For New Orleanians who grew up visiting Canal Street before Christmas, Mr. Bingle is a household name. This lovable snowman made his debut in the window of the Maison Blanche department store in 1948 and eventually graduated to local radio and TV. In 1979, a young puppeteer named Jeff Kent became the assistant to Edwin Oscar Isentrout, the hands and voice behind Mr. Bingle. In this edition of NOLA Life Stories, a series of first person oral histories, Jeff describes how Mr. Bingle became a holiday icon in New Orleans.
This NOLA Life Stories interview with puppeteer Jeff Kent was conducted by Mark Cave for The Historic New Orleans Collection. It was produced for WWNO by Sarah Holtz.
