Ernest & the Dream Stone

PODCAST, ERNEST DAY, GRAPHIC NOVEL, JIM VARNEY'S BIRTHDAY -- Lots of June Updates
24 days ago – Sun, Jun 07, 2026 at 09:10:05 AM

The super-awesome, positivity-inspired, 80s nostalgia podcast, Two-Dollar Late Fee, invited us in on a show. They hosted Ernest IP Owner, writer and director Josh Cherry, Jim Varney's nephew and biographer Justin Lloyd, and Ernest and the Dream Stone author Corey Perkins! 

We recommend watching on YouTube because they do a FANTASTIC job of clipping in Ernest commercials, movie trailers and clips, pictures of Jim Varney, Ernest, Jim Varney's biography, the graphic novel, and more! 

NOTE: The video is embedded in the Kickstarter page update. But if you're seeing this via email, you'll probably have to click the link above. 

Get ready, as Ernest Day 2026 takes place at Montgomery Bell State Park in Tennessee on June 13th! This year's lineup is INCREDIBLE. 

The lineup includes:

Daniel Butler - "Eddie" in Ernest Goes To Camp. Daniel was an actor and writer on many of the Ernest projects playing everything from Ernest's tongue to Kenny's dad in Ernest Scared Stupid.

Josh Cherry - Writer, Director, Actor. Josh's dad was John R. Cherry, III who was the co-creator of the Ernest character, director of most of the Ernest movies, commercials and TV show episodes, as well as patron saint of Ernest Day. Josh appeared as a camper in Ernest Goes To Camp, and as "Cpl. Davis" in Ernest In The Army.

Emilie Cherry - John Cherry's daughter, Emilie is part of the namesake of "Emshell Producers Group, Inc." under which many of the Ernest movies were made. A very young Emilie can be spotted in some of the Ernest commercials. She also helped out behind the scenes of some of the Ernest movies.

Cylk Cozart - "Barry Worth" in Slam Dunk Ernest. Cylk went on to appear in Conspiracy Theory, Hot Shots!, and Eraser among other movies.

Mary Jane Harvill - Actress in Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam and Ernest Scared Stupid. 

Esther Huston Casstevens - Actress in Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam and Ernest Scared Stupid.

Shane Keister - Composer and songwriter. Shane composed the music for Ernest Goes To Camp as well as co-wrote the songs "Brave Hearts" and "Gee I'm Glad It's Raining". 

Sabrina Birdine-Moore - Actress in Ernest Goes To Jail and Ernest Scared Stupid.

Deidre Satterfield & Rhonda Clower - actresses who played trolls in Ernest Scared Stupid.

Reginald Glimps - Actor in Ernest Scared Stupid. 

Marc Gullen - Actor in Ernest Scared Stupid

Steven Bradley - Actor in Ernest Scared Stupid.

Justin Lloyd - Jim Varney's nephew and author of his biography "The Importance of Being Ernest: The Life of Actor Jim Varney". You can order a copy here.

Corey Perkins - Author of Ernest's first adventure in over 30 years in the upcoming graphic novel, "Ernest and the Dream Stone". 

Alec Klapper - Alec returns for another Ernest Day! He played one of Trantor's early victims, "Joey", in Ernest Scared Stupid.

Chapman Cherry - Chapman's dad was John R. Cherry, III who was the co-creator of the Ernest character, director of most of the Ernest movies, commercials and TV show episodes, as well as patron saint of Ernest Day. Chapman joins the rest of the Cherry family (Josh and Emilie) at his first Ernest Day!

Richard Woolf - Richard played "Matt Murdock", one of the bully sons of Mayor Murdock in Ernest Scared Stupid.

Mark Cabus - "Roupen Dupree" in Existo. Mark has gone on to have a successful acting career appearing in films such as The Client, The Longest Ride, and Selma.

Jenny Littleton - "Penelope" in Existo. Jenny continued to perform with her Existo co-star Bruce Arntson as half of the musical comedy duo "Doyle & Debbie". 

