Saving Mr. Bingle 20th Anniversary Edition: A New Orleans Christmas Fairy Tale

by Sean Patrick Doles

188 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2024

Reviews

[Avi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pros: highlights the real-life history of beloved New Orleans Christmastime icon Mr. Bingle and the people who brought him to life, designer Emile Alline and puppeteer Edwin “Oscar” Isentrout by incorporating it into a fictitious tale of overcoming corporate meddling and grief over a deceased child. (I wondered if the final lines about “going home” meant that protagonist Haywood Coleman and his wife Bernice were really ghosts kept on earth until they could reconcile themselves with their son’s untimely passing from sickle cell anemia.)

I appreciated the afterword and epilogue detailing the actual Bingle history and impact of the novella and Mr. Bungle’s fans: proceeds from the book’s sales and matching funds from the Azby Foundation garnered a proper tombstone for Mr. Isentrout and the restoration of the fiberglass Mr. Bingle that once adorned Maison Blanche in downtown New Orleans and now graces the annual Celebration in the Oaks at City Park.

Con: Racism in the form of language/dialogue and stereotypes (African-Americans, Vietnamese, and Chinese).