It was in Pilsen that the puppets Spejbl and Hurvínek first saw the light of day. Find out about these legendary puppets.

At the end of 1919 a puppet was born in the Pilsen workshop of Karel Nosek at Borská 29, a puppet who was to enter the history of Czech puppetry. Spejbl, as he was called, was carved to a design by Josef Skupa, who sketched it on wrapping paper. It should be added that his rise to fame was far from straightforward.

Spejbl’s very appearance caused consternation, and audiences were most fond of the scenes in which Spejbl ended up “getting what for.” For a long time, he was unable to find a suitable stage partner, until 1926, when out of nowhere his son Hurvínek appeared in his path. Hurvínek had already appeared alongside puppets such as Punch and Švejk, but he tended to compete on stage with them.