Lamb Chop lives. Mallory Lewis, daughter of famed puppeteer Shari Lewis, is making good on a promise she made to her mother. 

She said, "I promised my mom I would keep Lamb Chop alive." She grew up with Lamb Chop, her "sister" and often slept with the puppet as a child. She joined her mother's act at the age of 12 in a behind-the-scenes role.

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."

She said her mother didn't teach her how to do ventriloquism. She just learned how to do Lamb Chop's voice herself. Lamb Chop was like a family member. She mimicked her mother. 

She is embracing social media, especially TikTok. She realized she didn't have to wait for theatre bookings to entertain audiences when she was inclined to do so. She has the help of a social media expert and posts videos with Lamb Chop almost every day. One video has 3.8 million views. 

Mallory has been touring the country with two Lamb Chop shows since Shari died in 1998. Those shows are "A Lamb Chop Celebration," a family show, and "The Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop Legacy Show," a show geared toward adults. It is described as "slightly more politically driven."

The 2024 plans for Mallory and Lamb Chop include a presidential run for Lamb Chop. The puppet is a third-party candidate. They will also be drawing attention to "Shari & Lamb Chop", a documentary that is currently shown at movie festivals. 

Look at this sweet exchange. Is the current Lamb Chop puppet the same one that Shari Lewis used? 

While we’re on the subject of Lamb Chop, it should be worth noting that Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop both appeared on CBS’s The Early Show on the morning of 9/11. https://t.co/JhXgo4jMAJ

— Ethan (@datguyyo1) February 19, 2024

I was pleased to discover Lamb Chop is still around. The puppet is a throwback to a simpler, more innocent time before children's programming became a tool of the Marxist left. Mallory's son, James, is following in his mother's footsteps. He travels with his mother in the role of a road manager. He works behind the scenes by setting up sound equipment and selling merchandise.

Long live Lamb Chop.