Jiminy Cricket

Not to be confused withJimmy Cricket.

"Jiminy" redirects here. For the Martin Short character, seeJiminy Glick.

Jiminy Cricketis theDisneyversion of theTalking Cricket,a fictional character created by Italian writerCarlo Collodifor his 1883 children's bookThe Adventures of Pinocchio,whichWalt Disneyadapted into the animated filmPinocchioin 1940.Originally an unnamed, minor character in Collodi's novel who is killed by Pinocchio before returning as a ghost, he was transformed for the Disney adaptation into a comical and wisecracking partner who accompanies Pinocchio on his adventures, having been appointed by theBlue Fairy(known in the book as the "Fairy with Turquoise Hair" ) to serve as Pinocchio's officialconscience.In the film, he sings "When You Wish Upon a Star",the Walt Disney Company'ssignature song,and "Give a Little Whistle".

Jiminy Cricket
Pinocchio/The Walt Disney Companycharacter
Jiminy Cricket as he appears inPinocchio
First appearance	Pinocchio(1940)
Created by	Ward Kimball Walt Disney
Based on	The Talking CricketfromThe Adventures of Pinocchio byCarlo Collodi
Voiced by	Cliff Edwards(1940–1971) Clarence Nash(1971–1973) Eddie Carroll(1973–2010) Hal Smith(1992) Phil Snyder(2010–2014) Joe Ochman(2014–present) Raphael Sbarge(Cricket form;Once Upon a Time) Joseph Gordon-Levitt(live-action remake)
Portrayed by	Raphael Sbarge(adult) (Once Upon a Time) Adam Young (child) (Once Upon a Time)
In-universe information
Species	Cricket
Gender	Male
Occupation	Conscience

Jiminy Cricket's appearance bears little resemblance to that of actualcrickets,which range from black to light brown and have long antennae and six legs; Jiminy Cricket has short antennae, a greenish-brown hue, and four limbs. Like most Disney characterizations, he isbipedal.He dresses in the manner of a 19th- or early 20th-century gentleman, characteristically wearing a bluetop hatand a white dress shirt with an orangevestover a blackjacketalong with a yellowtieandkhakislacks with blue and yellowspatsand carrying aburgundyumbrellaand wears gloves similar to what Mickey Mouse wears. Since his debut inPinocchio,he has become an iconic Disney character, making numerous other appearances, including inFun and Fancy Free(1947) as the host and inMickey's Christmas Carol(1983) as theGhost of Christmas Past.

Background

Origin of name

"Jiminy", along with variants "Jiminy Christmas" and "Jiminy cricket" have been used asminced oathsfor "Jesus Christ" since at least 1803."Jiminy Cricket!" was uttered inPinocchio's immediate Disney predecessor, 1937'sSnow White and the Seven Dwarfsby the seven dwarfs. It also occurs in the 1938Mickey Mousecartoon "Brave Little Tailor".

Creation

The character was designed byWard Kimball,who had been very disappointed and was about to leave the Disney studio when much of the work he did forSnow White and the Seven Dwarfswas cut from the final version of that film. However, Walt Disney persuaded him to stay by giving him the assignment of supervising the animation of Jiminy Cricket.

Voice actors

Jiminy Cricket has been voiced in English by six actors. He was originally performed by singerCliff Edwards,who voiced the character for Disney through the 1960s and sang Jiminy's most famous song, "When You Wish Upon a Star".After Edwards' death,Clarence Nashvoiced him for a brief period of time,until 1973, whenEddie Carrolltook over the role as Jiminy'svoice actor.Carroll played the role for 37 years, until his death in 2010. ActorHal Smithvoiced Jiminy in thePinocchio Read-Along Storybookin 1992.ActorPhil Snydernext voiced Jiminy for theKingdom Heartsvideo game series until his retirement from voice acting in 2014 to concentrate on his career teaching. ActorJoe Ochmantook over the role at that time, beginning withKingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix's installment ofKingdom Hearts Re:coded,and he has been the voice of Jiminy since 2014.

Raphael Sbargevoices Jiminy inOnce Upon a Timewhere he portrays him in human form as well. In thelive action adaption ofPinocchio,he is voiced byJoseph Gordon-Levitt.

