The Original Pinocchio Story Is Absolutely Terrifying

Most of us grew up watching the heartwarming 1940 Disney version of Pinocchio. It’s a classic film that tells the story of a magical puppet who longs to become a real boy. His nose grows when he lies, which is kind of cute in bright Technicolor. However, the real story of Pinocchio, written by Italian author Carlo Collodi in 1883, is far from this happy tale. In fact, it's much closer to a horror story.

In The Adventures of Pinocchio, Pinocchio is not a sweet, lovable character. Instead, he causes nothing but trouble for Geppetto for most of the book. There are many instances where the wooden boy pleads for his life. The original story, with its dark and twisted plot, would have likely terrified us all as children.

Pinocchio Starts Life As A Log That Can Cry And 'Laugh Like A Child'

The original story kicks off with a man named Mastro Cherry trying to saw a log. When he starts to carve into the wood, it suddenly begins to cry. "Please be careful! Do not hit me so hard," the log pleads with a small, childlike voice, leaving Mastro Cherry stunned. He keeps trying to carve, but this time the log starts laughing like a child, telling him that the hatchet is tickling its belly. At this point, Mastro Cherry decides the talking piece of wood is too much for him to handle. He gives it to his friend Geppetto, who had been wanting to make a marionette.

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Pinocchio Has A Bad Attitude From The Beginning

From the very beginning, Pinocchio is rude and ungrateful. He doesn't show any kindness to his creator, Geppetto, and starts causing trouble right away. Even while still just a block of wood, he insults Geppetto by calling him "Polendino," which means "cornmeal mush" in Italian. This is an insult referring to Geppetto’s yellow hair. The misunderstanding doesn’t stop there—Geppetto thinks Mastro Cherry is the one who called him that, and the two men end up in a fight because of the log.

Once Geppetto carves Pinocchio’s nose, it immediately starts to grow, but not because of lies like in the Disney version. Instead, it’s just a prank that Pinocchio plays on Geppetto. Later, as Geppetto is carving his mouth, Pinocchio laughs at him and sticks out his wooden tongue. When Geppetto finishes carving his feet, Pinocchio responds by kicking him in the face. Geppetto had dreamed of creating a marionette to travel with, but he quickly regrets making Pinocchio, who is both verbally and physically abusive.

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Once Finished, Pinocchio Runs Away, But Is Caught By Police Who Apprehend Geppetto

As soon as Geppetto finishes making Pinocchio, the marionette runs away. Geppetto chases him, but a police officer ends up catching Pinocchio by his long wooden nose. When Geppetto finally catches up, Pinocchio throws a tantrum in front of the townspeople. Strangely, no one is shocked by the fact that a marionette is walking and talking. Instead, they're more concerned about how Geppetto will punish him. Worried that Geppetto might hurt Pinocchio, the police arrest Geppetto and send him to prison. As he's being taken away, Geppetto says, "I should have given the matter more thought," a severe understatement.

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Pinocchio Kills A Talking Cricket With A Hammer

Once Geppetto is taken to jail, Pinocchio returns to Geppetto's house, where he meets a talking cricket. In the book, the cricket is simply called "The Cricket," not Jiminy Cricket. The Cricket tells Pinocchio that he's lived in the house for 100 years and gives him some advice: "Woe to boys who refuse to obey their parents and run away from home! They will never be happy in this world." Instead of listening, Pinocchio gets angry and throws a hammer at The Cricket. Although Pinocchio may have intended to miss, the hammer kills the talking bug instantly. In the Disney version, Jiminy Cricket survives. In the book, however, The Cricket reappears later as a ghost to give Pinocchio more advice.

