Foulfellow and Gideon
Encyclopedia
The Fox and the Cat are a pair of fictional characters who appear in Carlo Collodi
's book The Adventures of Pinocchio (Le avventure di Pinocchio). Both are depicted as con-men, who lead Pinocchio astray and unsuccessfully attempt to murder him. The pair pretend to sport disabilities; the Fox lameness and the Cat blindness
. The Fox is portrayed as the more articulate of the two, with the Cat usually limiting itself to repeating the Fox' words.
encounters the two after leaving Mangiafuocos theatre with five gold coins. The Fox claims to know Pinocchio's father Mister Geppetto
well, and says that he saw him shivering with cold. The Fox proposes to Pinocchio to come with them to the Land of Barn Owl
s (Paese dei Barbagianni) where he claims there is a plot of land called the Field of Miracles (Il campo dei Miracoli) where the coins can be planted and grown into a money tree. When Pinocchio hesitates, stating his obligation to attend school, the pair both claim that their respective disabilities were due to their eagerness to study. A white blackbird attempts to warn Pinocchio of their lies, but is quickly eaten by the Cat. The pair lead Pinocchio to the Red Prawn Inn (Osteria del Gambero Rosso), where they eat a large meal and ask to be awoken at midnight. Two hours before the set time, the pair abandon Pinocchio, leaving him to pay for the meal with one of his coins. They instruct the innkeeper to tell Pinocchio that they left after receiving a message stating that the Cat's eldest kitten had fallen ill, and that they would meet Pinocchio at the Field of Miracles in the morning. When Pinocchio leaves the inn, he is attacked by the pair who are disguised as murderers. Pinocchio hides the coins in his mouth, and in the ensuing struggle, Pinocchio bites off the Cat's paw. He is pursued all night by the murderers, who hang him from a tree to force him to disgorge the coins.
Pinocchio escapes with the assistance of The Fairy with Turquoise Hair, and encounters the pair again, unaware that they are the murderers that hung him. The Fox invents a story to explain the Cat's missing paw, stating that he had sacrificed it to feed a starving wolf. The Fox further adds, that they must go to the Field without further delay, as a Lord has bought it and would soon make it off limits to the public. The Pair takes Pinocchio to the town of Catchfools (Acchiappa Citrulli), which is inhabited by many emaciated and starving animals who made bad choices in their past. Pinocchio is taken to the Field, where the coins are soon buried. After telling Pinocchio to leave for a few minutes to allow the money tree time to grow, the pair dig up the coins and run away.
By the end of the book, the pair have become impoverished. The Cat is, ironically, really blind now, and the Fox is actually lame, tailless (having sold his tail for money) and mangy
. They plead for food or money, but they are rebuffed and Pinocchio leaves them with nothing except the phrase "Stolen coins never bear fruit", "He who steals a jacket from his neighbor usually dies without even a shirt" and similar morals.
Cat: Look at me! For the foolish passion for study, I lost sight in both eyes. - Chapter XII
Fox: A gift to us?.. God forbid!.. We do not work for vile interest: we work only to enrich others. - Chapter XII
Fox: And to think that instead of four coins, tomorrow they could become a thousand and two thousand! - Chapter XVIII
Fox and the Cat: We do not want gifts. It is sufficient for us to have taught you the way to enrich yourself without enduring labour. - Chapter XVIII
In the 1940 Disney film Pinocchio
, the Fox and the Cat are given the names "Honest" John Worthington Foulfellow (voiced by Walter Catlett
) and Gideon (whose three hiccups in the film were provided by Mel Blanc
). The pair differ from their original counterparts in the Collodi novel in a number of ways. They do not feign disability, and it is they who tempt Pinocchio to go to Mangiafuoco's theatre (named Stromboli in the film) and coax him into going to Pleasure Island
