Guignol

Guignol, most prominent puppet character in France, where his name became synonymous with puppet theatre. The hand puppet was created by the puppeteer Laurent Mourguet of Lyons in the early 19th century and was supposedly named for an actual canut, or Lyonnais silk worker. Guignol was performed with regional dialect and mannerisms and in the traditional garb of the peasant. Short-nosed, round-eyed, and perpetually surprised, he was easily duped but quick to extricate himself from...