If, when you hear the word “stromboli” you get hungry for an Italian turnover or think of the volcanic island off the coast of Sicily in the Tyrrhenian Sea, then you clearly have not watched Pinocchio enough times!

Stromboli, you might recall, is the big, imposing villain from the 1940 Disney animated film, Pinocchio. He is a gypsy show man, and when he hears about a puppet who can sing and dance without strings, he will stop at nothing to make Pinocchio a part of his traveling act. To money-hungry Stromboli, Pinocchio is his “little wooden gold mine,” said in Stromboli’s Italian accent, of course! After he purchases Pinocchio from Honest John, Stromboli puts the puppet boy to work on the stage and on display at carnivals, where he plans to keep Pinocchio until he is too old to continue performing. When that happens, Pinocchio will join Stromboli’s other worn-out puppets as firewood!

At one point, Pinocchio tries to go home to show off and share the coin that he has earned performing for Stromboli, not knowing that the coin is fake. When his main money-maker attempts escape, Stromboli promptly locks him in a bird cage, where Pinocchio is stuck until the Blue Fairy comes to his rescue. With her help, Pinocchio is free and Stromboli is not seen for the rest of the film.