Two Versions of Pinocchio 
Collodi | Disney

The Adventures of Pinocchio
by Carlo Collodi [Pseudonym of Carlo Lorenzini]

Published from 1881-1883 in children’s weekly newspaper Il Giornale per i Bambini.  Published as a book in 1883.  One hundred thirty-five illustrated editions of the tale appeared between 1883 and 1983.

Following are the chapter descriptions from Collodi's book.  To view the entire text, click here.  I have included excerpts from three chapters.  The excerpt from Chapter 1 offers a flavor of how Collodi played with conventions of the oral fairy tale.  The excerpts from Chapters 10 and 36 are read by Monica in A.I.

CHAPTER 1
How it happened that Mastro Cherry, carpenter, found a piece of wood that wept and laughed like a child

Excerpt
Centuries ago there lived--

"A king!" my little readers will say immediately.

No, children, you are mistaken.  Once upon a time there was a piece of wood.  It was not an expensive piece of wood.  Far from it.  Just a common block of firewood, one of those thick, solid logs that are put on the fire in winter to make cold rooms cozy and warm.

CHAPTER 3
As soon as he gets home, Geppetto fashions the Marionette and calls it Pinocchio.  The first pranks of the Marionette

CHAPTER 4
The story of Pinocchio and the Talking Cricket, in which one sees that bad children do not like to be corrected by those who know more than they do

CHAPTER 5
Pinocchio is hungry and looks for an egg to cook himself an omelet; but, to his surprise, the omelet flies out of the window 

CHAPTER 6
Pinocchio falls asleep with his feet on a foot warmer, and awakens the next day with his feet all burned off 

CHAPTER 7
Geppetto returns home and gives his own breakfast to the Marionette 

CHAPTER 8
Geppetto makes Pinocchio a new pair of feet, and sells his coat to buy him an A-B-C book 

CHAPTER 9
Pinocchio sells his A-B-C book to pay his way into the Marionette Theater

CHAPTER 10
The Marionettes recognize their brother Pinocchio, and greet him with loud cheers; but the Director, Fire Eater, happens along and poor Pinocchio almost loses his life

Excerpt Read by Monica in A.I.
As soon as the play was over, the Director went to the kitchen, where a fine big lamb was slowly turning on the spit.  More wood was needed to finish cooking it. He called Harlequin and Pulcinella and said to them: 

"Bring that Marionette to me!  He looks as if he were made of well-seasoned wood.  He'll make a fine fire for this spit."

Harlequin and Pulcinella hesitated a bit.  Then, frightened by a look from their master, they left the kitchen to obey him.  A few minutes later they returned, carrying poor Pinocchio, who was wriggling and squirming like an eel and crying pitifully:

"Father, save me!  I don't want to die!  I don't want to die!"

CHAPTER 12
Fire Eater gives Pinocchio five gold pieces for his father, Geppetto; but the Marionette meets a Fox and a Cat and follows them

CHAPTER 13
The Inn of the Red Lobster

CHAPTER 14
Pinocchio, not having listened to the good advice of the Talking Cricket, falls into the hands of the Assassins

CHAPTER 15
The Assassins chase Pinocchio, catch him, and hang him to the branch of a giant oak tree

CHAPTER 16
The Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair sends for the poor Marionette, puts him to bed, and calls three Doctors to tell her if Pinocchio is dead or alive

CHAPTER 17
Pinocchio eats sugar, but refuses to take medicine. When the undertakers come for him, he drinks the medicine and feels better. Afterwards he tells a lie and, in punishment, his nose grows longer and longer

CHAPTER 18
Pinocchio finds the Fox and the Cat again, and goes with them to sow the gold pieces in the Field of Wonders

CHAPTER 19
Pinocchio is robbed of his gold pieces and, in punishment, is sentenced to four months in prison

CHAPTER 20
Freed from prison, Pinocchio sets out to return to the Fairy; but on the way he meets a Serpent and later is caught in a trap

CHAPTER 21
Pinocchio is caught by a Farmer, who uses him as a watchdog for his chicken coop

CHAPTER 22
Pinocchio discovers the thieves and, as a reward for faithfulness, he regains his liberty

CHAPTER 23
Pinocchio weeps upon learning that the Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair is dead.  He meets a Pigeon, who carries him to the seashore.  He throws himself into the sea to go to the aid of his father

CHAPTER 24
Pinocchio reaches the Island of the Busy Bees and finds the Fairy once more

CHAPTER 25
Pinocchio promises the Fairy to be good and to study, as he is growing tired of being a Marionette, and wishes to become a real boy

CHAPTER 26
Pinocchio goes to the seashore with his friends to see the Terrible Shark

CHAPTER 27
The great battle between Pinocchio and his playmates. One is wounded.  Pinocchio is arrested

CHAPTER 28
Pinocchio runs the danger of being fried in a pan like a fish

CHAPTER 29
Pinocchio returns to the Fairy's house and she promises him that, on the morrow, he will cease to be a Marionette and become a boy. A wonderful party of coffee-and-milk to celebrate the great event