Role inPinocchio

Main article:Pinocchio (1940 film)

Jiminy Cricket begins by narrating the story, commenting that seeking refuge he came toGeppetto's house. There, he witnessed how theBlue Fairygave life to Pinocchio, a wooden puppet. The Blue Fairy gives Jiminy the task of becomingPinocchio's conscience, and teaching him to distinguish between good and evil so that one day he will become a real boy.

But the next day, Pinocchio is convinced by con menHonest John and Gideonnot to go to school and become an artist, without listening to Jiminy's warnings. They sell Pinocchio toStromboli,a puppeteer who, after putting on a great show with the wooden boy, ends up locking him in a cage. Jiminy tries to get him out of there without success, at that moment, but at that moment the Blue Fairy arrives who ends up freeing Pinocchio.

Pinocchio and Jiminy return home, but on the way, Pinocchio is tricked again by Honest John and Gideon, who convince him to go toPleasure Island,a place where kids do whatever they want no matter how bad it is. Jiminy tries to get Pinocchio to leave that place with him, but Pinocchio ignores it, wanting to stay withLampwick,a boy who convinces Pinocchio to do things he shouldn't and who constantly makes fun of Jiminy, who angrily leave the place alone. However, Jiminy discovers that all the children on the island have been turned into donkeys, and when he runs to tell Pinocchio, he sees that the same thing is happening to the puppet, already having two ears and a tail. They both run out of the place before the transformation is complete.

They both finally return to Geppetto's house, but find it empty. They discover that Geppetto left to look for Pinocchio, and in the sea he ended up being devoured by a whale namedMonstro.Pinocchio decides to dive into the sea to look for his father, and Jiminy accompanies him since he does not intend to abandon him. After a search on the seabed, they end up finding Monstro, who devours Pinocchio, while Jiminy stays outside, trying to get the whale to open its mouth to follow his friend. A while later, Monstro ends up spitting on Pinocchio and Geppetto, and after chasing them across the sea, Pinocchio ends up saving his father, which later causes the Blue Fairy to turn him into a real boy for his actions, and with which, she awards Jiminy a badge for his service as a conscience.

Other media

Records

Cliff Edwards (as Jiminy) performed the narration for several 78 RPM children's records. Two of them were Bongo (originally part of the animated featureFun and Fancy Free) andThe Littlest Outlaw.He also produced some children's records simply as Cliff Edwards, including "Old MacDonald Had a Farm".

On the albumWalt Disney's Christmas Favorites,Jiminy Cricket sang the yuletide song "Kris, Kris Kringle (With A Tingle-Ingle-Ingle)" in a vaudevillianTin Pan Alleystyle, first singing the song straight, and the second time speaking half of the song in rhythm. He ended the song by wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas".

Radio

The character hosted a one-hour segmentABC Radiospecial in 1947, improbably concerning the year 1960.

Comics

Jiminy appears in several comics (first appearance inMickey Mouse MagazineVol. 5 No. 3 in 1939), such as various issues ofWalt Disney's Comics and Stories,and he is featured on the covers ofFour Color# 701, 795, 897 and 989. As of 2023, Jiminy has also been found in popular web comic "Goofy HECU", a group of long time and loyal Walt Disney fans.

Films and TV

Fun and Fancy Free

Main article:Fun and Fancy Free

AfterPinocchio,Jiminy appeared in the filmFun and Fancy Free(1947) as the host of the cartoon segments.

The Mickey Mouse Club

See also:List of Jiminy Cricket educational serials

In the 1950s–1970s, Jiminy Cricket appeared in four series of educational films aimed at grade-school audiences. In theI'm No Foolseries, he advised children how to steer clear of dangerous traffic, sharp objects, strangers, exposed electrical lines, and so forth. Several of those series were first shown onThe Mickey Mouse Clubfrom 1955 through 1959.

The second series calledYou,teaches about the human body with the refrain "You are a human animal". This, too, was originally shown on the "Mickey Mouse Club". The third series, "The Nature Of Things", combined live-action and animation, and the fourth series was called "Encyclopedia". In the 1950s, onThe Mickey Mouse Club,he also sang two related songs related to safety: "Stop, Look, And Listen", and "Safety First".

