The effigy burned on Guy Fawkes Night is traditionally called a Guy. It represents Guy Fawkes, the conspirator caught guarding gunpowder beneath the House of Lords in 1605.
The commemoration began after the Gunpowder Plot was foiled. Londoners lit bonfires to celebrate King James I’s survival, and Parliament later established 5 November as an annual day of thanksgiving. Over time, burning effigies became part of the evening’s customs.
By the late 18th century, children were making figures from old clothes, newspapers and straw, then taking them through the streets while asking for “a penny for the Guy”. The word “guy” eventually broadened in English to mean a man or, informally, a person.
The tradition has not always focused exclusively on Fawkes. Effigies of the pope and other unpopular public figures have also appeared on Bonfire Night, particularly at different times and in different local celebrations. A Catherine wheel is a firework, while a jack-o'-lantern belongs chiefly to Halloween.