Editing Punch and Judy (section)

==Characters==
[[File:Islington Punch and Judy.JPG|thumb|Punch and Judy, taken in [[Islington]], north London]]
[[File:Punch and Judy 1940 V1-FL9618977.jpg|thumb|Punch and Judy characters, Sydney, 1940]]
The characters in a Punch and Judy show are not fixed. They are similar to the cast of a [[soap opera]] or a [[Folklore|folk tale]] such as [[Robin Hood]]: the principal characters must appear, but the lesser characters are included at the discretion of the performer. New cast may be added and older cast dropped as the tradition changes.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024|reason=needs info on characters/cast or tradition changing}}

Along with Punch and Judy, the cast of characters usually includes their baby, a hungry crocodile, a clown, an officious policeman, and a [[prop]] string of sausages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.speckinspace.com/whatsit/history/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123140814/http://www.speckinspace.com/whatsit/history/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 November 2010 |title=A Brief History of Punch and Judy (with an introduction to the characters) |publisher=Speckinspace.com |access-date=2 August 2012 }}</ref> The devil and the generic hangman [[Jack Ketch]] may still make their appearances but, if so, Punch will always get the better of them. The cast of a typical Punch and Judy show today will include:
* Mr Punch
* Judy
* The Babe 
* The Constable (a.k.a. Policeman Jack)
* Joey the Clown
* The Crocodile
* The Skeleton
* The Doctor

Characters once regular but now occasional include:
* Toby the Dog
* The Ghost
* The Lawyer
* Hector the Horse
* Pretty Polly
* The Hangman (a.k.a. Jack Ketch)
* The Devil
* The Beadle
* Jim Crow ("The Black Man")
* Mr Scaramouche
* The Servant (or "The Minstrel")
* The Blind Man

Other characters included Boxers, Chinese Plate Spinners, topical figures, a trick puppet with an extending neck (the "Courtier"), and a monkey. A live Toby the Dog was once a regular featured novelty routine, sitting on the playboard and performing "with" the puppets.

Punch wears a brightly coloured (traditionally red) [[jester]]'s [[motley]] and [[Capotain|sugarloaf hat]] with a tassel. He is a [[hunchback]] whose hooked nose almost meets his curved, jutting chin. He carries a stick (called a slapstick) as large as himself, which he freely uses upon most of the other characters in the show. Judy wears an apron, a blue dress, and a bonnet and frequently tries to tell Punch off when he uses the slapstick.