later evolving into Punch, and finally becoming wholly British with his transformation into Mr. Punch. The British Punch is far more childlike and violent than Pulcinella, but is renowned for being just as funny. Always seen with cudgel in hand, Punch has a more menacing character than his Italian counterpart. In many performances, he murders his wife and child, as well as the Devil. In 1851, Henry Mayhew wrote of one performer who described the character's enduring appeal: "Like the rest of the world, he has got bad morals, but very few of them." In Germany, this kind of Pulcinella-based puppet character came to be known as Kasper. Kasper is a cunning servant who solves the problems of all the masters he serves. This character became wildly popular throughout Europe. He was less extreme than Mr. Punch, but offered the same kind of slapstick puppetry that audiences loved. In the Netherlands, he is known as Jan Klaassen. In Denmark he is Mester Jakel. In Romania, he is Vasilache. In Hungary he is Paprika Jancsi (or Paprikajancsi) and in the 20th century Vitéz László, and in France he remained Polichinelle. Russian composer Igor Stravinsky was commissioned to compose two different ballets for the Ballets Russes that were inspired by variations of this character. Stravinsky's ballets were entitled Petrushka (1911), based on Russian 19th-century puppetry traditions celebrated at Shrovetide, and Pulcinella (1920), based on 17th-century Italian music (thought to be by Pergolesi) associated with a commedia dell'arte version. Miscellanea Pulcinella Awards mascot – Pulcinella is the mascot of the Pulcinella Awards, annual awards for excellence in animation, presented at the Cartoons on the Bay Festival in Positano, Italy. In the Chinese video game Genshin Impact, a Fatui harbinger is called Pulcinella. Open secret – In various European languages, including Italian, French, Spanish, Polish, Russian, and Portuguese, a "Pulcinella's secret" or a "Polichinelo's secret" is an open secret. The Italian psychoanalyst and philosopher Emilio Mordini has discussed Pulcinella secrets, saying that they help people to retain their sanity in contexts where secrets are impossible (for example: in small villages, or in today's online world). Mordini argues that Pulcinella secrets "are not really secret in the sense that they are unknown or unknowable, but because they are labeled as secret". References External links The Commedia dell'Arte Homepage Literary characters introduced in 1620 Stupid Zanni class characters Male characters in theatre Fictional hunchbacks Fictional thieves