Mickey's Christmas Carol

Jiminy appeared in the featuretteMickey's Christmas Carol(1983) as theGhost of Christmas Past.The badge is given to him by the Blue Fairy at the end ofPinocchiomarking him as an official conscience now declares him to be the Ghost of Christmas Past.Ebenezer Scrooge(Scrooge McDuck) is perplexed at his size, but Jiminy shoots back at him that if Scrooge were measured by his amount of kindness, "you'd be no bigger than a speck of dust!" Nevertheless, Jiminy shows him Scrooge's bygone Christmases: while working at Fezzywig's, and putting his money before his love, whom he never saw again. When Scrooge begs the minuscule ghost to take him away from these bad memories, Jiminy reminds him that he "fashioned these memories" himself.

Disney Sing-Along Songs

Main article:Disney Sing-Along Songs

Jiminy Cricket hosted these five sing-along videos:

• The Bare Necessities(October 6, 1987)
• Very Merry Christmas Songs(October 4, 1988, intro and outro only)
• Be Our Guest(June 19, 1992)
• Friend Like Me(April 30, 1993)
• Circle of Life(December 16, 1994)

House of Mouse

Jiminy Cricket is among the numerous Disney characters who appear in the television seriesHouse of Mouse(2001-2003). He is most often sat on a table with otherPinocchiocharacters, or withCri-KeefromMulan.A running gag in the series involvesTimonfromThe Lion King'trying to eat him, and his rescue byPumbaa.He is the titular main character of the episode "Jiminy Cricket",where he abandon his job as Pinocchio's conscience, and becomesMickey's. He also appears in the direct-to-video 2001 filmMickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse,where after seeing that Mickey is depressed becauseDonalddoes not feel the Christmas spirit, he advises him that he can solve it by wishing on a star.

Once Upon a Time

An alternate version ofJiminy(both in fairy-tale cricket form and as his "real world" human alias, Archie Hopper) is a core character on the Disney-ownedABCtelevision seriesOnce Upon a Time(2011-2017), played byRaphael Sbarge.In the series, which finds cursed fairy tale characters living in present-dayMainewithout memory of their true origins, Jiminy/Archie serves as the town counselor and "conscience". He also has a dalmatian named Pongo. The series adds additional backstory for the character, portraying his life as the human son of con artists, who inadvertently causes the death of a couple after striking a deal withRumplestiltskin;Rumplestiltskin gave Jiminy a potion to give to his parents to get them out of his life, but his parents realized what he had planned and switched the potion with an identical bottle that was given to the couple that his parents had targeted for their latest con. He is eventually turned into the ethical cricket from previous portrayals by the Blue Fairy. In his cricket form, he is charged to look after and guide the dead couple's son,Geppetto,as long as he lives.

Pinocchiolive-action remake

Jiminy Cricket, as seen in Disney's 2022 live-action remake ofPinocchio.

Main article:Pinocchio (2022 live-action film)

Joseph Gordon-Levittvoiced the character in the 2022live-action adaptationof the 1940 animated film, which was released exclusively onDisney+,being a character made byCGI.

He again acts as the narrator who introduces the story, and fulfills a role similar to the animated film. Some new elements included in this version are that Jiminy manages to accompany Pinocchio to school, although the boy is expelled from the place, and after it he is unable to help him because Honest John and Gideon trap him in a glass jar, from which he later escapes. In this version he is also the one who manages to rescue Pinocchio from the cage in which Stromboli locked him up, managing to get the key thanks to Pinocchio's long nose after lying, which allowed him to reach it. Also, unlike the 1940 film, where Geppetto does not get to interact with him, in this version Geppetto meets Jiminy at the end of the film after Pinocchio introduces him as his conscience.

His song "Give a Little Whistle"is also scrapped due to the pacing of the film.

Other

He made a brief cameo in the filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit(1988), whenEddie Valiantfirst drives through Toontown while the toons sing "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!".

In the animated seriesThe Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse,Jiminy (voiced once again by Joe Ochman) appears in the episode "Disappearing Act" (2021), where he makes a cameo appearance alongside other Disney magical characters like theFairy GodmotherfromCinderella,Flora, Fauna, and MerryweatherfromSleeping Beauty,MerlinfromThe Sword in the Stone,and the Blue Fairy, to help Mickey realize he had the magic inside him all along.

