Happy 55th Birthday to Shari Lewis’ Lamb Chop! (VIDEO)

Lamb Chop is one of the most beloved hand puppets ever created!

Comedienne and ventriloquist Shari Lewis first sewed the little lamb (a ewe) in 1957 and then headed to local television with her puppet show titled  "Hi Mom" on WNBC in New York City.  The show was a hit and Lamb Chop became a national sensation.  In the 1960s Shari Lewis had her own variety show.  In the 1990s "Lamb Chop's Play Along" began airing on PBS.  It won five consecutive Emmy Awards.

Lamb Chop is still around.  After Shari Lewis died in 1998 at the age of 65, her daughter Mallory took over the hand puppet duties.

Shari Lewis was one of the most beloved of all children's show entertainers, thanks to her little hand-sewn puppet named Lamb Chop!