28. Explore the Roots of French Humor
The original Guignol shows were used as entertainment-slash-a-distraction for people who were getting their teeth pulled during the 18th century. This tracks.
How do I know my kids are French? They are at the age where they enjoy French puppet shows featuring Guignol, the famously violent puppet with a vacant expression. We regularly go to the puppet show at Jardin du Luxembourg, which has the largest puppet theater in France and has beautiful hand-painted sets and impressive special effects (IE: one smoke machine).
Despite the fancy location, the audience is the same at every puppet show, whether it's in the 6eme or a dusty circus tent near Aquaboulevard:
The kid who is eager to shout out wrong (usually fecal-related) answers any time Guignol asks the audience a question.
The kid who shits his pants.
The kid who wanders to the front of the stage and just stands there, transfixed.
The kids who scream with laughter any time Guignol unleashes a Tarantino-level of violence on the unsuspecting villain.
The parent who is scrolling their phone at maximum brightness, catching up on the Kendrick x Drake feud.
I recently learned that the original Guignol shows were used as entertainment-slash-a-distraction for people who were getting their teeth pulled during the 18th century. This tracks even today because there is something numbing about watching a static puppet beat the shit out of another static puppet.
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