Melanie Wheeler - Melanie appeared in both Ernest Scared Stupid and Ernest Goes To Jail, as a crying mother in the flashback prologue of Scared Stupid and as a courtroom prosecutor in Jail.

Lance Bridgesmith - Lance appeared as one of the campers in Ernest Goes To Camp.

Joey Koval - Joey played a young Ernest in a pivotal, Oscar-worthy performance in Ernest Scared Stupid!

As for the graphic novel, the pencils are currently on page 140 of 168! We're getting soooooooooooooo close, Vern! 

Finally, Happy Heavenly Birthday to Jim Varney on June 15th! He would've turned 77 years old.

Until Your Next Update,
Corey
Ernest Goes to Comics

Your April 2026 Update
2 months ago – Wed, Apr 29, 2026 at 01:47:44 PM

Imagine this...

It's doomsday. The moment of reckoning. On the line?  Your town and everyone you know and love. 

Metal weapons won't work. Gotta find something else. Everyone goes and gets the most deadly non-metal weapon they can find. They meet at Ernest's house. Waiting to see what weapon he chose...

The door opens. "Here he is!" Will it be a baseball bat? A spear? Something even more brutal? 

Then he reveals it...

Look at that reaction...

I told you guys our illustrator Arief is good!

As for where we are: pencils are at page 127. The rest is lagging a bit behind that, but that's okay, as the pencils take the longest. We're getting closer and closer!

Thank you for your patience, support, and most of all -- for your love of this franchise!!!!!!!!

Corey
Ernest Goes to Comics

That moment when you strut out of this April update feeling like...

Your March 2026 Update
3 months ago – Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 08:12:53 AM

Hey Vern!

Quick update -- we’re now on page 117! Chuggin’ right along, one Ernest-y page at a time.  

Thank you for your love for this franchise and your patience, Vern.

More updates coming soon!

Corey
Ernest Goes to Comics

Yer February Update, Vern!
4 months ago – Sat, Feb 28, 2026 at 11:12:52 AM

Vernon!

Guess what?!

(Rolls eyes)

…Vern, chickens don’t have butts.

Anyways, we’re officially entering the final stretch. We’re on page 110 (Arief’s pencils are below!). We’ve added a few splash pages and extra goodness to really spice things up, so we’re now looking at about 168-ish pages total.

Gosh, I haven’t waited this long on something this exciting since a Norwegian prince texted me out of the blue and told me if I donate my life savings of $37 and wait patiently… I’d become a millionaire! Can you believe that?!

…Still waitin’ on that one.

But this here? We’re talkin’ soon, Vern. Just around the corner. This year. 2026! So hang tight and we’ll finally get this bad boy wrapped up, how ’bout ye?

One thing about our illustrator, Arief Russanto — he brings it every. single. day. By the end of this process, we’re all going to have a graphic novel we’re incredibly proud of. 

Here's a few of the latest samples (as always -- I  have to pick pages that don't have spoilers). 

In a crowd, or alone in a neighborhood, Arief packs every panel with gorgeous detail.

Until next time!

Corey from Ernest Goes to Comics

🎉 Happy Belated New Year, Vern! 🎉
5 months ago – Thu, Jan 29, 2026 at 08:49:36 AM

Quick January check-in: we’re at page 100. Production always slows down a bit during the holidays, but we’re back at it and moving forward. Check out Arief’s latest page below!

Our illustrator is working extra hard to make sure Ernest looks like Ernest—the expressions, the timing, every goofy beat that makes you say, “Yep… that’s him.” On top of that, he’s packing the pages with an incredible amount of detail.

Here’s a sneak peek at one of his newest pages, where Dr. Otto’s Gloombeam is hemming the town in… which uh, not exactly a good thing, Vern. 

Thanks, as always, for your patience and support. We’re excited for what’s ahead in the new year!

Corey
Ernest Goes to Comics