The Fox and the Cat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Fox and the Cat |
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| The Adventures of Pinocchio characters | |
The Fox and the Cat as drawn by Enrico Mazzanti
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| First appearance | The Adventures of Pinocchio |
| Created by | Carlo Collodi |
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| Species | Fox (The Fox) Cat (The Cat) |
| Gender | Male (original story) |
| Occupation | Con artists |
| Nationality | Italian |
The Fox and the Cat (in Italian, Il gatto e la volpe) are two famous characters from the 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio. This classic story was written by the Italian author Carlo Collodi.
In the book, the Fox and the Cat are the main villains. They are clever tricksters who try to fool Pinocchio. They often pretend to have disabilities, like the Fox acting lame and the Cat pretending to be blind. The Fox is usually the smarter one, while the Cat often just repeats what the Fox says.
The Fox and the Cat's Role in the Book
Pinocchio first meets the Fox and the Cat after he leaves Mangiafuoco's puppet theater. Pinocchio has five gold coins, and the Fox quickly tries to trick him. The Fox claims to know Pinocchio's father, Mister Geppetto.
They tell Pinocchio about a magical place called the 'Field of Miracles'. They say that if you bury your gold coins there, they will grow into a tree that produces more money! A small blackbird tries to warn Pinocchio that it's a lie, but the Cat quickly eats the bird. The Fox then says the bird talked too much.
The pair then lead Pinocchio to an inn called the Red Lobster Inn. There, they order a huge meal. They tell Pinocchio they will wake him up at midnight.
However, two hours before midnight, the Fox and the Cat sneak away. They leave Pinocchio to pay for the big meal with one of his gold coins. They also leave a message saying the Cat's kitten was sick and they would meet Pinocchio later.
When Pinocchio leaves the inn, the two tricksters attack him. They are disguised as robbers. Pinocchio fights back and bites off the Cat's paw. The robbers then hang Pinocchio from a tree. Luckily, The Fairy with Turquoise Hair helps him escape. She sends a falcon to cut him down.
The next day, Pinocchio meets the Fox and the Cat again. He doesn't realize they were the robbers who attacked him. Pinocchio notices the Cat's paw is in a sling. The Fox lies, saying the Cat cut it off to feed a hungry wolf.
They lead Pinocchio to a town called Catchfools. There, Pinocchio buries his coins in the 'Field of Miracles'. While Pinocchio is not looking, the Fox and the Cat dig up the coins and run away. A parrot tells Pinocchio what happened and laughs at him for being so easily fooled.
Near the end of the book, Pinocchio sees the Fox and the Cat one last time. They are now very poor. The Fox is truly lame and has lost his tail, which he sold for money. The Cat is truly blind. They beg Pinocchio for food or money. Pinocchio refuses, telling them they deserve their bad luck because of their past actions. He then leaves them, saying goodbye to his 'false friends'.
The Fox and the Cat in Disney's Pinocchio
In the 1940 Disney movie Pinocchio, the Fox and the Cat have different names. The Fox is called John Worthington Foulfellow, but everyone knows him as "Honest John". The Cat is named Gideon.
These Disney versions are a bit different from the book characters:
- They do not pretend to have disabilities.
- They convince Pinocchio to join a puppet show. In the book, Pinocchio finds the show himself.
- They also trick Pinocchio into going to Pleasure Island. They are hired by The Coachman to do this.
- They do not try to harm Pinocchio directly. However, Honest John does suggest to the Coachman that they would be willing to do bad things if needed for a job.
- The 'Field of Miracles' story is not in the Disney movie.
Honest John is shown as a dramatic actor who can't read very well. Gideon is a silly, quiet character who often accidentally causes trouble for Honest John. Gideon only makes three hiccup sounds in the whole movie.
In the video game based on Pinocchio, Honest John appears as an enemy in the first part of the game.
The duo also appear in the Disney book Pinocchio's Promise. In this story, they try to trick Pinocchio out of a cuckoo clock he is taking to a friend. Honest John tries to sell the clock, while Gideon takes Pinocchio to a circus with fake tickets. Pinocchio eventually tells the police about Honest John's tricks, and Honest John gets arrested.
Honest John and Gideon also show up in the book series The Kingdom Keepers. They are part of a group of Disney villains called the Overtakers.
See also
In Spanish: El Zorro y el Gato para niños
