This swazzle for a Punch 'professor' to use for Mr. Punch's voice was made by the swazzle maker Bob Wade, probably during the early 1980s. Punch and his ancestors always had a ridiculous voice, even on the human stage. At London’s May Fair in 1699 the commentator Ned Ward described a puppet show: ‘where a senseless dialogue between Punchinello and the Devil was conveyed to the ears of the listening rabble through a tin squeaker.’ Punch’s characteristic voice comes from the use of a reed retained at the back of the Punchman’s or ‘professor’s’ mouth, calling for expert alternation of reed use when Punch is talking to other characters. In Britain the reed is called a swazzle, and in France a sifflet-pratique. Its most common Italian name was pivetta, but also sometimes strega, or witch, and franceschina, after Franchescina, one of Punch’s wives in the commedia dell’arte who had a voice like a witch. Swazzles are made of thin metal today, but bone or ivory were formerly used, each equally tricky to master and easy to swallow.

The directions that were sold with this swazzle note that it should be soaked in water before being put into the mouth and kept on the roof of the mouth with the tongue, after which all sounds should be directed through the swazzle and words should be 'mouthed'. The pitch can be lowered by inserting a nail file in the gap and easing the tape slightly. The directions add: 'However, it may take days, weeks or even months of practice to master the use. It all depends on the user.'