Pinocchio
Pinocchio, the protagonist of the story, is a wooden puppet who is inexplicably alive. Carved from a sentient log by Geppetto, Pinocchio immediately earns a reputation as a mischievous, disobedient boy. His nose also grows wildly whenever he tells a lie. Although every authority figure in his life warns Pinocchio about the consequences of not studying and not respecting one's elders, Pinocchio pursues a life of leisure, leading him to suffer misfortune after misfortune. Through his many tribulations, Pinocchio finally learns the value of hard work and the necessity of caring for his surrogate parents, Geppetto and the Fairy. To reward his good behavior, the Fairy grants Pinocchio his wish to become a real boy and provides him and Geppetto with a comfortable home to live in.
Geppetto
Geppetto is a beggar who fashions Pinocchio from a piece of wood, hoping to make a marionette he can use to entertain people and earn a meager living. While Geppetto has a reputation for getting into conflicts with young boys, he feels compassion for Pinocchio, despite the puppet's disobedience. Geppetto acts as a surrogate father to Pinocchio, selling his only coat in exchange for the book Pinocchio needs to start school. When Pinocchio disappears on his way to school, Geppetto searches everywhere to find him. Geppetto is absent most of the story, not reuniting with his son until they meet in the belly of a giant dogfish that has swallowed them both whole. Pinocchio cares for Geppetto while they live in a straw hut and Pinocchio earns money to support them. At the end of the story, Geppetto is returned to health and lives comfortably in a house provided by the Fairy.
The Talking Cricket
The Talking Cricket lives in Geppetto's room. The wise cricket, having lived over a hundred years, advises Pinocchio against being disobedient and willful. In response, Pinocchio throws a mallet at the cricket, killing it. Later in the book, the cricket comes back as a ghost and provides commentary on Pinocchio's poor choices.
The Cat and the Fox
The Cat and Fox are thieves and con artists who appear at the beginning and end of the novel. At the beginning, they feign disabilities and try to swindle Pinocchio out of his gold pieces, disguising themselves as assassins and hanging him from an oak tree. While they succeed in taking his gold by fooling Pinocchio into burying it in "the Field of Miracles," the Fox and Cat are reduced to beggars at the end of the book. Missing appendages and having lost any stolen money, they reap the consequences of their contemplable actions.
The Fairy
The Fairy is an enchanted figure who changes form throughout the novel. When Pinocchio first meets her, the Fairy is a blue-haired child living in a house where she claims that everyone, including herself, is dead. When the Cat and Fox hang Pinocchio, the Fairy sends a falcon to get him down and bring him into her home. The Fairy forms a bond with Pinocchio while caring for him, and she considers herself his little sister. When they meet again later, she has inexplicably aged to adulthood, and she adopts him as her son. When Pinocchio gives her his hard-earned money to save her from an illness, she rewards him by turning him into a real boy.
Candlewick
Candlewick is Pinocchio's best friend. Mischievous and lazy, Candlewick convinces Pinocchio to leave society and travel to a country called the Land of Boobies (in some editions translated as Toyland), where boys play all day and never have to work. After five months of play, they turn into donkeys—the punishment for boys who never work. Pinocchio comes across Candlewick later in the story, when Candlewick is worked to death by the peasant who buys him.
The Dogfish
The Dogfish (in some editions translated as The Shark) is an enormous sea creature who swallows Geppetto. Some time later, it also swallows Pinocchio, who finds Geppetto living in the creature's stomach, surviving on rations found on a merchant ship the dogfish also ate. The dogfish sleeps with its mouth open, not noticing when Geppetto and Pinocchio swim out to safety.
Master Cherry
Master Cherry (real name Master Antonio) is a carpenter who lives near Geppetto. To his shock, Cherry finds a sentient log in his workshop while attempting to shape the wood into a table leg. Without explaining, Cherry passes off the enchanted wood to Geppetto when he asks for something out of which he can make a puppet.
The Green Fisherman
The green fisherman is a humanoid creature who lives in a cave next to the ocean. He is green all over, including his long beard. When he pulls up his net, the green fisherman discovers Pinocchio among his bountiful catch. Believing Pinocchio to be a rare talking fish, the green fisherman prepares him for frying, plunging him in flour before a dog snatches Pinocchio from him.
Alidoro
Alidoro is a race-winning mastiff dog who runs after Pinocchio on the command of the soldiers trying to arrest him. Following Pinocchio into the ocean, Alidoro begins to drown. Pinocchio saves Alidoro, who thanks him and hopes to return the favor. Not long after, Alidoro snatches Pinocchio away from the green fisherman just before Pinocchio is tossed in hot oil to cook.
