Jiminy Cricket

Jiminy Cricket is the Disney version of the "Talking Cricket" (Italian: Il Grillo Parlante), a fictional character created by Italian writer Carlo Collodi for his 1883 children's book The Adventures of Pinocchio, which Walt Disney adapted into the animated film Pinocchio in 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 the Blue Fairy (known in the book as the "Fairy with Turquoise Hair") to serve as Pinocchio's official conscience. In the film, he sings "When You Wish Upon a Star", the Walt Disney Company's signature song, and "Give a Little Whistle".

Jiminy Cricket's appearance differs somewhat from that of actual crickets, 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 is bipedal. He dresses in the manner of a 19th- or early 20th-century gentleman, characteristically wearing a blue top hat and a white dress shirt with an orange vest over a black jacket along with a yellow tie and khaki slacks with blue and yellow spats and carrying a burgundy umbrella and wears gloves similar to what Mickey Mouse wears. Since his debut in Pinocchio, he has become an iconic Disney character, making numerous other appearances, including in Fun and Fancy Free (1947) as the host and in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) as the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1940

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1940

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor PBS-042393 10-in. 1/22/1940 When you wish upon a star Jiminy Cricket Dubbed recording from film: Male vocal solo, with vocal ensemble and orchestra vocalist  
Victor PBS-042395 10-in. 1/22/1940 Give a little whistle Jiminy Cricket ; Pinocchio [fictional character] Dubbed recording from film: Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist  
Victor PBS-042398 10-in. 1/22/1940 Finale (Turn on the old music box & When you wish upon a star) Jiminy Cricket ; Pinocchio [fictional character] Dubbed recording from film: Male vocal duet, with vocal ensemble and orchestra vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jiminy Cricket," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/323494.

Jiminy Cricket. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/323494.

"Jiminy Cricket." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/323494

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