Pinocchio by Enrico Mazzanti. Inked by Daniel Donna.
Splinter Me, Italy
Debuting in the 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Florentine writer Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio is a marionette with dreams of becoming a real boy. Though he incurs a wayward start, he performs enough good deeds to win the favor of a fairy with turquoise hair (La Fata dai Capelli Turchini) who transforms him into a human being. Collodi’s work was adapted into the 1940 Disney film, though you have to admit, “Jiminy Cricket” is nowhere near as cool-sounding as his Italian counterpart, Il Grillo Parlante.
Eves All Over
In the young-adult novel Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst, the main character Eve has already made the transformation from a doll to living person and is even called “Pinocchio” and “puppet” in the book. She is haunted by her previous life, with visions of her mouth being stitched together and button eyes being sewn onto her skin. Aside from its biblical beginnings, the name Eve features prominently in various manga, video games, webcomics and Xena episodes. What else would you christen a warrior princess’s daughter?
Dollification & Neil
The protagonist of Neil Gaiman’s book Coraline is also faced with a similar nightmare when her “other parents” (macabre denizens who bare some semblance to the real Mr. and Mrs. Jones) try to replace her eyes with a pair of buttons. While Collodi and Durst chose to personify dolls, Gaiman flipped this idea by attempting to objectify a person. Other characters include Miss Miriam Forcible, Mr. Bobo and Miss April Sprink.
Bobo, Geppetto…what is it with humanity and long O’s?
This edition of Fairy-Tale Files is brought to you by Fairy Tale Review intern Kristin Prinz and poetry editor Jon Riccio.
