Jingle, Jangle, Jingle...Look Out Kids, It's Mr. Bingle!

The famed Mr. Bingle with some of his puppet friends.


Oscar, the puppeteer, lived in the French Quarter in New Orleans and harbored a secret desire to perform puppet shows in the large display windows of Maison Blanche on Canal Street. He sold the Maison Blanche brass on the idea of putting on a Christmas puppet show and they, in turn, introduced him to the funny looking little snowman that they had recently adopted.

Oscar created elaborate puppet shows which included a myriad of themes, music and stage settings. The lighting was as dramatic as that of any theatre in the country and the theatrics that he utilized were stage wizardry. Everything was developed around Mr. Bingle. Oscar realized his dream through this funny looking snowman and in turn he brought unbelievable happiness to thousands of children.

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Once upon a time, in the lage 1940's, Emile Alline attended a large trade show and fell in love with a funny looking snowman dressed in an ice cream cone cap, fitted with holly wings and clutching a candy cane. No one else seemed to want this odd looking character, so the Maison Blanche promotional director bought it and took it back to New Orleans to use as a holiday promotional item for his store.

Once upon a time, there was also a living, breathing man named Oscar Isentrout who was, among other things, an accomplished puppeteer.

Put these two stories together and you have the story of Mr. Bingle (Maison Blanche initials and a name that rhymes with Kris Kringle).


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