In 1766 the actor-manager and playwright Samuel Foote (1720-1777) was granted a royal warrant by King George III for summer theatre at the Little Theatre, Haymarket. After Foote's first season as a royal patent holder, Foote tore down the old theatre and rebuilt a new one on the same site, with a capacity of a thousand. The new theatre was successful but to recoup his costs Foote petitioned for his summer license to be extended. Since this was never granted, Foote circumvented the licensing laws by presenting a satirical play in February 1773 with puppets, called The Primitive Puppet Show. Publicised as The Handsome Housemaid, or Piety in Pattens, (pattens being wooden overshoes worn by ladies to elevate them from the mud and filth of the streets), the play was intended as a parody of the current vogue for sentimental comedy, of contemporary acting styles in general, and that of his rival David Garrick in particular.

An excellent mimic, Foote would probably have been the voices for some of the puppet characters. When asked by a lady whether the puppets were life-size, Foote apparently replied, referring to Garrick's diminutive size: 'Oh dear, Madam, no: not much above the size of Garrick.' Garrick nevertheless saw the show and admired it, writing to a friend: 'Foote is a genius... He means me no harm I am sure ... and I wish him success from my soul.' Happily for Foote it was a huge success, The Gentleman's Magazine reporting that on the first night: 'The Novelty of it brought such a crowd... that the Haymarket was impassable for over an hour.'