Brant Bollman doesn’t just make puppets — he brings larger-than-life creatures to small-town Iowa.
Bollman, who serves as the director of theater arts at William Penn University, is also the founder of Uplifting Puppet Co., a nonprofit arts group he launched just two years ago to build community and spark imagination through puppetry. Since then, his giant birds, glowing turtles, towering skeletons and colorful fish have made appearances across Iowa — most recently parading through Oskaloosa’s Art on the Square.
On June 21, Bollman will share his puppet-making magic at Pride in the Alley, Oskaloosa’s first-ever Pride celebration, where he’ll host a hands-on booth for attendees. Then, on July 11, he’ll be featured in Des Moines’ whimsical Magic of the Night Lantern Parade, lighting up the Drake neighborhood with his signature glowing creations.
Bollman grew up on a farm in southern Iowa, but it was clear to him from an early age that he was more drawn to fantasy than farming.
“I wasn’t the kind of guy who dreamed of being a farmer,” he said on IPR's Talk of Iowa. “I would climb up on the big, round hay bales and dream about magical things and spaceships — all kinds of storytelling elements like that.”
Inspired by the puppets he saw on public television, especially Fraggle Rock, Bollman’s imagination fully ignited when he saw Return of the Jedi in fourth grade.
“While my friends were staring at Princess Leia, I was staring at Jabba the Hutt,” he said. “I could tell that it was some sort of puppet, but it looked like an alien toad. It could breathe and blow smoke and move its tail. I was just enthralled.”
That fascination turned into a lifelong love of puppetry and performance. After discovering Phil Tippett, the legendary puppeteer behind Star Wars, Bollman began envisioning a creative future that included big, expressive characters of his own.
Now, as a college theater director, Bullman brings his story full circle by helping young Iowans find their place in the arts.
“I get to go out to schools and find modern-day ‘me’s’ — like the one kid in a small Iowa high school who loves theater and loves art,” he said. “I look for people who had the same reality as me."
Bollman sees puppetry not just as an art form, but as a way to uplift others.
"It's a great way to bring everyone together through creativity and to share perspectives," he said.
To hear this conversation, listen to Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe. Samantha McIntosh produced this episode.
