Punch and Judy have been entertaining children for hundreds of years. Punch and Judy is a unique performance with a host of quirky characters brought to life by puppets. Over the years Punch and Judy has changed very little and still manages to captivate audiences young and old with its glimpse into a surreal view of yesteryear.

Despite Punch and Judy becoming renowned as a British cultural gem, historians believe it was originally based on characters from Italian folklore. The main character, Punch was allegedly based on the character Pulcinella from the Italian production Commedia Dell’arte.

As the production moved to British shores, Pulcinella became better known as Punch. Aside from the change in name the show retained all of its unique character and charm. Punch is characterized by his outgoing personality and unruly antics which draw him into some unusual encounters with the various characters of the story. This is unsurprising considering that Punch is inspired by The Lord of Misrule and other mischievous characters represented in continental legend. Despite Punch’s somewhat devious actions in the story punch continues to appeal to kids from all generations with comedic slapstick performances which both parents and children can find entertaining.

With the move to an anglicized audience the characters in the show changed slightly. Although the main premise of all Punch and Judy shows is similar the roster of characters is not always the same. Popular characters which are traditional in the British performance include the iconic British Bobby and the mischievous crocodile with a penchant for Punch’s sausages. Judy was originally known as Joan and her character remains virtually unchanged as a supportive role to spur Punch on for his humorous adventures.

As punch and Judy has very few characters and only two of which are usually on stage at any one time it is easy to play in a variety of locations. Traditionally Punch and Judy shows could be found performed on beaches at coastal resorts like Blackpool and Brighton from a small box like stage.

The whole performance is brought to life by the puppeteer who is known as Professor. As well as providing all the actions for the characters the professor also does all the voice talent including Punch’s trademark raspy delivery. Punch’s voice is achieved by the professor using a small gadget called a swazzle which is kept in his mouth while he is speaking to give his voice a higher pitched comedic nasal tone.

During the performance Punch travels around a fictional locale meeting various characters and generally causing mischief. Punch is dressed in clothes resembling an old clown or court jester and is accompanied by a large stick. Punch’s attire and the large stick in particular refer to the comedic nature of his character which is designed to shock and surprise audiences while also entertaining them. As a result of Punch’s unique character many entertainers mimicked the style of the routine and the phrase slapstick was coined after punch and his trusty stick.