Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop

I was chatting puppets with a dear friend of mine. I told him how our shows don't have high production value but the kids love them. He brought up one of his childhood favorites that I thought I'd share with you: Shari Lewis and her puppet Lambchop. In 1952, Lewis and her puppetry won first prize on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" television show. In March 1956, Shari and Lamb Chop were on Captain Kangaroo and by 1960 she had her own television program. A very cute and memorable sock puppet.






This got me thinking of how I started puppettering almost 2 years ago. Here's what happened: In order to invite the four friends that Ella wanted at her party I had to invite every kid in her preschool (a possible sign that our childhood insecurities have truly run amuck?). As a mom who had just added a newborn to the household, hosting 24+ kids in my home was the last thing I wanted. So I rented space at the community center. When I saw the puppet theatre, I recalled my childhood fav. -- Mr Roger's "The Land of Make-Believe." When that music played and the train rolled through the tunnel, I couldn't wait to see King Friday and Queen Sarah. I especially loved the know-it-all, Owl X (a possible sign that I, too, as second born, was a know it all?). Poof! I had to do a show.

Off to my computer I went. I wrote: "Once upon a time in a far away land there lived a beautiful Princess named Princess Ella Skoglund (her subjects called her Prinella for short). Prinella was very happy in her beautiful castle over-looking her fair kingdom. One day the royal butterfly, named Bella, fluttered in to the castle and said, “Prinella, Prinella, someone has stolen your entire, humongous, luxurious fortune! All your jewels, gold coins, lip-gloss and hair bands are gone, gone, GONE!”...