The Death of "Barnaby"

A childhood icon from my youth died last month.

The man who played Barnaby the Elf, among many other characters, Linn Sheldon, died April 24 in the Cleveland, Ohio suburb of Lakewood.

Sheldon was a TV legend not only in Cleveland, where he was based, but throughout the state of Ohio. I lived in Columbus, and we watched him on cable. He would always play these silly games, sing silly songs...just a delightful character.

Sheldon first made his mark just as TV was in its' infancy. He worked at WEWS, the ABC station; and WUAB Channel 43 (which is about to return to being an independent, after being a UPN affiliate for 11 years), creating the Barnaby character in 1956.

Sheldon is survived by his wife and three children. Sheldon was 86.