(Radio Iowa) –  Over the decades, hundreds of thousands of Iowa children have grown up watching puppet shows performed by a small troupe from eastern Iowa called the Eulenspiegel (OIL-in-shpee-gul) Puppet Theatre, based in West Liberty. Monica Leo co-founded the group nearly 50 years ago because she loved the hobby, having no idea it would grow into a business with extreme longevity that would also be so widely adored.

Photo by the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre

Since 1974, Eulenspiegel has toured in 31 states and four countries around the world, as well as in hundreds of Iowa communities, in addition to thousands of performances at its theatre in West Liberty. Leo, who’s 79, doesn’t plan to retire, saying, “I have no intention of quitting because there’s nothing I’d rather do.”