doll sold in 2020, for example, will have 2020 stitched on his foot). He also wears a sugar ice cream cone on his head as a hat, as well holding a peppermint candy cane in his right hand. Traditionally, he is not depicted wearing clothing, aside from a red ribbon with bells at the tips tied around his neck, but much of his merchandise features him wearing different shirts, differing in design based on the year he is sold. A tag featuring his story is usually attached to his wings or his opposite hand.. Story Mr. Bingle was originally a regular snowman sitting near Santa's sleigh, when Santa used his magical powers to make him his helper. He gained the ability to walk and talk, was given holly wings and eyes soon after, as well as his iconic hat and candy cane. Santa gave him the name "Mr. Bingle", and he would help Santa from that day forward. Puppet shows Mr. Bingle became best known in puppet (or marionette) form at the Canal Street Maison Blanche, puppeteered by New York puppeteer Edwin "Oscar" Isentrout (who also played the voice of Mr. Bingle). He had previously done puppetry not far from the store, on Bourbon Street, where he would do shows with vaudeville marionettes performing striptease in-between performances from exotic dancers. Isentrout often travelled around the United States with a marionette troop before buying a bus ticket to New Orleans, although he maintained his nightclub engagement, making it hard to perform the puppet shows at Maison Blanche. He would seek the assistance of two teenagers named Ray Frederick and Harry J. Ory, who had achieved some local success with their own marionette act. The three created many characters that would accompany Mr. Bingle and Santa Claus, such as a bear aptly named "Bingle Bear" and a rabbit named "Bingle Bunny", but neither would achieve the same level of success as the snowman. Isentrout portrayed Bingle as a childlike character, making him get into all sorts of hijinks and forcing Santa Claus to help him get out of whatever situation he was in. These puppet shows occurred each day for the few weeks leading up to Christmas for about 15 minutes at a time, and were a favorite of local children, with adults even coming by to watch the shows. Mr. Bingle would sometimes be forced to break the fourth wall and