Kasperle

thumb|A Kasperle puppet

Kasperle, Kasper, or Kasperl (different spellings in German variants and dialects; ) is a traditional puppet character from Austria, German-speaking Switzerland and Germany. Its roots date to 17th century, and it was at times so popular that Kasperltheater was synonymous with puppet theater. Kasperltheater includes various sets of puppets. In some German settings the following characters occur: Kasper, Gretel, Seppel, Grandmother, princess, king, witch, robber, and crocodile. In Austria, Kasperl usually occurs alongside Pezi (the bear), Buffi (the dragon) or Mimi (the goose), and usually Großmutter and Großvater. The older, more traditional Kasperle shows are very similar to "Mister Punch". There are also "Kasperle versions" of the Grimm and other fairy tales and of "modern fairy tales".