Which Sesame Street Muppet duo share names with characters in "It's a Wonderful Life" (1948)?

One Jerry Juhl writes: "I was the head writer for the Muppets for 36 years and one of the original writers on 'Sesame Street.' The rumor about 'It's a Wonderful Life' has persisted over the years.

"I was not present at the naming, but I was always positive it was incorrect. Despite his many talents, Jim had no memory for details like this. He knew the movie, of course, but would not have remembered the cop and the cabdriver. I was not able to confirm this with Jim before he died, but shortly thereafter I spoke to Jon Stone, Sesame Street's first producer and head writer and a man largely responsible for the show's format. (Jon, sadly, is no longer with us either.)

"He assured me that Ernie and Bert were named one day when he and Jim were studying the prototype puppets. They decided that one of them looked like an Ernie, and the other one looked like a Bert. The movie character names are purely coincidental.