A traditional Punch and Judy booth, at Swanage, Dorset

Punch and Judy is a popular puppet show featuring Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character. The show is traditionally performed by a single puppeteer, known as a Professor. Punch and Judy may refer to: Punch and Judy, a puppet show Punch and Judy, an opera by Harrison Birtwistle. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2349x2102, 1068 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2349x2102, 1068 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... , Swanage a small town in the south east of Dorset, England. ... A puppet is a representational object manipulated by a puppeteer. ... Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination of hierarchy and imposed authority. ...

A Punch and Judy Professor (in 2007) with his puppets

History

The Punch and Judy show can trace its roots to the 16th century to the Italian commedia dell'arte. The figure of Punch derives from the stock character of Pulcinella, which was Anglicized to Punchinello. He is a manifestation of the Lord of Misrule and Trickster figures of deep-rooted mythologies. Punch's wife was originally "Joan". Commedia redirects here. ... 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. ... The Lord of Misrule, known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason and in France as the Prince des Sots, was an officer appointed by lot at Christmas to preside over the Feast of Fools. ... For other uses, see Trickster (disambiguation). ...

May 9, 1662 is the day traditionally reckoned by 'Professors' as Punch's UK birthday, for that was the first recorded date on which the figure who later became Mr. Punch was seen in England. The diarist Samuel Pepys observed a puppet show featuring an early version of the Punch character near St. Paul's Church in London's Covent Garden. It was performed by an Italian puppeteer, Pietro Gimonde operating as "Signor Bologna". Pepys described the event in his diary: "...an Italian puppet play, that is within the rails there, which is very pretty, the best that I ever saw, and great resort of gallants." Pepys went back several more times and continued to be amused. The puppet he saw was a marionette, not a glove-puppet, and Gimonde did his show within a tent. is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events February 1 - The Chinese pirate Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege. ... Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for his diary. ... Covent Garden is a district in London, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest corner of the London Borough of Camden. ... A marionette is a type of puppet with strings controlled by a puppeteer from above. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In the British "Punch and Judy" show Punch wears a jester's motley and is a hunchback whose hooked nose almost meets his curved jutting chin. He carries a stick, as large as himself, which he freely uses upon all the other characters in the show. He speaks in a distinctive squawking voice, produced by a contrivance known as a swazzle or swatchel which the Professor holds in his mouth, transmitting his gleeful cackle— "That's the way to do it". So important is Mr. Punch's signature sound that it is a matter of some controversy within Punch and Judy circles as to whether a 'non swazzled' show can be considered a true Punch and Judy Show. Harlequin in motley attire, year 1761 by Maurice Sand Motley refers to the traditional costume of the court jester or the harlequin character in commedia dellarte. ... Hunchback may refer to one of the following. ... A swazzle (swatchel) is a device made of two strips of metal bound around a cotton tape reed. ...

Many regional variants of Pulcinella were developed as the character spread across Europe. In Germany, Punch is called "Kasperle" or Kaspar while Judy is "Grete". In the Netherlands it is Jan Klaassen (and Judy is Katrijn); in Denmark Mester Jackel; in Russia Petrushka; in Romania Vasilache; and in France Polichinelle. Kasperle ia a famous and traditional puppet character from Austria and Germany. ...

A Punch and Judy show attracts a family audience

In the late 18th and early 19th Century the familiar Punch and Judy hand puppet show that existed in Britain was performed in an easily-transportable booth (known as a fit-up). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 445 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 569 pixel, file size: 144 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 445 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 569 pixel, file size: 144 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Booth can refer to: // Open Cabins Telephone booth Polling booth, see polling station Photo booth Ticket booth (see also box office) Toll booth, see toll road Booth in a restaurant Booth in a trade fair Spanking booth, kissing booth - attractions in a carnival, a fair, etc. ...

