Ernest P. Worrell is a fictional character portrayed by American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials and later in a television series and a series of motion pictures.
Ernest was created for Varney to play by Nashville advertising agency Carden & Cherry. Ernest was used in various local campaigns and was never a spokesman for a truly national product or company, save for Sprite and Mello Yello.
Ernest's big-screen debut was in Ernest Goes To Camp and featured our hero trying to save a summer camp from evil land developers. In 1988 Ernest Saves Christmas debuted and saw Ernest teaming up with Santa Claus. Ernest Goes To Jail, allowed Jim Varney to play multiple roles. A Halloween adventure, Ernest Scared Stupid spooked up audiences in 1991. Ernest Rides Again was released in 1993 and was followed by 1994's Ernest Goes To School, 1995's Slam Dunk Ernest, and 1998's Ernest In The Army.