NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — There are different versions of how Mr. Bingle came to be, and puppeteer Harry Ory can tell you how he remembers the birth of a New Orleans Christmas legend. It was April 1948, two 19-year-old puppeteers Ray Fredericks and Ory were featured in a Times Picayune article that caught the attention of another puppeteer, Edwin Harmon "Oscar" Isentrout. ‘Good News’ at a St. Charles Avenue church "He had the idea of having a show presented in the Maison Blanche window," said Ory. By September of '48, Ory and Fredericks designed a Christmas show on paper and Isentrout secured a meeting with Maison Blanche store manager Herbert Schuartz and the display director Emile Aline."And they liked it so much that we signed the contract to do it and we only had two months," said Ory.  Besides performing, Fredericks and Ory built the marionettes and Isentrout provided the voices and created the soundtrack. Soon, a change in the snow was ordered by Aline."He sent Oscar in there while we were building the first show. Oscar said Aline would you to change the character. He would like this little snowman," said Ory "I wanted it to appeal to kids. I wanted to be flexible so that we could tie into all of the displays. So, I thought of the ribbon, I thought of the ornaments, the holly leaves and the mittens of course," said Aline. Battle of the Gingerbread Houses: LBJ vs. Amy Ory and Fredericks got to work on Aline's new puppet character.When the show debuted in the Maison Blanche window of December of 1948, it was an instant hit, and Mr. Bingle became a star "It was really a smash," said Ory. Ory notes that through the years, he and Fredericks never received the credit that they deserved for their part of Mr. Bingle's big start. They were always referred to as assistants to Isentrout. "We were the ones that made the original show and designed everything and agreed that we'd be equal. So, we expected an equal acknowledgement for what was done and accomplished," said Ory.  For Ory, his wish is for everyone to know this. "Well, we were the builders. If it wasn't for Oscar, I think we would have had trouble with the character. Aline played a part in it too. He came up with the idea, and Schuartz came up with the name. It wasn't one person. It was a bunch of people putting their ideas together," said Ory. Will garbage be collected on Christmas Day in my Southeast Louisiana parish? That's how he came to be each year at Maison Blanche with Christmas cheer. Ory left Maison Blanche in 1951. He was an inventor with one patent, a poet and an art instructor. Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter. Latest Posts Eye drops recalled nationwide due to fungal contamination Puppeteer shares how Mr. Bingle first got his strings Bill Clinton discharged after hospitalization for flu What does it take to be a professional Santa in NYC? Why Netflix is streaming NFL games on Christmas Day