Petrushka (Russian: Петру́шка, IPA: [pʲɪtˈruʂkə] ^ⓘ) is a stock character of Russian folk puppetry. It was first introduced by traveling Italian performers in the first third of the 19th century during a period of Westernization in Russian culture. While most core characters came from Italy, they were soon transformed by the addition of material from the Russian cultural context.' Petrushkas are traditionally hand puppets. The character is a kind of a jester, a slapstick protagonist distinguished by his red dress, a red kolpak, and often a long nose.

The name "Petrushka" originally and primarily refers to the specific stock character of the Russian carnival puppetry. However, like Guignol, due to the central role Petrushka played in the puppet theatre, it also has come to refer to the tradition more generally (sometimes referred to as balagan (балаган) after the carnival booths in which the plays were enacted), or even the general category of Russian hand puppets as a whole.

Although the Russian word "petrushka" has a homonym meaning "parsley", in this context the word is actually a hypocoristic (diminutive) for "Pyotr" (Пётр), which is Peter in Russian. Despite this, the character has little or nothing in common with the commedia dell'arte stock characters of Petruccio or Pierrot (whose names are themselves diminutive forms of the Italian and French names for Peter), but is instead a Russian version of Punch or Pulcinella.

Though Petrushka's name still likely comes to the Russian puppet theatre through the commedia dell'arte, Petrushka's popularization following the Peter the Great's Westernization efforts have led many to speculate about the relationship nonetheless.

While the Petrushka puppet has been attested as both a marionette and a hand puppet, in the vast majority of occurrences he takes the form of the latter. He typically appears as a small figure with exaggerated features, taking aesthetic cues from the clown performers upon which such stock puppets are originally based, while also allowing the important aspects of his appearance to be seen from an audience despite his small size. His face, for instance, is the largest portion of the puppet, with a proportionally smaller torso and legs that dangle beneath the structural body of the glove puppet. Overall, the size of the puppet is determined by the limiting factor of the human hand, with the width delineated by the space between the thumb and pinky, which act as the puppet's arms, while the three proximal fingers serve as the puppet's torso supporting the head. The length has more variation but typically is fewer than 19 inches since the legs hang toward the proximal part of the forearm.

The head of the Petrushka puppet was traditionally made with wood, such as birch, with papier-mâché applied to it so as to be lightweight and to make a sound when hit, such as was often the case in the slapstick comedy of carnival theatre. Petrushka is most often represented wearing red clothing (typically a kaftan and kolpak) and carrying a club called a dubinka (дубинка). His face is defined primarily by his long nose and pointed red hat, with static features that do not have any articulation points. Instead, emotions are conveyed through movement, and the downward slope of the face is designed in such a way that expressions are made possible through the angle at which the puppet's face is viewed.

Petrushka's personality typically follows that of Pulcinella. He was described by prominent Soviet puppeteer Nina Simonovich-Efimova as the "classical ne'er-do-well in the puppet family." He is presented as mischievous, self-serving, gluttonous, aggressive, and cowardly. He is usually at the center of conflict in the Petrushka carnival plays, often getting himself out of trouble by killing the other puppets on stage with a swing of his club.

Petrushka plays were primarily performed in the setting of the carnivals held in cities such as Saint Petersburg, particularly during Shrovetide. At these carnivals surrounding Easter, booths were specially constructed and situated for commedia dell'arte performances, which were performed in wooden structures called balagany that held up to 1500 people in the audience. This was significantly larger than the small huts that Petrushka performances began in at the beginning of their popularity in the mid 19th century, where their booths were situated at the periphery of the fairgrounds and held fewer than 200 patrons, which allowed audience members to see the small puppets in their booth.