Christmas memories have some interesting twists

Some of the major memories of the Christmas season have come from “minor characters” who filled our hearts with holiday joy. Take Mr. Jingeling, for example.

 

Mr. Jingeling was created nearly 70 years ago for Halle Brothers Co., a leading department store chain based in Cleveland, Ohio. The company, simply known as Halle’s (pronounced HAL-eez), was founded in 1891 by brothers Samuel Horatio Halle and Salmon Portland Chase Halle.

Walter Murphy Halle, son of Samuel, was president of the company in 1956 when he asked a good friend, Frank Jacobi, owner of an advertising agency in Chicago, to create a new holiday character – someone that Halle’s flagship department store could use to sell more Christmas toys in downtown Cleveland.

 

Jacobi responded with the introduction of Mr. Jingeling, a locksmith who made magical keys for castle doors. He had a workshop of his own, a place where children could come and just hang out. Mr. Jingeling would tell them stories, and together, they would sing songs about the coming of Christmas.

Then, one day just before Christmas, Santa burst into Mr. Jingeling’s little shop, all in a fluster. He’d lost the key to his Toyland workshop. He was locked out.

Of course, Mr. Jingeling agreed to help. Off they flew in Santa’s sleigh to the North Pole, where Mr. Jingeling was able to fabricate a duplicate key lickety-split to open Santa’s workshop.

That was the year that Mr. Jingeling saved Christmas for boys and girls around the world.

From then on, Mr. Jingeling became sort of a “chief elf” and was knighted as “Keeper of the Keys to Toyland.”

Mr. Jingeling wears a green and gold costume with a black belt and carries an enormous key ring holding the keys to all of Santa’s properties, including the reindeer stables.

 

Thomas Moviel (shown below), a Cleveland police officer who worked security at Halle’s when off duty, was asked to play the part of Mr. Jingeling. As the father of seven children, Moviel willingly accepted the additional assignment in order to pocket a little extra cash during the holiday season.

 

It just so happened, Officer Moviel was assigned to the Jail Unit, so he brought several authentic jail cell keys to the store to use as “props.” 

Each child who came to visit Santa and Mr. Jingeling received a special key to place under his or her pillow on Christmas Eve. This would help them fall asleep and have good dreams while waiting for Santa to come.

 

Mr. Jingeling became a local celebrity and had a regular show on WEWS-TV. By now, actor Max Ellis had assumed the role of Mr. Jingeling. Others who played the part of Mr. Jingeling over the years included Karl Macky and Earl Keyes.

Halle’s went out of business in 1982, but Cleveland wouldn’t allow Mr. Jingeling to leave their community. He resurfaced at other stores and bounced around a bit, eventually finding a new home when the trademark was acquired by Jimmy Langa, owner of The Mr. Kringle Company in Cleveland.

 

Langa made the connection with veteran actor Don Beck of Medina, Ohio, whose resume included 20+ years as a holiday Santa Claus.

“This man was pure magic, and as soon as he got on the call, I knew he was the guy,” Langa says. “I’m so glad the universe brought us together.”

 

Don Beck is the perfect Mr. Jingeling for the next generation and beyond.

Just FYI: The famous model and actress Halle Berry was born in Cleveland in 1966, and her parents named her after the department store.

 

Other Christmas story “minor characters” of note who come to mind include Bob Crachit, Parson Brown, the Innkeeper, Hermey the Elf and Billie the Brownie.

Other suggestions? Pass along to me at swindsguy@gmail.com.