. The Cat is portrayed as completely mute, unlike the character in the novel who rarely expresses himself save through repeating the Fox's words. Though portrayed as scoundrels, they never go as far as attempting to murder Pinocchio as they did in the book, although they state to the coachman they would if they have to. In fact, even though they show genuine horror when the coachman tells his plan of turn children into donkeys, they end up helping him anyway. The subplot on the Field of Miracles is totally absent; the villains' ultimate fate is never revealed, with their impoverishment deleted and no other punishment shown. Foulfellow is portrayed somewhat comedically, posturing like a bombastic ham actor. Gideon also displays a sense of humor, as his characteristics match those of Dopey from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
. They were set to make an appearance in the 2009 RPG video game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
but they and the rest of the Pinocchio world were cut as a result of space restrictions. In the Disney book, "Pinocchio's promise" Foulfellow and Gideon see Pinocchio walking into town to give a Cuckoo clock
to Gepetto's friend, Mrs Ramono. Once again Pinocchio is conned by Honest John and Gideon by telling him to go to a Circus
with two old Circus tickets Honest John found in the street. Honest John tricks Pinocchio by saying he'll give the clock to Mrs. Ramano, but really wants to sell the clock. Pinocchio gets the police after retreating from the circus, told by the Ringmaster, telling the police about the clock and Honest John. Honest John gets arrested, and Pinocchio gives the clock to Mrs Ramano, foiling Honest John's plan to sell the clock. In a Disney book adaption of The Emperor's New Clothes
, the two, posing as tailors, trick the Emperor (there portrayed by Prince John) into believing to have a new suit and made a clean sweep with his money when the Emperor (after a child points out the fact) that he's only in his thermal underwear.
In Giuliano Cencis 1972 adaptation Un burattino di nome Pinocchio
, the Fox and the Cat (voiced by Sergio Tedesco and Manlio De Angelis) follow the characterisation shown in the book much more accurately than in the Disney adaptation. The pair pretend to be physically disabled, and tempt Pinocchio to come with them to the Field of Miracles. As in the book, the Fox is the more articulate of the two, and the Pair attempt to murder Pinocchio to get his coins, though the Cat is not crippled by Pinocchio as in the book. By the end of the film, the two are shown to have become genuinely impoverished, though the fox has not gone so far as to sell his tail.
In the 1993 direct to video adaptation entitled Pinocchio from GoodTimes Entertainment
, the characters are portrayed fairly closely to those in the book, though the Fox is changed into a wolf, the pair do not attempt to murder Pinocchio, and by the film's conclusion, they are arrested.
In Steve Barron
s 1996 live action film The Adventures of Pinocchio, the Fox and the Cat (portrayed by Rob Schneider
and Bebe Neuwirth
) are named Volpe ('Fox' in Italian) and Felinet, and are portrayed as humans in league with the evil Mangiafuoco (named Lorenzini in this adaptation). In a reversal of roles, Felinet the "Cat" is a female, and takes on the more dominant and assertive role, while Volpe the "Fox" is shown as a bungling sidekick. As in the novel, the pair attempt to trick Pinocchio into giving up his coins by taking him to the Field of Miracles. Also like the book, they are dealt with poetic justice
at the film's conclusion, though rather than becoming impoverished, they are tricked by Pinocchio into drinking cursed water which transforms them into a real fox and cat.
Carlo Collodi
Carlo Lorenzini , better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi, was an Italian children's writer known for the world-renowned fairy tale novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio.-Biography:...
's book The Adventures of Pinocchio (Le avventure di Pinocchio). Both are depicted as con-men, who lead Pinocchio astray and unsuccessfully attempt to murder him. The pair pretend to sport disabilities; the Fox lameness and the Cat blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
. The Fox is portrayed as the more articulate of the two, with the Cat usually limiting itself to repeating the Fox' words.
