In 1938, Hitler's forces marched into Czechoslovakia, a country that had only gained its independence two decades earlier. A puppeteer named Josef Skupa was ready to fight back with the help of Spejbl and Hurvínek – a father son duo of wooden puppets. Because the Nazi German occupiers didn't seem to take puppets very seriously, Skupa's theatre in Pilsen was able to put on satirical performances that directly referred to the occupation and gave ordinary Czechs hope that one day things would be better. Eventually Skupa's luck would run out – the Gestapo even arrested his puppet duo. But all three were destined to become household names in the Czech Republic, a country that takes its puppets seriously...

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Time stamps

00:48] Imagine if Kermit the frog took on the Third Reich
[02:12] Josef Skupa and Kašpárek farewell the Austrio-Hungarian Empire
[04:36] A modern kind of puppet theatre
[07:25] Spejbl and Hurvínek battle Nazi insects
[08:30] Munich Conference and Carousel over Three Floors
[11:44] Voničky and Long Live the Future
[14:50] Death threats and a final anti-fascist play
[16:28] Arrest of Skupa and his puppets
[17:58] Escape from prison, Spejbl and Hurvínek rescued from the trash
[20:51] Legacy of Josef Skupa and his puppets
[21:43] Puppet-making workshop with Mirek and Leah
[23:21] Credits

Further reading

• Josef Skupa // on World Encyclopedia of Puppet Arts
• Jan Malik // on World Encyclopedia of Puppet Arts
• Sjebl and Hurvinek // on Wikipedia
• Quay Brothers' Puppetry Prescription in New York // on Culture.pl
• Puppets, Birds & Wycinanki // on Culture.pl
• The Bug Trainer – The Story of Władysław Starewicz // on Culture.pl

Further watching

• Spejbl goes Mushroom Hunting // short episode from the 1974 bedtime series Return of Spejbl and Hurvinek, voiced by Josef Skupa's protege Miloś Kirchner. On Ceskatelevize.cz (Czech only)

Further visiting

• Spejbl and Hurvinek Theatre // Puppet theatre in Prague opened by Josef Skupa in 1945 as a continuation of his theatre in Pilsen. They hold regular shows for kids and families.
• Plzeň Puppet Museum // Puppet museum located in the historic centre of Plzeň (Pilsen), the town where Josef Skupa opened his first theatre and the birthplace of Spejbl and Hurvínek.
• Puppets in Prague // Puppet-making workshop in Prague run by Mirek Trejtner and Leah Gaffen. Temporarily being run online.

Credits

Written & produced by Piotr Wołodźko
Edited by Wojtek Oleksiak & Adam Zulawski
Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski
Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak

Thanks

We’d like to thank Denisa Kirchnerova from the Spejbl and Hurvinek theatre in Prague, Tomáš Pfejfer, curator at the Puppet Museum in Pilsen, and Nina Malikowa for sharing their knowledge about Josef Skupa and his performances during WWII.

Thanks also to Leah Gaffen and Mirek Trejtner from Puppets in Prague for talking to us and inviting Piotr to their skeleton-making workshop. 

Lastly, a special thanks to Jitka Rohanova from the Polish Institute in Prague for her help in making the episode.