1947 Pinocchio. (Below) This version is very difficult to come by these days. Note the tiny lead hands and up-turned nose.     

The photograph below shows how the manufacturing process served to standardise the development of the character. By 1950 the moulding process had been introduced and this figure features the solid moulded hands.

In 1953 the company obtained the rights to produce Disney characters and this is the first Disney version of Pinocchio. It has a very large head and facial features and large solid moulded hands.

By the end of the 1950s, the Disney version was modified with "softer" features and what might be described as a more "child friendly" face and less scary eyes! The basic construction of the puppet was the same as previously and this version remained in production until the early 1960s.

In 1962 Bob pelham produced his own version of Pinocchio (and Gepetto) and this character proved very popular throughout the sixties and into the early 1970s. This version has moulded hands while later puppets had plastic hands.

By the late 1970s, production of Pinocchio puppets had reached 1,000 a week and the manufacturing process needed to be streamlined. The bow tie was replaced with a simpler felt version and the feet were totally black and did not have the ankle painted into the shoe.

In 1981 a "Collector's model" of Pinocchio was produced which was sold in a blue presentation box along with a certificate signed by Mrs Pelham. This was based on the 1959 version and is shown below:

After the company changed hands in 1986, other modifications were made and Pinocchio was produced with wooden legs instead of plastic legs. The plastic hands were also replaced with the "closed" solid mouded hands too.

By the late 1980s, this smaller version of Pinocchio was put into production, using a junior control bar, plastic legs and wooden "dome" feet. Specifically designed for younger children to play with.

The latest version of Pinocchio introduced in October 2008, as seen in the Puppetry Shop photograph had plastic hands and original moulded feet, (as used on the 1986 version.) These were limited to a production run of 200 figures and have since been replaced with a modified version that features wooden toggle feet and wooden hands as used on the earliest Pelham Puppets in 1947 and can be seen in the photograph below.

Remember, you can buy this puppet now from this website! Visit Puppetry shop to see the full selection of characters available.

We hope you have enjoyed this "walk" through time which helps to illustrate how the puppet characters have reflected the times in which they were produced. It also shows how commercial restraints also affect the style and materials used, yet at the same time maintaining the high standard of craftsmanship in the construction and in the individual attention given to each and every puppet, which is the trade mark of PELHAM PUPPETS.