Put me down as a "never wondered" either. I think that gay people are so desperate to fit in that they "steal" these types of things from tv to try to justify themselves. Who ever cared about Bert and Ernie? No one, until the gays started pointing to it and treated it as their own little in joke. That the characters are simply characters is irrelevant, they can pretend that Bert and Ernie are gay and somehow that makes them feel better about themselves.
We watch it here also. I never thought anything of it either. Wasn't there som hype a while ago that Bert and Ernie were supposed to be gay? How ridiculous.
I know where the loose screw is located.
They are cartoons folks. It's like the muppet with AIDS; it's a puppet, it doesn't get sick.
Also, doesn't the "Paul Lynde" squid sound more like Larry Fine of the 3 Stooges?
Paul Lynde did do some cartoon voice work for Hanna-Barbera but I've never heard anyone alledge that the Mildew Wolf or Sylvester Sneekly were gay. I have seen homosexual (and lib) writers claim that Bugs Bunny and Elmer were a gay couple (into cross-dressing). These freaks use their attacks on innocent mainstream culture to break down barriers and subvert the opposition. It would be one thing if the creators were adding a gay subtext, it is another when they just read it into the shows.