A Sesame Street link, yes or no?

In It’s a Wonderful Life, cop Bert and cab driver Ernie are played by Ward Bond and Frank Faylen. Their names famously match those of two of Sesame Street’s best-known characters, leading many to assume a direct link. However, the connection is purely coincidental. In 2000, The Muppets writer Jerry Juhl dismissed the long-running theory, telling the San Francisco Chronicle: “The rumor has persisted over the years, but I was always positive it was incorrect.”