The Origins of Pinocchio

this puppets only wish was to become a
real boy real boy
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’ll
be taking a look at the origins of
Pinocchio this famous puppet made his
debut in an 1881 Italian serial and the
character was further developed two
years later in the children’s novel The
Adventures of Pinocchio Italian
children’s writer Carlo Lorenzini
originally brought Pinocchio to life and
was best known for captivating audiences
under the pen name Carlo Collodi
collodi’s fantasy tale began with an
aging woodcarver named mr. Antonio who
found a block of talking wood though he
planned to use it for the leg of a table
he instead gave it to a younger
woodcarver named Geppetto who decided to
use it to create a wooden puppet the
talking wood soon became a troublemaking
marionette hey hey who’s he you hey
Lizzie you with a life of its own and
the desire to become a real child
despite his creators apparent dislike of
children and the puppets and ability to
stop causing problems the craftsman grew
fond of his creation he even gave his
puppet a name call you
Inaki Oh which was likely derived from
the Italian word no Kyo meaning a knot
of wood
Pinocchio’s most iconic and beloved
characteristic was his inability to lie
without his nose sprouting from his head
weren’t you afraid no man but they tied
me in a big shack this became a highly
recognizable popular and long-lasting
element of the story and is now a part
of popular culture following the book
success various European artists adapted
the character into their comics
Pinocchio likewise inspired several
live-action films and musicals however
the most well-known interpretation dates
from 1940 when the Walt Disney Animation
Studios adapted the tale for its second
animated feature in that motion picture
the characters and story underwent many
creative tweaks these included the
introduction of Jiminy Cricket who was
based on a far less human-like cricket
from the source material that spoke one
phrase and was promptly squished
Pinocchio himself was remodeled to look
more like a real boy and he completely
shed his rowdy sarcastic and diabolical
personality cue overall the tales darker
elements were eliminated and the
characters were made much more friendly
and likeable in a departure from the
original story Disney’s tail had
Pinocchio completes several tasks for
the Blue Fairy in order to become a real
boy prove yourself brave truthful and
unselfish and someday you will be a real
boy since he didn’t have a conscience
Jiminy Cricket was given the job maybe
you and I had better have a little
heart-to-heart talk why well you want to
be a real boy don’t you in another
change from the source material Disney’s
Geppetto was ready to accept and love
the wooden puppet as his own son almost
immediately
however Pinocchio was misled by several
characters who led him down a dark path
of gambling smoking and drinking at
Pleasure Island that magical place was
imbued with the power to turn
misbehaving boys into donkeys
fortunately Pinocchio escaped and
discovered that Geppetto had ventured
out to rescue him but was swallowed by a
whale determined to save his father the
puppet travelled to the bottom of the
sea
where he sacrificed his own life to save
Geppetto’s due to this selfless act the
Blue Fairy brought Pinocchio back to
life as a real boy though this journey
differed from that presented in the
original literary work both versions
shared many similarities Pinocchio is an
iconic character and the star of a
fantasy tale about self-discovery and
self-improvement he remains a popular
literary icon even if he is best
recognized for his animated incarnation
Oh real how a real boy
your life and you are a real boy these
cards for a celebration
[Music]