Role in the book
PinocchioPinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
encounters the two after leaving Mangiafuocos theatre with five gold coins. The Fox claims to know Pinocchio's father Mister Geppetto
Mister Geppetto
Mister Geppetto is a fictional character in the novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. Geppetto is an elderly, impoverished woodcarver and the creator of Pinocchio...
well, and says that he saw him shivering with cold. The Fox proposes to Pinocchio to come with them to the Land of Barn Owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
s (Paese dei Barbagianni) where he claims there is a plot of land called the Field of Miracles (Il campo dei Miracoli) where the coins can be planted and grown into a money tree. When Pinocchio hesitates, stating his obligation to attend school, the pair both claim that their respective disabilities were due to their eagerness to study. A white blackbird attempts to warn Pinocchio of their lies, but is quickly eaten by the Cat. The pair lead Pinocchio to the Red Prawn Inn (Osteria del Gambero Rosso), where they eat a large meal and ask to be awoken at midnight. Two hours before the set time, the pair abandon Pinocchio, leaving him to pay for the meal with one of his coins. They instruct the innkeeper to tell Pinocchio that they left after receiving a message stating that the Cat's eldest kitten had fallen ill, and that they would meet Pinocchio at the Field of Miracles in the morning. When Pinocchio leaves the inn, he is attacked by the pair who are disguised as murderers. Pinocchio hides the coins in his mouth, and in the ensuing struggle, Pinocchio bites off the Cat's paw. He is pursued all night by the murderers, who hang him from a tree to force him to disgorge the coins.
Pinocchio escapes with the assistance of The Fairy with Turquoise Hair, and encounters the pair again, unaware that they are the murderers that hung him. The Fox invents a story to explain the Cat's missing paw, stating that he had sacrificed it to feed a starving wolf. The Fox further adds, that they must go to the Field without further delay, as a Lord has bought it and would soon make it off limits to the public. The Pair takes Pinocchio to the town of Catchfools (Acchiappa Citrulli), which is inhabited by many emaciated and starving animals who made bad choices in their past. Pinocchio is taken to the Field, where the coins are soon buried. After telling Pinocchio to leave for a few minutes to allow the money tree time to grow, the pair dig up the coins and run away.
By the end of the book, the pair have become impoverished. The Cat is, ironically, really blind now, and the Fox is actually lame, tailless (having sold his tail for money) and mangy
Mange
Mange is the common name for a class of persistent contagious skin diseases caused by parasitic mites. Since mites also infect plants, birds, and reptiles, the term "mange," suggesting poor condition of the hairy coat due to the infection, is sometimes reserved only for pathological...
. They plead for food or money, but they are rebuffed and Pinocchio leaves them with nothing except the phrase "Stolen coins never bear fruit", "He who steals a jacket from his neighbor usually dies without even a shirt" and similar morals.
Quotes
Fox: Look at me! For the foolish passion for study, I lost a leg.Cat: Look at me! For the foolish passion for study, I lost sight in both eyes. - Chapter XII
Fox: A gift to us?.. God forbid!.. We do not work for vile interest: we work only to enrich others. - Chapter XII
Fox: And to think that instead of four coins, tomorrow they could become a thousand and two thousand! - Chapter XVIII
Fox and the Cat: We do not want gifts. It is sufficient for us to have taught you the way to enrich yourself without enduring labour. - Chapter XVIII
In Disney version
Pinocchio (1940 film)
Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is the second film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, and it was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was released to theaters by...
, the Fox and the Cat are given the names "Honest" John Worthington Foulfellow (voiced by Walter Catlett
Walter Catlett
Walter Catlett was an American actor. As a San Francisco citizen, he started out in vaudeville with a detour for a while in opera before breaking into films.-Early career:...
) and Gideon (whose three hiccups in the film were provided by Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
). The pair differ from their original counterparts in the Collodi novel in a number of ways. They do not feign disability, and it is they who tempt Pinocchio to go to Mangiafuoco's theatre (named Stromboli in the film) and coax him into going to Pleasure Island
Pleasure Island (Pinocchio)
The Land of Toys is a fictional location in the novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. In the Disney film adaptation of the novel, the land is renamed as Pleasure Island...
