Within a 30-minute Zoom interview, Mallory Lewis, daughter of famed puppeteer Shari Lewis, had puppet Lamb Chop serenade me, talked about getting recognized "in the wild," relayed the latest TikTok makeup trends, recommended books and introduced me to her dog, who happens to share my name.
So it's not surprising that someone with this much energy makes carrying on her mother's legacy look easy.
For almost half a century, Shari Lewis and her trusty sock puppet, Lamb Chop, entertained generations of young fans with her signature brand of gentle humor ... plus the endlessly hummable tune, "This is the Song that Never Ends."
In addition to being an entertainer, Shari was a businesswoman in an era when that was rare for women. In addition to winning 13 Emmy Awards, Shari was one of few women to own a television production company.
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"People think of my mom as a nice little lady who played with puppets. Well, she was powerful. She was smart. She was strong. She was a woman in the 50s who not only had her own production company, but had her own credit card, which was almost impossible in the 50s," Mallory tells TODAY.com.
She continues with a story about a production meeting with a director that her mother was "not fond" of. "He was asking the question, 'Where does the electricity come from?' in terms of cables, but the way he phrased it was, 'Where's the power in the studio?' And Mom raised her hand and goes, 'Right here. Right here.'"
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Mallory Lewis: Joining the family business
Mallory is intimately familiar with the inner workings of her mother's company. She started "working" for Shari when she was very young, tagging along on her mother's tours simply by being a "helpful" child rather than "a pain in the butt," she says.
At the age of 12, Mallory began ghostwriting newspaper columns on Shari's behalf, and she would also watch her mother's act with a script and a pencil in hand. If a joke "hit," she would put a plus sign next to it. If it didn't hit, she would add a minus sign. Shari used that feedback to hone her act. Eventually, Mallory became the head writer of one of her mother's television shows.
After her mother passed away in 1998, Mallory toured the country, accepting honors and awards for her mother posthumously. Her then-husband reminded her that accepting awards wasn't exactly going to pay the bills, and he asked if she planned to become part of the act with Lamb Chop.
Unsure about how to move forward, Mallory hid Lamb Chop inside the podium at an event she was speaking at just in case she decided to bring Lamb Chop out. Ultimately, she did introduce Lamb Chop to the audience and said via the puppet, "Shari would be so proud."
In true writer fashion, Mallory says, "If this had been a script, it would have said: 'Audience silence. Audible gasp. Applause.'"
Becoming Lamb Chop
In the 25 years since that moment, Mallory and her "sister," Lamb Chop, have been touring the country with two different shows. "A Lamb Chop Celebration" is her family show, and "The Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop Legacy Show," which is geared toward adults, is slightly more politically driven.
Mallory says her mother never "taught me how to do ventriloquism. I never had to learn Lamb Chop's voice. That was just easy. I mean, you could probably imitate your uncle's voice or your aunt's voice because you grow up with it ... I had to learn some stage craft issues, but I never had to learn Lamb Chop."
Recently, Mallory realized that if she posted videos on TikTok, she didn't have to wait for theater bookings; she had the power to entertain audiences whenever she felt like it. With the help of a social media expert (or as Mallory calls her, "my young person"), she posts a video with Lamb Chop almost every day. One of those videos has 3.8 million views so far.
Mallory and Lamb Chop have big plans for 2024 that include a presidential run for the puppet. ("Who among us doesn't want to have a viable third-party candidate?") In fact, during the interview, Lamb Chop added me to her cabinet as Press Secretary, a role that she plans to revolutionize by splitting it between three women "so that all of you can have a life and actually see your children," Mallory says.
The pair will also be drawing attention to a documentary named "Shari & Lamb Chop" that is touring movie festivals right now.
Keeping Lamb Chop alive
All jokes aside, Mallory adopts a serious, thoughtful tone when discussing young children: "Little kids need to be loved. Little kids need to be challenged. Little kids need to be encouraged. Little kids need food, water and a warm lap. Little kids need a kind adult in their lives."
To many of these little kids, Shari — and now Mallory — represent that nurturing adult presence.
"It's a tough world to be a parent and a tough world to be a kid," she says.
Mallory is thrilled at the response Lamb Chop has received on social media. "I promised my mom I would keep Lamb Chop alive," she says. Mallory attempts to respond to every message she receives, and she says that out of the million comments, she hasn't had more than eight that weren't "super nice."
Reflecting on the renewed interest in her "sister," Mallory says, "Lamb Chop was born almost 70 years ago, and she is taking the socials by storm and it makes me really proud."
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
