable evidence of a desire for more Ernest content?
Corey: Well, if you’re young you might not realize Ernest was a huge part of pop culture for over 10 years. It wasn’t a fly-by-night one-off film. They made thousands of commercials across America.
Did you know in the ’80s, Ernest was signed by Disney because he got more adulation at a parade than Mickey Mouse! A lot of people think of Ernest as only something that was made for kids, but go back and watch old videos. Adults were flocking in to get a glimpse of Ernest in person at one point when Ernest-mania was at its height in the ’80s: https://youtu.be/7mimm029eRU?si=8Hwy4hWt2dzFE2q0
So when you consider his run, it’s not too surprising zany Ernest fans would come out of the woodwork and support us!
But don’t get me wrong, before the Kickstarter I was nervous as a cat in a bath.
CXF: Once you decided you wanted to do an Ernest graphic novel, how difficult was it getting the blessing of the Ernest estate or tracking down his heirs?
Corey: As stated above, that decision was made after we started hanging out and talking. It’s been almost magical how things have come together so seamlessly.
CXF: How was the process of assembling your creative team?
Corey: Now that took forever. I scoured the internet, searching for artists across the world until my freaking eyes were burning. And then, I learned a valuable life lesson… wear blue blockers!
Luckily, I was able to find M. Arief Russanto, our illustrator from Indonesia, Mariam Yasser, our colorist from Egpyt, and Rob Jones, our letterer from the UK. What an international team! They’re awesome and I’m so proud of how hard and professional they are. I’d give them a big Ernest-y hug if I could… and after they read this they’ll never want to meet me in person.
CXF: What aspects of Ernest were more challenging to capture in a graphic novel vs. TV and film?
Corey: I compiled a massive compendium of Ernest’s facial expressions as references for my illustrator because it was really important to me that we make this as authentic as possible. That took weeks to compile, honestly.
I think the most challenging aspect is studying Ernest’s vocal rhythms and trying to emulate them as closely as possible. It was also really important to me that you’d be able to hear his voice on the page as you read. So as I wrote the script, this was always ever-present in my mind.
By the way, this was originally written as a screenplay. So this is like getting a brand-new Ernest movie in your hands, just in comic book form! So the entire piece is very cinematic. It’ll be fun!
CXF: What’s something you learned about making comics through this project?
Corey: Doing a Kickstarter is A LOT more work than I could’ve ever imagined. Writing a script, adapting it into a comic script, searching for and trying out artists, creating marketing material, editing videos, forming an LLC (in our case), creating and running social media, creating the website, answering all the fans’ questions, and creating Kickstarter bonus material like recording a podcast (and more).
To that end, I’ve been blessed to have Maureen Edwards help me out with all the social media stuff and graphic design. Without her, we wouldn’t look half as good online. She’s incredible.
But don’t let that stuff stop you. If you’re passionate about something, it’s worth the effort. Being a part of this means everything to me, and I’m so grateful to be part of this. Ernest fans have been waiting for a new story for years!
You can support Ernest & the Dream Stone on Kickstarter.
Dan Grote is the editor-in-chief of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Winston Wisdom.
