Department 56 Dickens Village Punch & Judy Theatre Lighted Building

Popular since the 1700's Punch & Judy puppet shows are iconic English entertainment. Punch and Judy headline the cast of characters that include the crocodile. Punch & Judy has its roots in 16th century Italy but was soon popular as a street amusement all over Europe and was a mainstay of Victorian street theatre. In any given show there were somewhere between eight and seventeen characters retelling a series of stories which were always followed by peals of laughter. The adventures of Punch & Judy remain popular in England today.