Modern British performances of Punch and Judy are no longer exclusively the traditional seaside entertainments, found in holiday resorts during the summer months, but a public attraction that can be seen at carnivals, festivals, birthday parties, and all manner of similar celebratory occasions. Apart from Punch and Judy, there is usually also their baby, a crocodile, Joey the Clown (a friend of Mr. Punch), a policeman and a string of sausages. The devil and Jack Ketch may also make appearances. The story changes, but some punchlines remain the same: Punch, for example, always says "That's the way to do it!" The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... John (Jack) Ketch (died 1686) was an executioner employed by King Charles II. He became famous through the way he performed his duties during the tumults of the 1680s, when he was often mentioned in broadsheet accounts that circulated throughout the Kingdom of England. ... For the phase, see Punch line Punchline is a North American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...

Story

Mr Punch by Weymouth professor Guy Higgins.

The tale of Punch and Judy varies from puppeteer to puppeteer and has changed over time. It typically involves Punch behaving outrageously, struggling with his wife Judy and the Baby, and then triumphing in a series of encounters with the forces of law and order (and often the supernatural). The classic ending of the show has him dispatching the Devil himself, exclaiming "Huzzah huzzah, I've killed the Devil!". , Weymouth is a town in Dorset, England, United Kingdom, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

All is performed in the spirit of outrageous comedy and is intended to provoke shocked laughter. Whilst the Victorian version of the show drew on the morality of its day, The Punch & Judy College of Professors considers that the 20th and 21st Century versions of the tale have evolved into something more akin to a primitive version of The Simpsons – in which a bizarre family is used as vehicle for grotesque visual comedy and a sideways look at contemporary society. Simpsons redirects here. ...

The stereotypical view of Punch casts him as a deformed, child-murdering, wife-beating psychopath who commits appalling acts of violence and cruelty upon all those around him and escapes scot-free – this is greatly enjoyed by small children. Terry Pratchett draws attention to this apparent paradox in his short story Theatre of Cruelty, the last line of which is "That's not the way to do it." In actual fact, Punch has long since reverted to his origins as a clown figure whose acts of violence are in the same tradition as those to be seen in all classic cartoons. The very stick he uses is a slapstick: the knockabout device which gave its name to a whole genre of broad physical comedy. See Also: Antisocial Personality Disorder Theoretically, psychopathy is a three-faceted disorder involving interpersonal, affective and behavioral characteristics. ... Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948) is a British fantasy and science fiction author, best known for his Discworld series. ... Theatre of Cruelty is a short Discworld story by Terry Pratchett written in 1993. ... For other uses, see Slapstick (disambiguation). ...

Published scripts

In 1828, the critic John Payne Collier published a Punch and Judy script under the title The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Punch and Judy. The script was illustrated by the well-known caricaturist George Cruikshank. Collier said his script was based on the version performed by the "professor" Giovanni Piccini in the early 19th century. The Collier/Cruickshank Punch has been republished in facsimile several times and is now available on the web in PDF form (see External Links). As Collier later went on to have a career as a literary forger, it throws some doubt on the authenticity of the script which is rather literary in style and may well have been tidied up from the rough and tumble street theatre original. Punch is primarily an oral tradition, handed down (or copied) from live performances more than from scripts. It is thus constantly in development from many participants in the same way that the wikipedia concept operates. A transcript of a typical Punch and Judy show in London of the 1840s can be found in Henry Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor. John Payne Collier (January 11, 1789 - September 17, 1883), English Shakespearian critic, was born in London. ... Portrait of George Cruikshank Wood engraving published in Harpers Weekly newspaper March 16, 1878 A Young George Cruikshank George Cruikshank (September 27, 1792—February 1, 1878) was an English caricaturist and book illustrator. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Henry Mayhew (25 November 1812 - 25th July 1887) was an English journalist and one of the founders of the humorous magazine Punch, and the magazines editor for its beginning days. ...