Jiminy (voiced with archival recordings ofCliff Edwards) has a cameo appearance in the short filmOnce Upon a Studio(2023), ending the final part of the song "When You Wish Upon a Star",singing accompanied by the rest of characters fromWalt Disney Animation Studioswhile they take a group photo.

On October 25, 2019, it was reported that Disney is developing an undetermined animated project focused on Jiminy Cricket for the streaming serviceDisney+.Since then, there has been no further information about it.

Video games

Disney's Villains' Revenge

Jiminy Cricket is a main character in the gameDisney's Villains' Revenge(1999), wherein he must help the player save the stories ofDumbo,Alice in Wonderland,Peter PanandSnow White and the Seven Dwarfsfrom the stories' respective villains: theRingmaster,theQueen of Hearts,Captain Hook,and theEvil Queen.

Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour

Jiminy Cricket appears as a playable character in theracing gameWalt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour(2000).

Kingdom Heartsseries

Jiminy's Journal is a recurring element in theKingdom Heartsgames.

He appears in theKingdom Heartsvideo gameseries as the chronicler of player characterSora's travels, writing journals with the history of the events that occurred in eachworld,keeping a cast list of the figures they meet, friend or foe, among other notes with the extra features of the game.

In the originalKingdom Hearts(2002), he has some direct involvement with characters and elements based on the filmPinocchio.He has a substantially bigger part in the sequel,Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories(2004), frequently talking to Sora and offering advice. His role inKingdom Hearts II(2005) is smaller than in the first game; he only appears in one cutscene. He also appears inKingdom Hearts Coded(2008) in a major role, where the contents of his journals are examined. A dream world version of Jiminy Cricket appears inKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance(2012), baing present in his home world, Prankster's Paradise, in a direct involvement based on the filmPinocchio.He returns inKingdom Hearts III(2020) traveling again with Sora.

In the English releases he is voiced byEddie CarrollforKingdom Hearts,Kingdom Hearts II,andKingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories,Phil SnyderforKingdom Hearts Re:CodedandKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance(following Carroll's death in 2010), andJoe Ochmanfor the HD cinematics ofRe:CodedforKingdom Hearts HD 2.5 RemixandKingdom Hearts III(following Snyder's retirement in 2014). In the Japanese version, Jiminy was voiced byKaneta Kimotsukiuntil his death in 2016 and byYōhei TadanosinceKingdom Hearts III.

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion

Jiminy plays a major role inEpic Mickey: Power of Illusion(2012), a spin-off toEpic Mickey,where he acts asMickey's sidekick during his journey.

Disney Magic Kingdoms

Jiminy Cricket is a playable character in the world building gameDisney Magic Kingdoms(2021). He is a character to unlock for a limited time, debuting during an event focused onPinocchio.

Disney park appearances

Jiminy Cricket appears at theDisney Parksas a meetable character, most prominently atDisney's Animal KingdomatRafiki's Planet Watch.His signature features the 'J' as an umbrella.

He also appears inPinocchio's Daring Journey,a dark ride themed to thefilmfrom which he originated.

A minuscule version of him can also be spotted on theIt's a Small Worldride inDisneyland.

He and the Blue Fairy were the hosts of theWishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreamsfireworks display at theMagic Kingdomtheme park.

Jiminy also hosts the Nighttime parade,SpectroMagicin the Magic Kingdom (replaced in early 2010 for an updated version of theMain Street Electrical Parade).

He also appears daily in the "Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade" at Magic Kingdom.

Jiminy Cricket also appears as the pace of play ambassador at Walt Disney World Golf Resort.

International performers

• Roger Carel(French)
• Georg Thomalla(German, film)
• Carlo Romano(Italian, film)
• Masashi Ebara(Japanese, Pony Canyon edition of the film)
• Kaneta Kimotsuki(Japanese, all other appearances until his death in 2016)
• Yōhei Tadano(Japanese,Kingdom Hearts III)
• John Price(Danish, 1940 version of the film)
• Olaf Wijnants(Dutch, 1995 version of the singing role of the film)
• Ove Sprogøe(Danish, 1978 version of the film as well as "From all of us to all of you" )
• Pablo Palitos(Spanish in Latin America Version)