When renowned artist and puppeteer Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins took the stage at BU Central, all eyes weren’t on him. They were on his latest creation, Crush, a puppet made out of cardboard and cloth with two shining green eyes. With the help of his puppet, Pipkins hosted Boston University’s first puppet slam Saturday evening.

Faculty and staff from Boston University and Wheelock College have been working together in recent months to prepare for the formation of the new Wheelock College of Education and Human Development,...