Petrushka (Russian: Петрушка) is a stock character of Russian folk puppetry (rayok) known at least since 17th century. Petrushkas were used as marionettes, as well as hand puppets. Traditionally he was a kind of a jester distinguished by red dress, red kolpak (a kind of pointy hat), and often a long nose. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A puppeteer is a person who manipulates a puppet or marionette, either by the use of strings, wires or their hands, for a stage production or film. ... Rayok literally means small paradise in Russian. ... A marionette is a type of puppet with strings controlled by a puppeteer from above. ... A hand munger is a type of puppet that is primarily controlled by a hand that occupies the interior of the puppet. ... For other uses of Jester, see Jester (disambiguation). ... Kolpak is a term used in the United Kingdom for players in the domestic cricket and rugby league from overseas. ... The tigrakhauda (Orthocorybantians) relief of eastern stairs of the Apadana of Persepolis. ...

The name is actually a hypocoristic for "Pyotr" (Пётр), which is Peter in Russian (incidentally, petrushka is also the Russian word for parsley). However, the character has little or nothing in common with such stock characters as Petruccio or Pierrot. Petrushka is rather a Russian Punch or Pulcinella in character. A hypocoristic (or hypocorism) is a lesser form of the given name used in more intimate situations, as a term of endearment, a pet name. ... Pyotr is a Greek chess engine written entirely in Java. ... Look up Peter, peter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the herb. ... i wish there was sumthin on petruchio from taming of the shrew in order for me to gain information on him ... Harlequin and Pierrot, André Derain commedia dellarte c. ... Pulcinella, often called Punch in English, is a classical character that originated in the Commedia dellarte of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry. ...

Initially, Petrushka was a character of typical slapstick comedy targeting the adult audience. As puppet theatre gradually became predominantly children's entertainment, Petrushka became less vulgar and aggressive. This article is about comedic slapstick. ...

External links

• Petrushka (Russian)