Pinocchio

Pinocchio abounds in Italy!  He's like the national mascot!  Once we picked up on this, we found him everywhere--always delightfully charming and unique.

On a carousel...

or a bookshelf,

or even mass produced, he has a certain adorable charm.

This rustic puppet appeared at a street market in Florence.

Black strings

or white.

He even works as a gumball machine!

Soft and cuddly,

contemplative,

whimsical,

Flanked by glasses and flasks

and even hanging out with expensive candy,

he

is ever the gentleman.

In Venezia we found him in carnival masks,

and in Rome just a few doors from Trevi Fountain, he got his own whole darn shop complete with

stacking toys

and pull toys too.

High budget

and even higher budget,

he never failed to put a smile on our faces.

I'm going back for this one someday...

Yes, even Murano glass!

Meghan and I both brought one of these little guys home.

Just a simple story about a wooden boy--actually quite a naughty wooden boy--who learns through trial and error.

Pinocchio has stood the test of time.

Gotta love a classic...