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.