Spejbl and Hurvínek
two Czech marionettes of very high popularity
Spejbl and Hurvínek (/s-payble & hoor-vee-neck/) is a Czech puppet comedy duo conceived by puppeteer Josef Skupa. Spejbl was carved by Karel Nosek in 1920 and Hurvínek by his nephew Gustav Nosek in 1926. Over time, their appearances, including physical shapes and costumes, gradually changed, and each carver contributed their unique style.
The duo, which became internationally successful, has its own theatre in Prague. They have appeared in a number of television series and Večerníček titles as well as several full-length films, including the 2017 3D animated Harvie and the Magic Museum. Various comedy albums have been released, each usually containing one story, about the dim-witted father Josef Spejbl and his son Hurvínek, who live in one apartment with Ms. Kateřina and her granddaughter Mánička, as well as the dog Žeryk (cs), who has the ability to bark words.
History
The first of the puppets, created by Josef Skupa in Plzeň in 1920 and carved by Karel Nosek, was Spejbl—a disgruntled teacher barely able to keep up with his surroundings. Skupa performed with him in cabarets in western Bohemia. In 1926, he brought to life Spejbl's son, Hurvínek—a sometimes lazy, sometimes hyperactive son whose puppet was carved by Gustav Nosek.
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This entry incorporates text from “Spejbl and Hurvínek” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.