Ever wonder why a weak-hitting batter gets called a “Punch and Judy hitter”?
Today on Dave Does History, we go from the batter’s box to the puppet booth to uncover the wild, whacking world of Punch and Judy. These slapstick puppets have been causing mayhem since the 1600s, and their names still echo through baseball dugouts today.
From their anarchic roots in Italy to seaside fame in Britain and reinvention in America, Punch and Judy are more than comic relief—they are cultural survivors. Join us as we swing into the history behind the phrase, the puppets, and the punchlines.
