Cleveland's television Santa's elf
"Mr. Jingeling, how you ting-a-ling, Keeper of the Keys!
On Halle’s seventh floor, we’ll be looking for you to turn the keys!"
People who grew up in Cleveland for some decades regard Mr. Jingeling as part of Santa's crew, but i think he is not well known at all elsewhere. Now, the idea came from Chicago. Also in Chicago, in 1939, Montgomery Ward had someone create a character for a Christmas coloring book. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was extremely successful. As the story goes, Rudolph has gone down in history. Pretty much, every kid America knows that Rudolph is the ninth, and youngest of Santa's sleigh crew.
Greg Benedetto is the current Mr. Jingeling. The first one was created for a toy campaign for Halles Brothers department store's 1956 Christmas sales season. The character appeared on radio and television. He was far more successful (even beloved) than expected. Halle's closed in 1982. Jingeling went to Higbee's tenth floor. Higbee's lasted to 1992. I read, department stores hired police for security, and they were used as Santas. The first Jingeling's regular job was a jailer, and he brought his keys in to use as a prop. As a kid, i thought the keys suggested St. Peter.
WEWS-TV5 had Captain Penny's children teevee show from 1955 to 1971. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas Mr. Jingeling was a guest. For some years, the show's producer, Earl Keyes had the role, and is the best remembered. Keyes was Mr. Jingeling for more than twenty years beyond that programme.
Really Christmas begins on the 25th of December, but the United States is a business centered society. So the campaign towards Christmas becomes the season, and there is no Christmas for many people after Christmas Day.
Karma found this display a little too much for her aesthetics.
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