Pantomime at the Lyceum Theatre in 1939. Traditionally performed at Christmas and afterwards, with family audiences, British pantomime continues as a popular form of theatre, incorporating song, dance, buffoonery, slapstick, cross-dressing, in-jokes, topical references, audience participation, and mild sexual innuendo. Pantomime story lines and scripts usually make no direct reference to Christmas, and are almost always based on traditional children's stories, particularly the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, Joseph Jacobs, Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimm Brothers. Some of the most popular pantomime stories include "Cinderella", "Aladdin", "Dick Whittington and His Cat" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", as well
Pantomime horse moving features operated with special wires from within. The most basic costumes have a sheet-like body that is draped over the wearers, while professional costumes have a closed body that often contains a padded frame to conform it to a certain shape. These costumes usually separate into two halves with a sealable seam down the middle of the body. Other types of similar costumes include pantomime cows, zebras and camels. Many modern-day pantomime horses are used in charity "horse" races, such as the London Pantomime Horse Race in Greenwich, London, an annual world-famous race-day event. Pantomime horses and pantomime cows