Derived usage

• Punch, a celebrated British humour magazine (now defunct) derived its name from Mr. Punch.
• Riddley Walker, a 1980 novel by Russell Hoban, features as its main character a wanderer in a post-apocalyptic world where puppet shows put across the government's official message. Finding an old Punch puppet in the debris inspires Riddley to put together a puppet show opposing the government's tale and telling the true story of how civilization was destroyed.
• The Punch and Judy Man was a 1961 movie, starring Tony Hancock as the title character.
• Punch and Judy was the title of the 1967 opera by Harrison Birtwistle. Punch performers regard it as a humourless misreading of the traditional characters.
• A Child Again, a collection of short shorties by Robert Coover, includes a story entitled "Punch" exploring in the first person the character of Mr. Punch.
• The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch: A Romance, a 1995 graphic novel by writer Neil Gaiman and artist Dave McKean, features a boy whose memories are triggered by a Punch and Judy show.
• Another instance in which a Punch and Judy show is used to trigger a character's memory: the Japanese film "Soundtrack" (2002), starring Sugizo and Kou Shibasaki.
• Artistes as diverse as the Stranglers, Marillion, XTC and Gracie Fields have all recorded songs called "Punch and Judy". 'Rockney' duo Chas 'n' Dave recorded one called 'Punchinella' which encapsulated some historical information about the character.
• American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith also released a song named "Punch and Judy" about a dysfunctional relationship.
• Jasper Fforde's The Fourth Bear has two characters called Punch and Judy who fight constantly and have threatened several times to throw their baby down the stairs. They are the puppets, but are also alive.
• Punch and Judy are the names of the hosts of the show-within-a-show, Big Shot, that regularly appears in the anime series Cowboy Bebop.
• "Punch and Judy" is also the title of a short film by Czech filmmaker Jan Švankmajer. The film features two male puppets who ultimately end up beating each other to death over a guinea pig. Punch 'Professors' consider it a humorless variant on the essentially comic Punch/Pulcinella tradition.
• Punch and Judy are the names of two constructs (artificial persons) in the webcomic Girl Genius. However, they are portrayed as caring adoptive parents without the slapstick comedy of the puppet shows.
• In the cartoon series The Batman, Punch and Judy are the names of The Joker's two jester-themed henchmen.
• In the CGI animated series Reboot, in the 7^th episode there is a computer version of Punch and Judy called "Punchcard and Qwerty"
• An episode of the TV series Are You Being Served? is titled, "The Punch and Judy Affair", where the staff of the store perform a life-size Punch and Judy show for the other employees' children.
• In the British sci-fi series Doctor Who, the story Snakedance portrays an alien variation on a Punch and Judy puppet show, in which Punch faces and is defeated by a giant snake.
• The Magicians of Caprona, a book in the popular Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones. Punch and Judy puppets figure prominently in the plot about two feuding families of magicians in a fictional Italy.
• Dark cabaret band, The Tiger Lillies have an album as well as a song named "Punch and Judy" derived from their poorly reviewed stage show of the same name
• In American Baseball a "Punch and Judy" batter is slang for a hitting style that is not overpowering.
• The wife-beating mafioso character Don Punchinello in the video game Max Payne gains his name from the Anglicized version of Pulcinella, Mr. Punch's original name.
• The 1987 film, Dolls has a character named Judy, who has a puppet named Punch.
• The Lounge Lizards' "Big Heart: Live in Tokyo" from 1986 contains a song called "The Punch and Judy tango"
• One boss in the video game Super Mario RPG goes by the name of Punchinello, again a reference to the Anglicized version of Punch's original name.
• In Time Bandits Napoleon Bonaparte, in the midst of his invasion of Italy in 1796, amuses himself watching a Punch and Judy show while his inept generals attempt to keep things running without him.
• Alfred Reed, the prolific American composer, wrote a wind band piece titled Punchinello, Overture to a Romantic Comedy. The piece was entitled after Punch's original name.
• In Tim Powers' novel The Anubis Gates the evil clown Horrabin operates a twisted version of the Punch and Judy show.

