Fairground puppetry is one of the most traditional, traveling performance genres in Hungary, with its origin dating back to the 16th century. However, the most famous Hungarian puppet character, Vitéz László was created by the Korngut family at the beginning of the 20thcentury. Within the family, the traditions of folk-tale puppetry were passed down on generations and flourished under puppeteer Henrik Kemény. Vitéz László, the lone-folk-hero, a trickster puppet character is the Hungarian “cousin” of the Sicilian Pulcinella, the English Punch and the Wallon Tchantchès. Speaking through his puppets, Kemény engaged his audience with a mimetic speech genre, humor and a playful old world, regional speech that attracted children and the lower class, that allowed him to disguise the deeper significance of his messages from the authorities.

Traveling puppetry symbolizes freedom and rebellion without the restrain of being tied to a place, offering hope and courage to its audience during hard political times.