Sable and Gurvinek

Speable first appeared on the scene in 1920, Gurvinek - in 1926. Performances about the characters were both “life” stories and fictional stories, and the main doll characters, father and son, were different generations, talking about various vital issues of life ^[2] . Other constant characters in the stories about them are Gurvinka’s girlfriend Manichka (Mánička, appeared in 1930), Gurvinek’s grandmother, Mrs. Katerina Govorkova (appeared in 1971), mentoring, and Gurvinka Jericho the dog (Žeryk; first appearance - 1930 year). Spable and Hurvinek, as well as other Josef Skupo dolls, became the main characters of the first professional puppet theater in the world - the Speibl and Hurvink Theater, which began work in Pilsen (Czechoslovakia), and after the Second World War it was located in the Czech capital Prague ^[3] . It is noted that the creator of Speible and Hurvinek, Yosef Skupa, went to prison during the Second World War for anti-fascist puppet shows, but was safely released after its end. The original dolls themselves were also preserved, although in poor condition, but were restored after the war ^{[4] [5]} .

Both Speibla and Hurvineka have traditionally been played by the same actor, who used a low voice for his father-doll, and spoke more subtle for Hurvinek. This was established by Skupa himself back in the 1920s and was supported for more than 40 years by his successor Milos Kirchner and is currently retained by Martin Klasek, who in 1996 after the death of Kirchner became the "third voice" of Speible and Hurvinek ^[6] . According to art historian Julie Wood, the characters and the stories “played out” by them are “grotesque searches for the struggle against world evil” ^[7] .

As of 2013, the Speibl and Hurvinek Theater is the oldest puppet theater in Europe ^[5] .

The peak of the characters' popularity occurred in the second half of the 20th century, when puppet shows with their participation were often shown on Czechoslovak television. In the Soviet Union, Gurvinek also became a member of The Cheerful Men , falling, in particular, in the animated films Exactly at 3:15 (1959) ^[8] , where I saw him? "(1965) ^[9] ," Firefly number 8 "(1968)," Funny pictures. Fantasy in retro style ”(1996) ^[10] . Also published in the magazine " Funny Pictures " ^[11] .

The characters are also found in the film adaptations, in particular, in the XX century they were seen in the series Na návštěvě u Spejbla a Hurvínka ^[12] , Znovu u Spejbla a Hurvínka ^[13] , Hurvínek vzduchoplavcem ^[14] , and An animated film “ Gurvinek: The Magic Game ” was released in the year, which caused a scandal in Russia in the spring of 2019, when large cinemas boycotted the screening because they allegedly were given instructions from the Ministry of Culture contrary to their plans ^[15] .

In Pilsen, he erected a monument ^[5] , in addition, in Hrast-u-Pilsen, a separate monument to Hurvinek was erected in 2006. Also named in their honor are the asteroids (29471) Speibel ^[16] and (29472) Hurvinek ^[17] discovered by Lenka Kotkova (Sharounova) , which were discovered on October 27, 1997 ^[18] .

Souvenirs depicting Speibl and Hurvinek became one of the most famous in the Czech Republic ^[5] .