Remembering Shari Lewis
Today in 1998, children's television favorite Shari Lewis, a puppeteer who created the characters Lamb Chop and Charlie Horse, passed away at the age of 64 from cancer. Shari Lewis' tv shows including Shari-Land, The Shari Show, Lamb Chop's Play-Along and The Charlie Horse Music Pizza pioneered the use of participation in educational children's tv programming.
In 1993, Shari Lewis testified in Congressional hearings on the Children's Television Act. At the hearings, Lewis not only spoke herself, but also brought along the puppet Lamb Chop, who gave an impassioned speech about the need for government regulation of children's programming. Learn more about Shari Lewis in Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia.
Today we remember her, her legacy of quality children's programming, and her colorful characters--on Youtube of course!
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I was only a few years old when Shari Lewis died, but I was always raised with her work. My mom told me that the only time she cried over a celebrity death was Shari Lewis. I still remember the Shari Lewis Pesach show that we watched every year, with Lamb Chop popping out of the soup pot. That always cracked me up. When I was little my mom would do a Hush Puppy impression that I still force her to do sometimes, lol.
My father met Shari Lewis and worked with her marketing some of her DVD's. She sent home a pin and Lamb Chop puppet when she heard he had kids. I still have the puppet and recently gave it to my daughter. We also have a Lamb Chop Jewish holiday DVD that I can't wait to watch. My dad always said she was the nicest person.