Punch & Judy Today > The World Tradition > Punch's cousins

The gallery of Punch's cousins below is by no means exhaustive. It features puppets and puppeteers who have been guests at College festivals in the UK or with whom College members have performed at festivals around the world and each one is a worthy maestro of their art.
Pulcinella 'castellet' Pulcinella Pulcinella from Italy. The white costumed, black masked character has remained virtually unchanged in appearance since the 1500s. Still performed both by costumed actors or by puppeteers, Pulcinella is an icon of his home town in Naples. After a period of decline the tradition was re-invigorated by performer Bruno Leone who has overseen the growth of the popular street show in recent years..
Petrushka stage Petrushka and puppeteer Petrushka from Russia. Another descendant of Pulcinella and once the darling of the Russian Fairgrounds. When the Bolsheviks came to power they supressed him for speaking out of turn. Since the fall of the USSR the tradition is making a comeback in the hands of a few puppeteers such as Tolya Arhipov pictured here.
Kasper stage Kasper performers Kasperl from Sweden. Germany's Kasper became Kasperl in Sweden (and elsewhere is known as Kasparek). The name may not sound as if it's derived from Pulcinella - but he is of the same stock. The German Kasper has become tame over the years and a once feisty little character has become a sanitised goody-goody. Sweden's Kasperl as performed by Sylvia 'Prof Woodhead' Berg (pictured R) and Bissa Abelli (L) remains satisfyingly true to his original nature.
Vitez Laszlo stage Vitez Laszlo Vitéz László from Hungary. 'László The Brave' is a popular little folk hero who weilds not a slapstick but an enormous frying pan which he uses with great glee as he enthusiastically routs his earthly adversaries, then the devil himself. Pictured here in a performance by the company Maskaras.
Beneditto Beneditto puppeteer Benedito from Brazil. The Commedia tradition of puppetry spread to Brazil via Portugal where it led to a local version known as mamulengo. The name is said to be a corruption of 'mano molenga meaning 'floppy hands'. A leading character in these shows is Benedito whose ribald humour, satirical comment and outrageous behaviour made him a firm favourite. Often a simple glove puppet, he has been transformed into a larger figure by by Brazilian puppeteer Eder Paiva pictured here.
USA Punch stage USA Punch Prof. Punch from the USA. Punch and Judy are long established in the USA, at least as far back as the early 1800s. In their time they have appeared in fairgrounds on the hands of Harry Houdini as well as on the Broadway stage. Pictured here are California's Piccolo Puppets keeping the tradition alive.
Tchantches theatre Tchantches theatre close up Tchantchès from the city of Bruge in Belgium. The Tchantchès tradition is not descended from Pulcinella but is an example of the regional folk heroes who sprang up across Europe at a later date. Like the French character Guignol from Lyons, Tchantches is very much associated with his local town. He speaks in the local dialect (just as Pulcinella speaks the language of Naples), takes copious swigs of gin, and rights wrongs in a way that Robin Hood would be proud of. Pictured here are some members of the nobility who cross the path of Tchantchès in a performance by master puppeteer Georges Vetters.