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