Spejbl and Hurvínek: the wooden father and son Czechs grew up with

Spejbl is tall, thin and permanently exasperated. Hurvínek is small, cheeky and fond of mischief. Together they have been Czechia's best-loved puppet double act for about a century, and children who grew up in the country can usually recite their catchphrases. Foreign visitors often stroll past their theatre in Dejvice without knowing what it is.

Here are the characters, their creator, the theatre and how to see them.

Who they are

Spejbl is the father: worthy, rather pompous, convinced he knows best and regularly proved wrong. Hurvínek is his son, an irrepressible boy whose questions expose the adults around him. The comic misunderstandings between parent and child are the engine of the show. Other characters join them in different productions, but the pair are the heart.

They are marionettes, worked from above on strings by a puppeteer who also speaks their lines. Marionette theatre in the Czech lands goes back centuries and is tied to the national revival of the nineteenth century, when puppet plays in Czech helped keep the language in public use. Spejbl and Hurvínek belong to a later, more modern branch shaped by the artistic movements of the early twentieth century.

Josef Skupa and the first performances

Josef Skupa (1892 to 1957) was a puppeteer and director from southern Bohemia who worked for much of his career in Plzeň. Spejbl first appeared in 1920, and Hurvínek followed in 1926. Skupa performed with the pair in cabarets, theatres and later on radio, and built a company around them. Through the interwar years the puppets became national favourites, appealing to adults for their satire as much as to children for their slapstick.

Skupa kept the characters going through hard times. After the German occupation began in 1939, humour of any kind had to be careful, and after the war and the communist takeover the company became a state-supported theatre. Skupa died in 1957, but the company carried on under later directors, who adapted the repertoire to new audiences without dropping the old routines.

The theatre in Dejvice

The Divadlo Spejbla a Hurvínka (Theatre of Spejbl and Hurvínek) stands in Dejvice, the leafy residential district of Prague 6 to the north-west of the centre. The company has been based there since the years after the Second World War. It is a repertory theatre with its own ensemble of puppeteers, designers and technicians, and it plays several productions at a time.

The programme includes shows for children and for adults. The children's shows follow Hurvínek through everyday adventures, school, the dentist, the zoo, with plenty of jokes that parents catch. Evening shows for adults use the same characters for satire and sometimes parody. The theatre's own website lists what is on in a given month and whether any performances are in a language other than Czech. Visitors who do not speak Czech should check before booking, because the humour is largely verbal.

Why puppets matter in Czech culture

Czechs treat puppetry as a serious art. The country has professional puppet theatres in many cities, a puppetry department at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (DAMU), and an international name for puppet animation, a branch of film-making in which Czech studios were pioneers. The UNESCO listing in 2016 recognised the living tradition shared by Czechia and Slovakia: making puppets, performing and passing skills from one generation to the next.

There is a politics of puppetry too. In the nineteenth century, when Czech was under pressure from German in the Habsburg monarchy, travelling puppeteers helped keep the language alive in villages. Under communism the puppet stage allowed a certain amount of allusive satire. That history gives the form weight beyond entertainment, and it is described in the Czech national revival.

Plzeň, where Skupa spent much of his career, has a museum devoted to puppets, and Prague has other puppet venues, including marionette theatres that stage operas with puppets for tourists. Quality varies, so choose with care.

Getting there and what to expect

The theatre is a short walk from Dejvická metro station on line A, with trams and buses also serving the area. The network is explained in Prague metro lines and network logic, and ticketing in how to buy tickets for Prague public transport.

Expect a theatre in the typical Czech style: a small auditorium, a modest foyer, and an audience that often spans several generations of one family. Children's performances are usually in the morning or afternoon, evening shows for older audiences. Book through the box office or website. Many shows are popular with school groups, so individual visitors may find weekends and evenings easier.

What a performance feels like

Productions run on the rhythm of traditional puppet theatre. The puppeteers work from a bridge above the stage, out of sight, and the audience watches the figures against painted sets. Spejbl's stiff, jointed movement is part of the humour, and so is the contrast with the quicker, looser Hurvínek, whose high, childlike voice is instantly recognisable to Czechs of every age. Much depends on Czech wordplay, so the shows are hard to translate, which is why a first visit by a non-Czech speaker works best with a child who can explain the jokes.

The company also tours, and its puppets have performed abroad. Visiting productions sometimes appear at local venues, schools and festivals, so check the events listings where you live.

Beyond the stage

Spejbl and Hurvínek have appeared in books, records, radio and television, and the characters have entered everyday Czech. Newspapers use their names as shorthand for a certain type of bickering father and son, or for politicians who behave like them. Souvenir puppets are on sale across Prague, and many in Old Town windows are tourist copies of lower quality. If you want a good one, ask whether it is handmade, and buy from a specialist shop or the theatre itself.

Making a family day of it is easy. The Dejvice theatre pairs with Prague Zoo for children, and in spring with the Matějská pouť funfair. For an evening of a different kind, see the Czech Philharmonic. More on the traditions that shape Czech cultural life is in Czech Christmas traditions and Czech Easter traditions.

Frequently asked questions

Who created Spejbl and Hurvínek?

The puppeteer Josef Skupa. Spejbl appeared in 1920 and his son Hurvínek in 1926.

Where is their theatre?

In Dejvice, Prague 6, a short walk from Dejvická metro station on line A.

Are the shows only for children?

No. There are productions for children and others for adults. Check the programme on the theatre's website.

Can I enjoy a show without speaking Czech?

Some can be followed through the physical comedy, but the humour is largely verbal. Ask the box office about any English-language performances.

Is Czech puppetry recognised internationally?

Yes. UNESCO inscribed puppetry in Czechia and Slovakia on its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2016.

Before booking, check the theatre's programme for a performance that suits your age group and your Czech.