A Conversation With The 'World's Tallest Elf'

OAK LAWN, IL — Standing above the Elf on the Shelf, Hermie, Buddy and all the other celebrity elves, Jason Kollum has towered over Oak Lawn’s annual Santa On The Green for over a decade, where he’ll be appearing as the World’s Tallest Elf this Saturday, Nov. 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The multi-talented Kollum, who lives in the northwest suburbs, has appeared at thousands of events around the Midwest as a comedy juggler, balloon twister, bubble-maker and stilt walker. In addition to the World’s Tallest Elf, he’s cavorted Uncle Sam, a pirate, St. Patrick’s Day leprechaun, scarecrow, cowboy and even the World’s Tallest Elvis. By the time he straps drywall stilts to his feet, he stands 9 to 10 feet tall.

“I’ve trained myself to walk on concrete, gravel, sand and grass,” Kollum said. “I go up and down elevators and under tents.”

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In high school Kollum never even considered becoming a variety entertainer when he first joined a juggling club.

“Back then it was something fun that I did,” he said.

Honing his comedy juggling act, he saw other stilt walkers at events where he was performing, and thought he’d expand his skill set and marketability by taking up the craft.

As a 9-foot-tall elf, Kollum can spark a person’s acrophobia when he starts swinging the stilts one in front of another. He doesn’t necessarily believe he’s more coordinated than others.

“I suppose I've developed strong leg muscles. It’s a matter of practicing and feeling comfortable with it," Kollum said. "As a stilt walker, you have to be really confident in what you’re doing and be flexible. I’ll be in a Fourth of July parade when it’s 95 degrees and a variety of other settings in all kinds of weather.”

Most professional stilt walkers use peg stilts that strap to the feet, ankles and knees, or drywall stilts worn by professional drywallers to reach ceiling heights.

“It’s one thing to be able to put stilts on, but being able to be comfortable with your surroundings and developing a style of entertainment on stilts is really what takes years to develop,” Kollum told Patch.

He admits to taking a tumble or two over the course of his stilt-walking career.

“You always have to watch your footing and be careful of everything around you,”Kollum said. “Different surfaces, any objects on the ground like candy, going up and down curbs, watching out for kids and adults all around you, the ropes that secure the tents to the ground, etc.”

Getting the stilts on is skill unto itself, and finding the correct surface to put the stilts on, before slipping on the 9-foot length pants.

“Any tall surface works,” Kollum said. “Usually I sit on my van for outdoor events, and make sure all the straps are secure.”

Kollum has been working full-time as a variety entertainer for 16 years. He also teaches interactive and participatory classes in juggling, balancing, balloon twisting and circus arts workshops to adults and kids. Recently he’s taken up bubbles, using a variety of equipment and a special solution to make giant bubbles, clusters and sculptures. Kollum also lets audience members, particularly kids, become the bubble artist, juggler or balloon twister.

“A lot of people have never seen a stilt walker before,” Kollum said. “I’ve taken pictures with people all over the world. It’s always fun seeing people’s faces, and making kids and adults laugh.”

Interested in hiring Kollum for a festival, parade, grand opening, summer camp, party or any other community event, visit Jason Variety or email jdkollum@yahoo.com.