March 19, 2024

Floppy to appear at ‘Duane & Floppy Film Festival’

DES MOINES —The State Historical Museum of Iowa will loan Floppy for display at the Iowa Hall of Pride's "Duane & Floppy Film Festival" on Feb. 8 in Des Moines.

The “Duane & Floppy Film Festival” will be presented at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Iowa Hall of Pride, 330 Park St. in Des Moines. Admission is $5 per person and tickets can be reserved by calling (515) 564-8507. Floppy T-shirts and DVDs also will be available. Floppy will be on display at the Iowa Hall of Pride that day from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“We are honored that Floppy is going to make a special visit to the Floppy Film Festival at the Iowa Hall of Pride,” said Jack Lashier, director of the Iowa Hall of Pride. “This is a unique opportunity for Iowans to see and learn more about Floppy and the Hall of Pride all at one time.”

“The State Historical Museum will make this special short-term loan in accordance with museum practices and preservation goals,” said Leo Landis, museum curator at the State Historical Museum of Iowa. “We are glad that this important artifact will be on display during the film festival, and encourage Floppy’s fans to attend and celebrate him.”

Duane Ellett and Floppy hosted and performed on “The Floppy Show” and other locally-produced television programs on WHO-TV in Des Moines. Ellett carved Floppy from Balsa wood and brought him and other puppet characters to life through ventriloquism, creating memories for children who “beeped” his nose and told riddles, such as “What’s the biggest pencil in the world? Pennsylvania.” The programs also featured vintage cartoons.