CHAPTER 30
Pinocchio, instead of becoming a boy, runs away to the Land of Toys with his friend, Lamp-Wick

CHAPTER 31
After five months of play, Pinocchio wakes up one fine morning and finds a great surprise awaiting him

CHAPTER 32
Pinocchio's ears become like those of a Donkey.  In a little while he changes into a real Donkey and begins to bray

CHAPTER 33
Pinocchio, having become a Donkey, is bought by the owner of a Circus, who wants to teach him to do tricks. The Donkey becomes lame and is sold to a man who wants to use his skin for a drumhead

CHAPTER 34
Pinocchio is thrown into the sea, eaten by fishes, and becomes a Marionette once more.  As he swims to land, he is swallowed by the Terrible Shark

CHAPTER 35
In the Shark's body Pinocchio finds whom? Read this chapter, my children, and you will know

CHAPTER 36
Pinocchio finally ceases to be a Marionette and becomes a boy

Excerpt Read by Monica in A.I.
That night, Pinocchio, instead of going to bed at ten o'clock waited until midnight, and instead of making eight baskets, he made sixteen.  [Pinocchio makes baskets to sell for the Fairy with Azure Hair’s medical bills.]

Event Summary: Disney's Pinocchio
Produced by Walt Disney Pictures in 1940.  For more information on the film, click here.

Open to Jiminy Cricket singing “When You Wish Upon a Star.”  Jiminy addresses the audience, indicating that even if the audience doesn’t believe the message of the song, he does because of the following events (Jiminy opens a book that pictures Geppetto’s home; the camera moves in as the page comes alive).

As he warms himself on the hearth, Jiminy observes Geppetto, Cleo (fish), and Figaro (cat).  Geppetto places the finishing touches on a wooden puppet he’s crafting and names the puppet Pinocchio, or Wooden Head.  Geppetto goes to sleep, sees the “Wishing Star” and wishes that Pinocchio could be a real boy.

The Wishing Star moves toward the window and becomes The Blue Fairy.  She transforms Pinocchio into a live being, but tells him that he will have to prove himself “brave, truthful and unselfish” before he can become a real boy.  Jiminy is appointed as Pinocchio’s conscience.

Geppetto, awakened by Pinocchio’s dancing, sees that his wish has come true.  Everybody sings and dances.

Pinocchio goes off to school the next day, but is waylaid by Fox and Cat, who lure him with the promise of “the easy road to success” as an actor (they actually plan to sell him to marionette theater owner Stromboli).  Pinocchio goes off with them and is spied by Jiminy, who has woken up late and is charging down the road to the school.  Jiminy counsels him to go to school, but Pinocchio goes to the theater instead.  He performs to raves after initial clumsiness.  Jiminy assumes Pinocchio doesn’t need him, and walks away.

Geppetto searches for Pinocchio.  Meanwhile, Stromboli cages Pinocchio when the puppet announces his plans to return home.  Stromboli sets out for Pinocchio’s world tour.  His wagon passes the searching Geppetto.  Jiminy, who has decided to say goodbye to Pinocchio, finds him locked up, but cannot spring the padlock.  The Blue Fairy comes to their assistance.  Pinocchio lies about how he came to be in the cage, and his nose grows.  After he apologizes, the Fairy restores him. 

At the Red Lobster Inn, Fox and Cat make a deal with a coachman to entice disobedient boys to Pleasure Island.

Pinocchio and Jiminy run toward home, but are waylaid by Fox and Cat, who lure Pinocchio to the Pleasure Island coach by mimicking doctors and prescribing a vacation for the “allergic” Pinocchio. 

Pinocchio meets Lampwick on the way to Pleasure Island.  The two play in the Rough House and destroy a model home.  Says Pinocchio, “Being bad is fun.”  Jiminy comes upon the two smoking and playing pool.  Lampwick mistreats him, so he goes away.

In trying to find a way off the island, Jiminy see boys who have turned into donkeys being shipped off to the salt mines.  He returns to the pool hall to warn Pinocchio, but the puppet has grown ears and a tail.  Lampwick is a donkey.  Pinocchio and Jiminy jump into the water to escape the island.

Pinocchio and Jiminy wash up on shore and return to Geppetto’s house, only to find it abandoned.  A note brought by a bird from The Blue Fairy indicates that Geppetto has been swallowed by the whale Monstro in his search for Pinocchio.  Pinocchio and Jiminy go to the bottom of the sea to find Monstro.

Pinocchio manages to find and enter Monstro, where he meets Geppetto casting for fish.  Geppetto reels Pinocchio in, thinking he’s another fish.  Meanwhile, Jiminy tries to get in through Monstro’s teeth.

Pinocchio develops a plan to make Monstro sneeze.  He and Geppetto build a fire and row out on a raft when the whale sneezes. 

Everybody washes up on shore, but Pinocchio looks dead.  Geppetto brings him home and puts him in bed, where The Blue Fairy comes to him and makes him a real boy.

Back to Top