Jiminy Cricket is one of the most popular insects in popular culture. He was made famous in the 1940 animated classic Pinocchio. In the original Italian children’s book, Jiminy Cricket didn’t have a name. He was just a wise, talking cricket that served as Pinocchio’s conscience. In the book, he was just referred to as Grillo Parlante (Italian for “Talking Cricket”). The book was written by Carlo Collodi and published in 1883. Let’s find out more about Jiminy Cricket in this post.

Jiminy Cricket: All You Need To Know

Who created Jiminy Cricket?

He was a character for the Disney film Pinocchio and was designed by Ward Kimball, who was disappointed that much of the work he did for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was cut from the final version, so he was on the verge of quitting. However, Walt Disney personally convinced him to stay and gave him the task of designing Jiminy Cricket.

Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio?

Jiminy Cricket opens the film by singing When You Wish Upon a Star, then tells how, when still a poorly dressed vagabond, he found a home with the carpenter Geppetto, watching him create the Pinocchio marionette. That night, at Geppetto’s wish, the Blue Fairy gives life to Pinocchio, telling him that to become flesh and blood, he will have to prove himself good, courageous and selfless. Jiminy Cricket witnesses the scene and then intrudes on their conversation when Pinocchio asks what conscience is and he tries to explain it. The Fairy then appoints the Cricket as the puppet’s conscience, giving him a better costume and promising him a golden pin once the mission is accomplished.

The next day, Pinocchio walks towards school and the Cricket wakes up late, however he meets his protege, in the company of the town’s duo of scammers John and Gideon, the Fox and the Cat, who take him to the Stromboli theater “Mangiafuoco”. Jiminy Cricket tries to tell him to refuse the offer (almost getting crushed by Cat’s hammer), but Pinocchio doesn’t listen. Jiminy Cricket follows him and attends Stromboli’s show with Pinocchio and, unable to deny its success, decides to leave claiming that “actors don’t need a conscience”.

However, when he notices Stromboli’s caravan leaving, Jiminy Cricket decides to at least wish him good luck, discovering Pinocchio in a cage where the puppeteer had locked him up, not wanting to let him escape. After trying to force the lock open, in vain, the Blue Fairy comes to their rescue and frees them and the two run to Geppetto’s house. After making Pinocchio promise to behave well, Jiminy Cricket challenges him to see who gets home first. In the moment that the Cricket distances him, Pinocchio again runs into the Cat and the Fox who lead him to the carriage on the Island of Toyland.

Jiminy Cricket notices his absence and chases him. After a non-specific amount of time, Jiminy Cricket finds Pinocchio in the now deserted Toyland, in the company of a bad boy named Lucignolo, who makes fun of Jiminy Cricket. However, when Pinocchio takes the boy’s defense, Jiminy Cricket is offended and returns to the island’s pier, discovering his dark secret: children become donkeys and are sold on the black market. Jiminy Cricket returns to Pinocchio and Lucignolo, who have begun to transform and, no longer being able to do anything to save Lucignolo, Jiminy Cricket, and Pinocchio try to escape from the cliff and return home.

However, the house is empty: Geppetto is not there. Through a message from the Blue Fairy, the two understand that the carpenter, while looking for Pinocchio, was devoured by a ferocious and gigantic whale. Pinocchio runs into the sea to look for the Whale, followed by Jiminy Cricket (who inexplicably manages to breathe underwater, perhaps thanks to the Fairy’s magic). However, when they find the Whale, Jiminy Cricket remains outside the monster’s mouth, inside a bottle, and at the mercy of the seagulls.

When the Whale finally opens his mouth to sneeze, Jiminy Cricket finally manages to enter, only to then exit again upon noticing that Pinocchio and Geppetto are attempting to escape. Jiminy Cricket is then ignored during the battle against the Whale, ending up stranded on the beach where he is the first to find Pinocchio’s helpless body. However, having proven himself good, courageous, and selfless, Pinocchio becomes human and Cricket is rewarded with the promised pin.

Who voiced Jiminy Cricket?

The singer Cliff Edwards was hired as the voice who popularized the character, the film, and the entire company with the song When You Wish Upon a Star.

After Edwards’ death, Eddie Carroll replaced him for future appearances in Disney shorts, and since Carroll’s death in 2010, he is currently portrayed by Phil Synder.

Jiminy Cricket: Appearances Outside Pinocchio

After becoming extremely popular through the Pinocchio movie, Jiminy Cricket appeared in various Disney shorts and television specials, as well as in a miniseries in which children learned how to spell encyclopedias, at the Mickey Mouse Club (USA). Jiminy Cricket also appeared in the attraction Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, which is located in three of the Disney parks around the world: Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort (California, USA), Disneyland (Paris) at Disneyland Resort Paris (Marne-la-Vallée, France) and at Tokyo Disneyland at the Tokyo Disney Resort (Urayasu, Chiba, Japan).

He also appears in the Kingdom Hearts game series as the royal chronicler, appearing in almost all of the series’ titles. Among other video games, he appears as the player’s guide in Disney’s Villains’ Revenge and as a playable character in Disney Magic Kingdoms.

A version of Jiminy Cricket is a character in the television series Once Upon a Time. He is played by actor Raphael Sbarg. His origin story was elaborated on in the show.

Jiminy Cricket originally was a man who lived in the Enchanted Forest as a thief with his parents, puppeteers, traveling from town to town robbing people. When he decides to end this, he goes to Rumpelstiltskin who gives him a potion that would turn his parents into puppets, but it ends up in the hands of an innocent couple who drink it and end up being puppets. That couple are Geppetto’s parents. After that, Jiminy feels guilty and asks the Blue Fairy to turn him into a cricket, remaining at Geppetto’s side from that moment on, taking care of him, and years later also of his son Pinocchio.

When the Dark Curse is activated, the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest are transported to Storybrooke, where again as a human, and under the name Archie Hopper, he works as a psychiatrist and has a Dalmatian dog named Pongo.

In the 2022 live-action remake of Pinocchio, the character of Jiminy Cricket is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.