Puppets from which a famous street show takes its name, Punch and Judy are an early-19th-century English development of characters imported from France and Italy in the latter part of the 17th century. Although the basic plot varies, it usually involves Punch's enraged bludgeoning of his wife, Judy, their child, and several lesser characters, followed by his imprisonment and escape. Often accompanied by his dog, Toby, Punch is a hook-nosed, long-chinned hunchback whose quick wit is triumphant even over the devil. The violence of the story is counteracted by slapstick action and humorous dialogue.
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