Catchfools facts for kids
Catchfools (Italian: Acchiappacitrulli) is a make-believe city from the famous Italian book, The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883). It's a place where animals who have done something silly or foolish end up suffering because of their mistakes.
Contents
About Catchfools
This city is ruled by a young, unseen emperor. Just outside Catchfools, you'll find a special place called the Field of Miracles (Italian: Il campo dei Miracoli).
Pinocchio's Tricky Visit
After leaving Mangiafuoco's puppet theater with five gold coins, Pinocchio meets two tricky characters: The Fox and the Cat. They tell Pinocchio a story about a magical place called the Land of Barn Owls (Italian: Paese dei Barbagianni). They also mention the Field of Miracles.
The Fox and the Cat convince Pinocchio that if he plants his gold coins in this field, they will grow into a tree. This tree, they claim, will be covered in even more gold coins! Pinocchio, being a bit naive, believes their story.
What Pinocchio Sees in Catchfools
Pinocchio finally arrives in Catchfools with the Fox and the Cat. As he walks through the city streets, he sees many sad sights. The streets are full of hungry, hairless dogs. He sees sheep shivering because their wool has been cut off. There are chickens begging for food, missing their combs and wattles.
Pinocchio also spots large butterflies who can't fly because they sold their beautiful colors. He sees tailless peacocks who are too ashamed to show themselves. And bedraggled pheasants hurry away, sad about losing their bright, shiny feathers.
In contrast to these poor animals, Pinocchio also sees fancy carriages. Inside these coaches are either foxes, thieving magpies, or nasty birds of prey. These animals seem to be doing very well for themselves.
The Field of Miracles Trick
When they reach the Field of Miracles, Pinocchio buries his coins. He then pours water from a canal over the spot. The Fox and the Cat tell him to leave for "twenty minutes" for his gold to grow. As soon as Pinocchio leaves, the Fox and the Cat quickly dig up the coins and run away with them.
Pinocchio's Misfortune
When Pinocchio returns, he finds out about the Fox and the Cat's trick from a parrot. The parrot even makes fun of Pinocchio for falling for such an obvious scam. Pinocchio quickly rushes to the Catchfools courthouse to report the theft of his coins.
He tells his story to a gorilla judge. Even though the judge feels a little bad for Pinocchio, he decides to punish Pinocchio for being so foolish. The judge sentences Pinocchio to four months in prison. Pinocchio is then taken away by two large Mastiff guards.
Luckily for Pinocchio, he doesn't stay in prison for the full four months. The Emperor of Catchfools declares a big celebration! His army has won a victory against the town's enemies. Because of this, all prisoners are released early by the jailers. Pinocchio tells the jailer he is a "criminal" (meaning he was foolish), and he is set free. After leaving Catchfools, Pinocchio heads back to The Fairy with Turquoise Hair's house in the forest.
