"You are a puppet and what's worse is that you have a head of wood".
The Talking Cricket, who has lived in Geppetto's house for over a century, makes his first appearance in chapter IV. Pinocchio's mischief has landed his maker Geppetto in prison for the night, and the Talking Cricket insists that Pinocchio must either attend school or work to function properly in the world. When Pinocchio refuses to listen, the Cricket states, "You are a puppet and what's worse is that you have a head of wood", whereupon Pinocchio throws amallet at the cricket, which kills him.
In chapter XIII, the Talking Cricket reappears as aghost to Pinocchio, telling him to return home rather than keep an appointment withthe Fox and the Cat (Il Gatto e la Volpe). Pinocchio refuses and in chapter XIV, he is subsequently injured.
The Talking Cricket's ghost reappears in chapter XVI, where he and his colleagues theCrow and theOwl tend to Pinocchio's injuries. While the Crow and the Owl argue over if Pinocchio is dead or alive, the Talking Cricket states that Pinocchio is fine and disobeyed his father.
The Talking Cricket makes his final appearance in chapter XXXVI, who has been resurrected and living in a house given to him bythe Fairy with Turquoise Hair, where he allows Pinocchio and the ailing Geppetto to stay while Geppetto regains his health.
InFlorence, Italy, the birthplace ofCarlo Collodi, the author, there is a traditional festival every May. It is calledfesta del grillo, the festival of the cricket. Crickets are considered to be good luck in Florence, as well as many other parts of Europe and even throughout the world. Many traditional folk stories regarding the "lucky" crickets hold that crickets live for hundreds of years.[4][5][6]
Charles Dickens wrote a novella, inspired by this folklore, withThe Cricket on the Hearth (1846). It is anovella which depicts the ideology behind the tradition of the lucky cricket, who is perpetually happy and emanates happiness wherever it goes.[7][8]
The 1940Disney filmPinocchio renames the characterJiminy Cricket (voiced byCliff Edwards), further adapted to become Pinocchio's inseparable companion, sidekick and advisor, under instructions from the (also renamed) Blue Fairy.[9][10] His relationship with Pinocchio is much less adversarial than in the book as he accompanies Pinocchio on his adventures. Disney has since given Jiminy Cricket numerous subsequent appearances, including a host of the theatrical releaseFun and Fancy Free, recurring segments of the children's television seriesThe Mickey Mouse Club, as theGhost of Christmas Past inMickey's Christmas Carol, and notably as a Disney mascot. Jiminy Cricket later appears in the television seriesHouse of Mouse and the video game seriesKingdom Hearts voiced byEddie Carroll. In later projects following Eddie Carroll's death,Phil Snyder andJoe Ochman have since voiced Jiminy Cricket. In Disney's2022 live-action remake, he is voiced byJoseph Gordon-Levitt.
InGiuliano Cenci's 1972 animated filmThe Adventures of Pinocchio, the Talking Cricket (voiced byLauro Gazzolo withDon Messick doing his English voice-dub), though anthropomorphized, differs little from the character of the novel. The only difference in characterization is that he does not reappear in the Fairy's house as a doctor.
In the 1993direct-to-video adaptation byGoodTimes Entertainment, the Talking Cricket (voiced byCam Clarke) is portrayed very much like Jiminy Cricket and goes on adventures with Pinocchio, serving as Pinocchio's sidekick.
InSteve Barron's 1996 live-action filmThe Adventures of Pinocchio, the Talking Cricket is aCGI character named Pépé (voiced byDavid Doyle, in his final film performance one year before his death in 1997) and is also portrayed similar to Jiminy Cricket. He is an optimistic character who advises Pinocchio againstVolpe and Felinet as well as the main antagonist Lorenzini and also accompanies Pinocchio on his adventures. He was supposed to be voiced byWallace Shawn but was likely re-cast at the last minute, though Shawn's voice can be heard in one of the trailers. He would reappear in the film's 1999 sequelThe New Adventures of Pinocchio, this time voiced byWarwick Davis.
InRoberto Benigni's 2002 live-action filmPinocchio, the Talking Cricket also made an appearance and is played byPeppe Barra withJohn Cleese doing his English voice-dub. The Cricket is not similar to Jiminy Cricket and (like him) is a companion to Pinocchio.
The Talking Cricket (under his Disney alias) appears inOnce Upon a Time, played byRaphael Sbarge. His human alter-ego is a local psychiatric counselor, and part-time legal advisor, 'Dr. Archie Hopper', in which he is much timider than in his Cricket guise.
The Talking Cricket appears in the 2008 Italian-British miniseriesPinocchio, portrayed as female byLuciana Littizzetto.
The 2022 animated filmPuss in Boots: The Last Wish includes an "Ethical Bug," voiced by Kevin McCann, who parodies the Talking Cricket, judging the evidently corrupt character of the film's main antagonist,Jack Horner.
The 2023 video gameLies of P, loosely based on Pinocchio's adventures, features a robotic cricket puppet companion name Gemini (pronounced like "Jiminy") who resides in a lamp carried by Pinocchio and serves as a guide.
The 2026 horror adaptationPinocchio: Unstrung, set inthe Twisted Childhood Universe, will feature the Cricket, who is voiced byRobert Englund. This version of the Cricket is described as being the exact opposite of a conscience; a "foul-mouthed little bastard" who will stop at nothing to make Pinocchio "real."
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