Shari’s little lamb goes on

Friday, Nov. 18, 2005 | 8:48 a.m.

Puppeteer Shari Lewis died of cancer in 1998 at the age of 65.

Fans wondered if her death also meant the end of her most famous puppet, Lamb Chop, who had been entertaining children since 1960.

There was no need to worry. About a year later Lamb Chop was resurrected, thanks to the talents of Lewis' daughter, Mallory.

"I spent much of that first year after my mother's passing traveling around the country accepting posthumous awards," Mallory Lewis said during a telephone interview from her home in Malibu, Calif.

It was at one of those award ceremonies, held in Minneapolis, that Lamb Chop came back to life.

"I looked at my husband and said, 'If I'm going to do this, this is the time,' " Lewis recalled.

She had been reluctant to follow in her mother's footsteps.

"It was out of fear," Lewis said. "My mom was so loved and respected that I didn't want to embarrass her."

The fear was unwarranted.

"The crowd went wild," Lewis said. "And I thought, 'OK, this is going to work.' "

She and Lamb Chop will perform at 1:45 p.m. Sunday at the Summerlin Library Theatre, helping to kick off the Southern Nevada Jewish Book Month.

The event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada and Las Vegas Jewish Center for Education, Media & the Arts.

Lamb Chop and Lewis will perform for about 15 minutes and then introduce the featured artist, renowned puppeteer and Jewish storyteller Marilyn Price of Chicago, who will perform "Punch & Judaism."

Lewis had her hand in her mother's career long before she became a puppeteer herself.

Lewis, who was a writer for Hanna-Barbera and Disney, became producer and head writer for her mother in the late '80s.

"I traveled with my mother," she said. "I was very lucky. I had the benefit of her years of being loved by her fans -- and that love was automatically transferred to me.

"People were happy to see me with Lamb Chop."

Lewis now travels the world with Lamb Chop, whom she identifies as her sister, performing extensively for the USO as well as at such venues as the Magic Castle in Los Angeles.

"Lamb Chop is about 50 percent of my life," she said. "My 6-year-old son, Jamie, is the other 50 percent."

Her next major gig will be the lighting of the Christmas tree in Hollywood on Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving.

"It's our equivalence of lighting the tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City," Lewis said.

But the most exciting performance for her will be when she performs at her son's school, Viewpoint, a private school in Calabasas, Calif., next month.

"That's the most fun," Lewis said.

Jamie often travels with her and joins her onstage.

"My son is really funny," she said. "He's very self aware, and he loves to travel -- he's been traveling with Lamb Chop his whole life."

The shows are a family affair. Her husband, Brad Hood, is the producer and runs the production when it's on the road.

When Lewis isn't busy traveling, she stays busy with a wide variety of projects.

In the spring she will have a set of six DVDs coming out -- "Phonics for Babies, Unleashing the Genius in Your Child."

The DVDs help teach children to talk.

"It teaches the first 300 words they need to know," Lewis said.

She said her son began talking at an early age.

"He hasn't shut up since," she said.

Lewis says some children begin talking late. The DVDs address the issue.

"Early talking leads to early reading, which leads to early success," she said.