Polichinelle has married the rich mother Gigogne, but he beats her children or gives them away in payment of his own debts. Grigogne complains to his cousin Niflanguille and gives him his bag of money. Polichinelle takes it to buy a horse. But the Maquignon sells him a dangerous horse and steals the money bag. Niflanguille accuses Polichinelle of the theft; mother Gigogne wants to beat her husband, but it is Niflanguille who gets the blows. Gigogne promises her husband more money if he behaves like a father to his children. But as soon as a child refuses to eat, Polichinelle kills him and throws him out of the window. Gigogne wants to punish Polichinelle, so he kills her, Niflanguille and a magician. The surviving children attack Polichinelle who chases them away. The Devil arrives and takes Polichinelle away.

Glove-puppet

All audiences

France

Paris

Duranty Louis Émile Edmond

Printed

Silver wedding

Debt

Bag of money

Child

Theft

Horse

Bad father

Bad husband

Large family

Farce

Comical

French

Polichinelle

Mother Gigogne

Niflanguille

Horse trader

Pork butcher

Arlecchino

Magician

Baby doll

Devil

Blow-with-a-stick

Lazzi

Running gag

Final intervention of the devil

Character thrown out of the scene

Polichinelle et la Mère Gigogne

Polichinelle and Mother Grignon

A wealthy baker chef asks his cousin the apothecary to help him poison Pierrot, who is constantly robbing and assaulting him. When this plan fails, he sends his dog after the thief, but Pierrot kills the dog. Knowing that Pierrot has always wanted to learn pastry-making, the baker pretends to take him on as an apprentice to get revenge. But Pierrot plays many tricks. The gendarme, who has come to arrest him, is swindled, then hanged in the villain's place. Pierrot kills the baker and the apothecary, as a worthy disciple of Polichinelle.

Pastry

Money

Wickedness

Poison

Learning

Hanging

Revenge

Criminal

Perseverance in Evil

Cruelty

Cruelty to an animal

Death of the dog

Fighting an animal

Pierrot

Le Pâtissier

Apothecary

Gendarme

Headbutt

Fight with an animal

Back Stroke

Hanging scene

Pierrot et le pâtissier

Pierrot and the baker

Polichinelle and Pierrot rob a vegetable garden every night. The gardener sets up scarecrows. At first, the thieves tremble with fear and give up their loot before they discover the trickery. Then they put on the scarecrows' clothes to scare and hit the Gardener. The Gardener runs away, but he has recognised Pierrot and Polichinelle. He returns disguised as a ghost, but Pierrot and Polichinelle are not fooled and hit him again. When the Gardener wants to prevent Polichinelle from escaping, Polichinelle plants him in a pot with Pierrot's help. The wife frees her husband. They both fill a melon with powder and a wick. Pierrot and Polichinelle, mistaking the wick for a cigar, light it. The explosion sends Polichinelle and Pierrot flying out of the garden, but causes the house to collapse on the Gardener and his wife.

Garden

Vegetables

Scarecrow

Phantom

Fear

Hoax

Rake

Pumpkin

Powder

Firecracker

Blast

Melon

Trap

Gardener

Jardinière

Hidden character

Misunderstanding

Disguise

Plot twist

Pyrotechnics

Explosion

Collapse of the set

Le Revenant

The Ghost

Polichinelle stole a wizard's picnic and beat him up. The wizard made a giant hand appear. Chased by the hand, Polichinelle runned into an old woman's house. To get him out, the Hand trapped him with a smelly pâté. Feigning repentance, Polichinelle asked the wizard to free him from the Hand, then killed him and tried to control the Hand. But it threatened him with a pitchfork and carried him away like the Devil would do.

Bare hand

Hand

Hunger

Thirst

Wine

Pâté

Sorcery

Fork

Cunning

Glutton

False repentance

Fantastic

Old woman

Part of human body

Song

Aside

Chase

Address to the public

Slaps

Punching

Off-stage voices

La Grand'Main

The Big Hand

Casper is accused by a farmer of stealing his hay and the cart and cow that went with it. He tries to bargain over the compensation and settles the matter with a stick. In court, he insults the judge and beats the policeman. The peasant asks for him to be hanged, but Casper finds out and hangs him instead. Then he beats the policeman again. The judge wants him tortured and executed, but Casper beats him to death.