Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Petrushka
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Quick Facts
Also spelled:
Petrouchka
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Petrushka

Russian puppet character
Also known as: Petrouchka
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Petrushka, main character of Russian folk puppet shows (see puppetry), first noted in 17th-century accounts and popular well into the 20th century. Petrushka was typically depicted as a smiling young boy with a large, hooked nose and often was humpbacked. The character was made internationally famous by the ballet Petrushka (1911), with music by Igor Stravinsky, libretto by Alexandre Benois, and choreography by Michel Fokine for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.