By Emily Gigiuseppe / Full360 Reporter

Ever since he could remember, Owen Klessel has been interested in wildlife. 

Inspired by works such as the muppets and its creator Jim Henson, Klessel became interested in puppeteering from a young age as well. Throughout his life, he has worked to merge both of his passions.

“Animal Boy” is the name of the very first puppet Klessel ever made. 

“He’s a hodge podge, I think is the best way to describe it. He’s basically a bunch of animals,” he said. 

 Animal Boy has various features of different animals such as elephant’s trunk, a lion’s mane, and bull horns. Klessel says Animal Boy wants to know what kind of animal he is, as he just can’t quite find anything resembling him.

Animal Boy is the motley star of Klessel’s Youtube channel The Land of Puppeteria. This channel is focused on educating its audience on a variety of different wildlife facts. 

Outside of the channel, Klessel is a freshman at Delaware Valley University, and is enrolled as a Conservation and Management of Wildlife major. He is also president of The Puppet Club at Delaware Valley University. He runs this club with fellow executive members Leah Monastra as Vice President and Abigail Barlam as the treasurer.

It is uncommon for incoming freshmen to start a club on campus. But Klessel knew, even before he enrolled, that he wanted to join, or create, a Puppet Club “…whether they like it or not,” he says in an interview, jokingly.

Answering a question about what members do at Puppet Club, Klessel states “We build puppets, perform with puppets and we talk about puppets,” he said. 

At the puppet club, members are free to create and design their own puppets. Throughout the year, the puppet club will perform events at different stages, and they will have a table at the upcoming A-Day County Fair event on campus. 

Klessel explains that running a puppet club and school is a lot of work. But he says that because of his passion, running the puppet club is just a way of finding downtime and a moment to have fun in between his schoolwork. 

He talks about the formation of his interest in both puppets and wildlife, and how those passions grow overtime. He says that after finding an initial interest, one can begin going down the rabbit hole of finding more information, and eventually, getting more involved with what they’re interested in. This is just a small portion of advice he gives to those who are also looking to make new paths. 

“If you’re really passionate about something don’t be afraid to get help from others.” – Owen Klessel

Klessel actually comes from a family of people who professionalize as doctors, which is not completely in contrast to his bachelors of science, but he does deviate from them in his practice of puppeteering.

All the same, he has found a good community in his family, friends and campus community to reach out to whenever he needs help. He mentions Justin Brouse, assistant Director of Student Involvement, especially as being helpful, alongside his fellow executive members. 

In his club, he and other members have found other people who are interested in similar art forms, and have introduced others to the art of puppeteering. Puppet club meets every Monday from 5:00-6:30 in the Life Sciences Building. 

In the future, Klessel has plans to build on his youtube channel and find opportunities in other places as well. He wants to go forward with combining his love for performing with puppets and his fascination with Wildlife to create an educational experience for all.