“Jingle, Jangle, Jingle, here comes Mr. Bingle…
with another message from Kris Kringle.
Time to launch the Christmas Season,
Maison Blanche makes Christmas pleasin’.
Gifts galore for you to see,
Each a gem from… MB.”
Back in the 60s this commercial tune meant Christmas was soon. Mr. Bingle is a beloved Christmas symbol down here in New Orleans. Unfortunately, I was not alive during the prime Mr. Bingle time. I always knew Mr. Bingle when I saw him as an ornament or a stuffed animal, but I never felt that deep connection that most people in my parents’ and grandparents’ generation feel. Well, all it took was a little curiosity and research about the history of Mr. Bingle that made me instantly fall in love with the little guy.
Mr. Bingle was created in 1947 after Mr. Emile Alline – Maison Blanche’s window-display manager – visited Marshall Fields store in Chicago and met their character named “Uncle Mistletoe”. When he returned home he decided to make a Christmas character specifically for Maison Blanche (MB). Initially, Alline wanted to name him “Snow Doll”. Mr. Herbert Schuartz, the president of MB, wanted the character to have the same initials as MB. And thus, Mr. Bingle was born. A little snowman with an ice-cream cone for a hat, cherries for eyes, licorice for a mouth, holly-leafs for wings, and a candy-cane in hand took New Orleans Christmas by storm. Parents and children would flock to see Mr. Bingle at Maison Blanche on Canal Street. The building stood 14 stories high with the department floor residing on the lower five floors. Santa and his snowman helper obviously hung out on the third floor (aka the toy floor) from Thanksgiving until Christmas. Dillards Department stores now owns the MB building, which has since been turned into the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Mr. Bingle started in advertisements and window-displays, but was quickly brought to life by Edwin Harmon “Oscar” Isentrout. Alline recruited Oscar, a French Quarter puppeteer, in 1948. Oscar became the voice, motion, and spirit of Mr. Bingle. He performed as Mr. Bingle in many live television commercials in the 60s as well as four daily puppet shows on the third floor of the department store. Oscar and Mr. Bingle grew inseparable as they went through years of appearances on TV shows, radio shows, and even the White House. Mr. Bingle even had his own TV show for a while. Oscar also would travel with Mr. Bingle to children’s hospitals and other MB stores to make appearances and spread holiday cheer. Oscar once said, “They cannot divide him or the Christmas cheer he spreads. They just keep multiplying him. Now there’s alot more of Mr. Bingle to go around. When you saw Mr. Bingle downtown, you knew Christmas was near and it was difficult not to say Mr. Bingle and Christmas in the same sentence.” Oscar died in 1985 at the age of 61, but stayed Mr. Bingle’s greatest fan and friend until the end.
In November 1949, a 50 feet tall and 35 feet wide paper mache Mr. Bingle appeared outside the MB building and returned each year. After many years, it fell and broke into tons of pieces, which left many New Orleanians very sad. In the 1990s, Mr. Bingle was returned on the front of the Canal Street store with a new look. It took some getting used to his alterations, but New Orleanians didn’t love him any less. It was displayed each year until Dillard’s bought and closed the Canal MB store in 1998. From then, the giant Mr. Bingle was stored at Dillard’s in Lakeside Mall until a group of people fought to get Mr. Bingle back. It was first returned to the MB building where it hung for a few years, but was then donated to City Park. The Friends of City Park restored it and have made it a part of the Celebration in the Oaks display since Christmas 2005. After Hurricane Katrina when the city was in shambles and the locals’ spirits were down, the reappearance of Mr. Bingle at Celebration in the Oaks offered hope when it was needed most.
I encourage you to please share your favorite Mr. Bingle story in the comments below!
Merry Christmas!