Punch was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire published from 1841 to 1992 and from 1996 to 2002. ... For other uses, see Humour (disambiguation). ... Riddley Walker is a novel by Russell Hoban, first published in 1980. ... Russell Hoban in 2005 Russell Conwell Hoban (born February 4, 1925) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magic realism, poetry, and childrens books. ... Made in 1962, The Punch and Judy Man was Tony Hancocks attempt at becoming International. Spoiler warning: Based on his childhood memories of Bournemouth, where he grew up, the film is set in the early 1950s in the sleepy seaside town of Piltdown. ... Biography published in 1978 (1983 paperback reprint shown) Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 24 June 1968) was a major figure in British television and radio comedy in the 1950s and 1960s, known as Tony Hancock. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle, CH (born July 15, 1934) is a British composer, widely seen as one of the most significant modern composers from that country. ... Robert Coover (born February 4, 1932) is an American author and professor in the Literary Arts program at Brown University. ... The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. ... Trade paperback of Will Eisners A Contract with God (1978), often mistakenly cited as the first graphic novel. ... Neil Richard Gaiman (IPA: ) (born November 10, 1960[2]) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... David Tench McKean (born 29 December 1963 in Maidenhead, England) is an illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician. ... The Stranglers are a British rock music group, formed in 1973 in Guildford. ... Marillion is a British Rock group. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... For the self-titled album, see Elliott Smith (album). ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In the contexts of sociology and of popular culture, the concept of interpersonal relationships involves social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people. ... The Fourth Bear is a mystery/fantasy novel by Jasper Fforde published in July 2006. ... Animé redirects here. ... Original run April 3, 1998 – April 23, 1999 Episodes 26 Movie: Knockin on Heavens Door (天国の扉) Director Shinichiro Watanabe Writer Keiko Nobumoto Studio Sunrise BONES Bandai Visual[2] Released September 1, 2001 Runtime 115 min. ... Dimensions of Dialogue, 1982 Jan Å vankmajer (born 4 September 1934 in Prague) is a Czech surrealist artist. ... For other uses, see Guinea pig (disambiguation). ... Girl Genius is an ongoing comic book series written and drawn by Phil and Kaja Foglio and published by their company, Studio Foglio LLC under the imprint Airship Entertainment. ... The Batman may refer to: Batman, the fictional character. ... The Joker can mean any of the following: The Joker is a comic strip character, also included in movies and television programs based on the comic strip. ... This article is about the television program ReBoot. ... Are You Being Served? was a long-running British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. ... This article is about the television series. ... Snakedance is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from January 18 to January 26, 1983. ... Cover of The Magicians of Caprona The Magicians of Caprona is a 1980 novel by Diana Wynne Jones. ... Chrestomanci (IPA: ) is the title of a position held by at least two major characters in a series of fantasy novels by Diana Wynne Jones. ... Diana Wynne Jones (born London August 16, 1934) is a British writer, principally of fantasy novels for children and adults, as well as a small amount of non-fiction. ... Dark cabaret is a music genre that can be traced back to the 1970s and is still played today. ... Tiger Lillies during a concert The band after a concert The Tiger Lillies are an obscure cult three-piece band, based in London. ... This article is about the sport. ... Batter can have several meanings: In cooking, batter is a thick or thin mixture, usually made of a ground grain, a liquid, and a fat. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... Max Payne is a third-person shooter computer game developed by the Finnish company Remedy Entertainment, produced by 3D Realms and published by Gathering of Developers in July, 2001 for Windows. ... Dolls is a film directed by horror director Stuart Gordon and released in 1987, after Gordons success with Re-Animator. ... Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (スーパーマリオRPG) was the last Mario game made and released for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and was the last Square-produced game for a Nintendo video game console until 2003, with the debut of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for the... This article is about the 1981 motion picture. ... Tim Powers at the Israeli ICon 2005 SF&F Convention Timothy Thomas Powers (born February 29, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. ... The Anubis Gates (1983) is a time travel fantasy novel by Tim Powers. ...

See also

• Kasperle

Kasperle ia a famous and traditional puppet character from Austria and Germany. ...

External links

• Punch and Judy on the Web
• The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Punch and Judy -- PDF facsimile of an 1832 edition of Collier's script, with Cruickshank's illustrations.
• How to make a Punch and Judy show
• Origin of the term 'Pleased as Punch', with some history of Punch and Judy shows
• The Punch & Judy Fellowship: Comprehensive site of the fellowship for Punch enthusiasts in Britain, the USA and Australia.
• A geographic directory of British Punch and Judy performers.
• The Punch and Judy College of Professors: detailed site of leading UK professional Punch Profs organisation.
• The Punch and Judy Script; various examples.
• The Worldwide Friends of Punch and Judy: an international assemblage of people who love the Punch and Judy Show. Their journal 'Around The World With Mr. Punch' is treasured by students of the Punch tradition.
• The Slapstick Symposium papers. Punch Profs talk about their tradition in the modern world.
• A Punch and Judy blog