Talking Cricket facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Talking Cricket |
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| The Adventures of Pinocchio character | |
Il Grillo Parlante, as illustrated by Enrico Mazzanti
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| First appearance | The Adventures of Pinocchio |
| Created by | Carlo Collodi |
| Information | |
| Species | Cricket |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | Italian |
The Talking Cricket (called Il Grillo Parlante in Italian) is a make-believe character. He first appeared in the famous 1883 Italian book, The Adventures of Pinocchio. This classic story was written by Carlo Collodi.
Contents
The Cricket's Role in Pinocchio's Story
The Talking Cricket is very old. He has lived in Geppetto's house for more than 100 years! He first shows up in chapter four of the book. This happens after Pinocchio's silly actions get Geppetto sent to prison.
The Cricket tells Pinocchio that he needs to go to school or get a job. This is so Pinocchio can learn to live properly in the world. But Pinocchio does not want to listen. The Cricket then says, "You are a puppet and what's worse is that you have a head of wood." Pinocchio gets angry and throws a mallet (a type of hammer) at the Cricket. Sadly, this kills the Cricket.
The Cricket Returns as a Ghost
In chapter thirteen, the Talking Cricket appears again. This time, he is a ghost. He tells Pinocchio to go home. Pinocchio was planning to meet the tricky characters, the Fox and the Cat. But Pinocchio does not listen to the ghost. In the next chapter, Pinocchio gets hurt because he did not listen.
Helping Pinocchio Recover
The Talking Cricket shows up again in chapter sixteen. He is with his friends, a Crow and an Owl. They all help Pinocchio with his injuries.
The Cricket's Final Appearance
The Talking Cricket's last appearance is in chapter thirty-six. He lives in a house given to him by the Fairy with Turquoise Hair. He lets Pinocchio and a sick Geppetto stay there. This helps Geppetto get better.
The Talking Cricket in Movies and TV
The Talking Cricket has been shown in many movies and TV shows. Sometimes he is a bit different from the book.
Jiminy Cricket in Disney's Pinocchio
In the 1940 Disney movie Pinocchio, the Talking Cricket gets a new name: Jiminy Cricket. He was voiced by Cliff Edwards. In this movie, he is very different from the book. The Blue Fairy tells Jiminy to be Pinocchio's helper and friend. He goes on all of Pinocchio's adventures. Their relationship is much friendlier than in the book.
Jiminy Cricket also hosted parts of the movie Fun and Fancy Free. He appeared in the TV show The Mickey Mouse Club. Later, he played the Ghost of Christmas Past in Mickey's Christmas Carol. Jiminy also became a well-known Disney mascot. He appeared in Disney's House of Mouse and Kingdom Hearts. In these, he was voiced by Eddie Carroll, then later by Phil Snyder and Joe Ochman.
Other Movie and TV Versions
- In Giuliano Cenci's 1972 animated film The Adventures of Pinocchio, the Cricket is voiced by Lauro Gazzolo. He looks more like a person but is still similar to the book's character. He also dies when Pinocchio throws a mallet at him.
- In Steve Barron's 1996 movie The Adventures of Pinocchio, the Cricket is a computer-made character named Pépé. He was voiced by David Doyle. Pépé is like Jiminy Cricket. He is positive and helps Pinocchio. He warns Pinocchio about bad characters. Pépé also goes with Pinocchio on his journeys. He appeared again in the 1999 movie The New Adventures of Pinocchio, voiced by Warwick Davis.
- In the "Pinocchio" episode of Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, the Talking Cricket is a termite named Woody. He was voiced by Chris Rock. Woody acts a lot like Jiminy Cricket.
- In Roberto Benigni's 2002 movie Pinocchio, the Talking Cricket is played by Peppe Barra. His English voice was done by John Cleese. This Cricket is also like Jiminy Cricket and is Pinocchio's friend.
- The Talking Cricket (using his Disney name) appears in the TV show Once Upon a Time. He is played by Raphael Sbarge. His human form is Dr. Archie Hopper, a counselor.
- In the 2008 Italian-British TV series Pinocchio, the Talking Cricket is a female character. She is played by Luciana Littizzetto.
- The Talking Cricket was in the 2012 Pinocchio film. He was voiced by Carlo Valli. His English voice was by Arthur Grosser.
- In the 2019 Italian movie Pinocchio, the Talking Cricket is played by midget actor Davide Marotta. His English voice was by Luca Dal Fabbro.
- In the 2021 stop-motion Netflix movie Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro, The Talking Cricket was voiced by Ewan McGregor.
More Information
- Collodi, Le Avventure di Pinocchio 1883, Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli
See also
In Spanish: Grillo parlante para niños
