What are you hoping to get for Christmas this year?
If you were a Czech child a hundred years ago, there is a good chance you might have found a puppet theatre under the tree, along with a set of small marionettes. In the 1920s-1930s, almost every home had a family puppet theatre, exquisitely decorated with designs made by leading Czech artists.
Watch the video below and see how the theatres work
These theatres are so charming thanks to their smallness, their simplicity, their beauty and the ingenuity of their design. But they also have a very specific place in Czechoslovak history which is why they were so incredibly popular.
The phenomenon of puppetry in the Czech lands
It all began in the early 20th century, when enthusiasm for puppetry exploded in the Czech lands. It was the time of the Austrian Empire, when all organized cultural events were in German. The exception? Puppet shows (which weren't for kids at the time). And so puppets were suddenly seen as a cultural force that had helped keep the Czech language alive during 300 years of rule from Vienna.
Czechoslovakia became an independent nation in 1918, ushering in a golden age of all things Czech - especially puppetry. During the interwar period, more than 2,000 puppet companies performed around the country. New community centers and libraries built sophisticated puppet theatres. Some of the most famous Czech artists made puppets, bringing innovative designs influenced by cubism, art deco and other cutting edge artistic trends. Even the president, Tomáš Masaryk, had a puppet in his office at Prague Castle. It was a water sprite character designed by the sculptor Alois Šroif, who also made this marionette:
A theatre for every family
Aristocratic families in Europe often had elaborate puppet theatres, like the famous one used by the Austrian von Trapp children in the film The Sound of Music.
In Czechoslovakia, puppet theatres were not luxury items for the elite. Companies began mass producing theaters that middle-class families could afford. These were not marketed as toy theaters for children but aimed at families. Parents put on shows for children after Sunday dinner, offering a new story every week with their set of small puppets.
There were many different kinds and sizes, most about the size of a TV. Everything collapsed down into a wooden box that doubled as a stage. Each company had a different style and design, but the principles were the same.
High artistic quality
Czech puppet theaters may have been inexpensive and mass produced, but they were certainly not lacking in artistic quality. Companies hired leading Czech artists to design prosceniums and backdrops, which were reproduced as lithographic prints mounted on cardboard.
The most popular designs imitated the ornate styles of Baroque theatres. The theatres had several rows of side flats to create a sense of perspective like the real theatres of the Baroque era.
The scenic decorations often incorporated Czech folk imagery and national symbols like the Czech coat of arms with a lion that you can see on the theatre above.
Families could also buy extra backdrops, props, furniture and flat cardboard scenery.
And publishers printed hundreds of puppet theatre scripts so parents and teachers would have plays to perform for their kids.
One of the most largest and most elaborate family puppet theatres was based on sketches by Mikuláš Aleš, a Czech painter and a leader of the Czech national awakening. His godfather was Matěj Kopecký, a famous 19th century Czech puppeteer. Probably because of this connection, Aleš promoted the idea of puppetry's national importance. Below you can see the "Aleš' puppet theatre", which even featured his portrait.
Aleš also painted the curtain of the National Theatre in Prague (also a very important symbol of Czech identity) and created facades for some of the most famous buildings in Prague.
And of course, the puppets
Companies sold sets of puppets to go with their theatres. Each company produced puppets of slightly different sizes, ranging from 21-25 cm.
The puppets were miniature versions of those used by traditional puppeteers, copying the Baroque style and rich costumes. However, these smaller versions did not have carved wooden heads, as that would have been too expensive to produce. Heads, hands and feet were made using plaster molds, and each company had its own secret recipe for the plaster that they used. While body parts were mass-produced, each was individually painted and had its own hand-sewn costume.
Bodies were made of wood with simple joints and standard sizes.
Hundreds of puppets were made by companies at the time
This is what a puppet sales catalogue looked like:
The plaster body parts often broke, so companies also sold replacements:
A big tradition with little puppets
The world-renowned Czech surrealist film animator Jan Švankmajer got a family puppet theater for Christmas as a very young child in the 1930s. If you know his films well (and you should!), it's easy to see the influence that Czech puppets had on his work.
If you go to a Czech puppet festival today, you are likely to see a few shows that either use a family puppet theatre or one with a design inspired by the tradition. Buchty a loutky (Buns and Puppets), one of Prague's most popular independent puppet companies, recently staged a parody of Sylvester Stallone's action film The Expendables using the small marionettes to represent film stars. There is a darkness lurking inside the puppets that lends them to satire and horror.
Puppets in Prague's very own Mirek Trejtnar created his own theatre design inspired by the traditional ones. All the parts of this stage fit into a box the size of a carry-on bag, making it ideal for puppeteers who travel to festivals around the world. Here you can see a few made with our students at Puppets in Prague:
Puppet theatres today
When people bought televisions in the 1960s and 70s, they were just about the same size as a family puppet theatre. Sunday storytelling could be outsourced to this new modern box. Most of the theatres got relegated to basements or attics and forgotten.
But the tradition lingers. While not many parents do puppet shows on a weekly basis, Czech kids are still familiar with characters that are profoundly not Disney: water sprites, devils, and bumbling heroes. The stories remain, as does the Czech spirit of puppetry.
by Leah Gaffen, co-founder Puppets in Prague
If you liked this article, consider subscribing to our new Puppet Recipes program - you will get articles like this one plus monthly Zoom workshops.
And join us for our FREE online Puppets in Prague Online party on Zoom on January 3!
This is a wonderful encapsulation of the Czech tradition. Always so bittersweet to see television muscle out puppet theater, all over the world. But I love that this article and these many Czech artists preserve the gorgeous hand made traditions.💗
A great post, thank you. I search already for longer time where can I learn to build such a Theater in Czech! I would like to build such a Theater by myself or to buy one. Could you give me infos or tips where can I find more Infos about courses or cellers of These Theaters please?
Wonderfully written, Leah; thanks for sharing with me.
I remember our trip to the family puppet theatre museum, with its plethora of puppets. The exquisiteness of the craftsmanship and the overflowing variety of the puppets still amazes me.....
These are great. Initially I thought the smaller marionettes seemed less special, but they really come alive in these decorative neo-baroque spaces