With the overwhelming success of Ernest Goes to Camp in 1987, Ernest-mania was in full force. The lovable southern bumpkin, a familiar face in numerous television commercials in the 80s, had finally reached the big screen and now it was time for a stint on television in Hey Verne, It’s Ernest!

Starring Jim Varney, who created the Ernest P. Worrell character for a series of television ads, Hey Verne, It’s Ernest! was remarkably similar to the Canadian kid’s show You Can’t Do That On Television. Comprised of live-action comedy sketches, each show followed a particular weekly theme such as outer space, hobbies, scary things, or magic and each of the various skits revolved around this theme.

Jim Varney portrayed Ernest, as well as many other characters on the series, including mad scientist, Dr. Otto, as well as a cranky woman and even a baby. And although the series only lasted for a single season, it did manage to earn Varney an Emmy Award.

Sadly, Varney (who had a surprisingly prolific career that many are unaware of, including voice work in films such as Toy Story and its sequel, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, as well as The Simpsons and the live-action role of Jed Clampett in the 1993 film, The Beverly Hillbillies,) lost his battle with lung cancer in 2000. Luckily for the many fans of Ernest, there a seemingly endless supply of films to remember the character by, including Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Saves Christmas, Ernest Goes to Jail and many others. All in all, he would leave behind a total of ten “Ernest” films for fans to remember him by.