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Pinocchio Is Almost Turned Into Firewood At The Great Marionette Theatre

After running away from home, Pinocchio ends up at the Great Marionette Theatre. Even though he was just carved, all the other marionettes seem to know him. The commotion catches the attention of Fire Eater, the theater’s director, who orders two other marionettes, Pulcinella and Harlequin, to throw Pinocchio on the fire. The two marionettes carry Pinocchio into the kitchen, where a lamb is roasting over an open fire. Pinocchio, terrified, begs for his life. Suddenly, Fire Eater starts to sneeze, a sign that he feels sorry for Pinocchio. Harlequin whispers, "Fire Eater has sneezed and this is a sign that he feels sorry for you. You are saved!" Pinocchio avoids being burned, but Fire Eater almost throws Harlequin into the fire instead. For once, Pinocchio does something good and saves Harlequin.

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A Friendly Blackbird Who Tries To Help Pinocchio Is Eaten By A Cat

On his way home, Pinocchio encounters an assassin duo—a fox and a cat—who try to steal the five gold coins he earned at the theater. As they harass Pinocchio, a blackbird swoops down to offer some advice, "Pinocchio, do not listen to bad advice. If you do, you'll be sorry." Instead of heeding this advice, the cat eats the blackbird "feathers and all." When Pinocchio asks why, the cat casually responds that it was a lesson to teach the bird not to talk too much. Although the fox and the cat do eventually trick Pinocchio, they end up receiving their punishment later in the story. This reinforces the story's theme: those who don't follow the rules are severely punished.

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Pinocchio Abandons Geppetto After The Woodcarver Is Swallowed By A Shark

Like in the Disney movie, Geppetto sets off in a boat to find Pinocchio, despite all the trouble he’s caused. The two eventually reunite, but Geppetto is swallowed by a giant shark. Pinocchio initially sets out to rescue him but gets sidetracked by a fairy who convinces him to focus on school and obedience. She warns Pinocchio, "If not, it will kill you in the end," referring to laziness as a dangerous illness. While Geppetto remains trapped in the shark’s stomach, Pinocchio reluctantly goes to school. Eventually, Pinocchio gets swallowed by the same shark and finds Geppetto inside, sitting at a table eating fish that the shark had swallowed. They escape because the shark has asthma and heart trouble, causing it to sleep with its mouth open.

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Pinocchio Is Nearly Eaten By A Sea Monster After Fleeing The Police

Pinocchio’s misadventures continue, each with a warning for children. One particularly strange event occurs when he’s caught in a fisherman’s net. The fisherman, who looks like a sea monster with green hair and skin, mistakes Pinocchio for a "marionette fish" and plans to cook him. The fisherman asks Pinocchio, "Do you want to be fried in a pan, or do you prefer to be cooked with tomato sauce?" Just as Pinocchio is about to be boiled, his dog friend, Alidoro, saves him from the fisherman’s hands. They barely manage to escape.

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Pinocchio And His Friend Lamp-Wick Are Turned Into Donkeys

Even after narrowly escaping death several times, Pinocchio refuses to listen to the fairy's warnings. He runs away with his friend Lamp-Wick to the Land of Toys, where they believe they’ll be turned into real boys. After a long journey, Pinocchio wakes up to find that he’s been turned into a donkey. He asks a dormouse what happened, and the dormouse replies that he’s caught "the donkey fever." The moral of the story is that lazy boys who skip school turn into donkeys. Pinocchio doesn’t regain his marionette form until he’s swallowed by the shark that’s been keeping Geppetto inside its belly.

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Pinocchio Becomes A Real Boy Only After Months Of Servitude

After escaping the shark, Pinocchio and Geppetto almost drown. Once on shore, Geppetto is too weak to move. Pinocchio finds a farmer and asks for a glass of warm milk for Geppetto. The farmer agrees, but only if Pinocchio draws 100 buckets of water from the well. Pinocchio agrees and hauls water for five months, providing Geppetto with milk. One night, the fairy appears in Pinocchio’s dream, and when he wakes up, he’s finally a real boy. But here’s the twist—the wooden marionette still exists. The narrator describes it as a lifeless puppet with "its head turned to one side, arms hanging limp, and legs twisted under him," like a marionette corpse. Pinocchio laughs and comments on how "ridiculous" he was as a puppet. And with that, the story ends.

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