. The Cat is portrayed as completely mute, unlike the character in the novel who rarely expresses himself save through repeating the Fox's words. Though portrayed as scoundrels, they never go as far as attempting to murder Pinocchio as they did in the book, although they state to the coachman they would if they have to. In fact, even though they show genuine horror when the coachman tells his plan of turn children into donkeys, they end up helping him anyway. The subplot on the Field of Miracles is totally absent; the villains' ultimate fate is never revealed, with their impoverishment deleted and no other punishment shown. Foulfellow is portrayed somewhat comedically, posturing like a bombastic ham actor. Gideon also displays a sense of humor, as his characteristics match those of Dopey from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
. They were set to make an appearance in the 2009 RPG video game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
is an action roleplaying game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS with assistance from h.a.n.d. It is the fifth installment in the best-selling Kingdom Hearts series, and serves as an interquel beginning near the end of the first game, Kingdom Hearts, and covering the period...
but they and the rest of the Pinocchio world were cut as a result of space restrictions. In the Disney book, "Pinocchio's promise" Foulfellow and Gideon see Pinocchio walking into town to give a Cuckoo clock
Cuckoo clock
A cuckoo clock is a clock, typically pendulum-regulated, that strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo's call and typically has a mechanical cuckoo that emerges with each note...
to Gepetto's friend, Mrs Ramono. Once again Pinocchio is conned by Honest John and Gideon by telling him to go to a Circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
with two old Circus tickets Honest John found in the street. Honest John tricks Pinocchio by saying he'll give the clock to Mrs. Ramano, but really wants to sell the clock. Pinocchio gets the police after retreating from the circus, told by the Ringmaster, telling the police about the clock and Honest John. Honest John gets arrested, and Pinocchio gives the clock to Mrs Ramano, foiling Honest John's plan to sell the clock. In a Disney book adaption of The Emperor's New Clothes
The Emperor's New Clothes
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent...
, the two, posing as tailors, trick the Emperor (there portrayed by Prince John) into believing to have a new suit and made a clean sweep with his money when the Emperor (after a child points out the fact) that he's only in his thermal underwear.
Portrayals in other popular culture
Un burattino di nome Pinocchio
Pinocchio is a 1972 Italian animated film adaptation of Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio.-Production:...
, the Fox and the Cat (voiced by Sergio Tedesco and Manlio De Angelis) follow the characterisation shown in the book much more accurately than in the Disney adaptation. The pair pretend to be physically disabled, and tempt Pinocchio to come with them to the Field of Miracles. As in the book, the Fox is the more articulate of the two, and the Pair attempt to murder Pinocchio to get his coins, though the Cat is not crippled by Pinocchio as in the book. By the end of the film, the two are shown to have become genuinely impoverished, though the fox has not gone so far as to sell his tail.
In the 1993 direct to video adaptation entitled Pinocchio from GoodTimes Entertainment
GoodTimes Entertainment
GoodTimes Entertainment, Ltd. was a home video company that originated in 1984 under the name of GoodTimes Home Video. Though it produced its own titles, the company was well-known due to its distribution of media from third parties and classics...
, the characters are portrayed fairly closely to those in the book, though the Fox is changed into a wolf, the pair do not attempt to murder Pinocchio, and by the film's conclusion, they are arrested.
In Steve Barron
Steve Barron
Steven "Steve" Barron is a director and producer, best known for directing the films Coneheads , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the innovative music videos for a-ha's "Take on Me" and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"....
s 1996 live action film The Adventures of Pinocchio, the Fox and the Cat (portrayed by Rob Schneider
Rob Schneider
Robert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...
and Bebe Neuwirth
Bebe Neuwirth
Beatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has worked in television and is known for her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Sternin, Dr. Frasier Crane's wife , on both the TV sitcom Cheers , and its spin-off Frasier...
) are named Volpe ('Fox' in Italian) and Felinet, and are portrayed as humans in league with the evil Mangiafuoco (named Lorenzini in this adaptation). In a reversal of roles, Felinet the "Cat" is a female, and takes on the more dominant and assertive role, while Volpe the "Fox" is shown as a bungling sidekick. As in the novel, the pair attempt to trick Pinocchio into giving up his coins by taking him to the Field of Miracles. Also like the book, they are dealt with poetic justice
Poetic justice
Poetic justice is a literary device in which virtue is ultimately rewarded or vice punished, often in modern literature by an ironic twist of fate intimately related to the character's own conduct.- Origin of the term :...
at the film's conclusion, though rather than becoming impoverished, they are tricked by Pinocchio into drinking cursed water which transforms them into a real fox and cat.