What if Puppets

10/12/2026

Cute little rabbit…or VAMPIRE BUNNY? Meet Bunnicula from The Rose Theater’s production of Bunnicula, running October 16-November 1 in Omaha. Matthew Hawkins built the mechanical head for this puppet in our workshop, while Mike Horner created the body. Bunnicula’s head features light up eyes, a two-point articulated mouth, moving ears, and growing fangs (of course)! Catch Bunnicula at the Rose before he hops into the night!

10/08/2026

Mike and Amanda were on KCTV5's My KC Live this morning to promote How to Snag a Sea Monster! Check out the video below, and get your tickets for the public performances at Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College! Friday, October 9 at 6pm and Saturday, October 10 at 10am. Link to tickets at whatifpuppets.org.
https://www.kctv5.com/2026/10/08/how-snag-sea-monster-midwest-trust-center/

Midwest Trust Center's Kara Hettinger joins Mike Horner and Amanda Kibler with What if Puppets to preview the upcoming production of "How to Snag a Sea Monster."

10/01/2026

09/30/2026

Need a giant puppet but don’t have room backstage? Make it an inflatable! Our sea monster in How to Snag a Sea Monster needed to grow HUGE at the end of the show (SPOILERS!), so we created an inflatable version using an old PE scooter and a house fan. This puppet was designed and built by Zachery Garner. See our sea monster in person at Midwest Trust Center at JCCC October 7-10! Ticket link in bio!

09/25/2026

Let's meet the cast of How to Snag a Sea Monster! Our Sea Monster was designed and built by Zachery Garner. We'd probably call this puppet a glove puppet, because its tentacles are basically a giant purple glove! See the Sea Monster and the rest of the cast of How to Snag a Sea Monster October 7-10 at Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College. Ticket info at whatifpuppets.org!

09/25/2026

Let's meet the cast of How to Snag a Sea Monster! Captain Mary Celeste is the captain of the merchant ship Pippidy Dippidy, the vessel where our hero Stormalong gets his first job . Her First Mate is a pig named Mr. Dennis! Set sail with Captain Mary, Mr. Dennis and the rest of the cast of How to Snag a Sea Monster, playing October 7-10 at Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College. Ticket info at whatifpuppets.org!

09/23/2026

Let's meet the cast of How to Snag a Sea Monster! Harold Hooper (of Harold Hooper's Harbor Bazaar) runs a junk shop on Barnacle Bay. His character was inspired by the guy from the old Pepperidge Farm commercials, and he was named after Mr. Hooper, the shop keeper from Sesame Street in the 1970s. See Harold and the rest of the characters in How to Snag a Sea Monster, running October 7-10 at Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College . Ticket info at whatifpuppets.org!

09/22/2026

Let's meet the cast of How to Snag a Sea Monster! Ida & Lewis Lichthauser are the proprietors of the lighthouse and cafe in the village of Barnacle Bay. They were named after Ida Lewis, who became the first female lighthouse keeper in the United States in 1857 . See Ida, Lewis and the rest of the puppets in How to Snag a Sea Monster, running October 7-10 at Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College . Ticket info at whatifpuppets.org!

09/21/2026

Let's meet the cast of How to Snag a Sea Monster! The star of our story is Stormalong, based on the American folk hero Alfred Bulltop Stormalong, a larger than life sailor who is sort of like a nautical Paul Bunyan. See Stormalong and the rest of the cast at Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College October 7-10. Ticket info at whatifpuppets.org!