The Coachman



The Coachman (also known as Barker) is an antagonist in Pinocchio. He enlists J. Worthington Foulfellow and Gideon (who are both terrified by him) to bring him "stupid little boys" (among them Pinocchio and Lampwick); he then takes them in a stagecoach to Pleasure Island, where the boys are free to "tear the place apart", though "they never come back... as boys!" A grotesque, Dickensian creation, the Coachman is perhaps the most truly evil and satanic of the unsavoury characters Pinocchio encounters, not only because of his foul deeds but his apparent pleasure in carrying them out.

The Deal
The Coachman is first seen sitting at a table in the bar of The Red Lobster with J. Worthington Foulfellow and Gideon. He puffs quietly on his pipe, listening quietly and intently as the fox proudly recalls selling Pinocchio to Stromboli. Foulfellow then produces a small bag of money - Stromboli's payment - as proof of his success, and inquires about the Coachman's business. The Coachman gets Foulfellow's attention when he places a huge sack of money, promising them "some real money" if they help him. He tells the fox and cat that he is collecting "stupid little boys" to take to Pleasure Island. Foulfellow is frightened at the mention of Pleasure Island, and he and Gideon jump when the Coachman gleefully laughs about his wicked business. He tells the two crooks to meet him with a group of boys at the crossroads of the village, where he will be waiting with his stagecoach, which is pulled by six donkeys. He promises to pay them well. Among the boys Foulfellow takes to the Coachman are Pinocchio (who has just escaped Stromboli) and Lampwick. Jiminy Cricket, fearing for Pinocchio's safety, accompanies the wooden boy.

Pleasure Island
The Coachman takes the coachload of boys to a ferry bound for Pleasure Island, a naughty boys' paradise, where the boys are free to run riot without fear of reprimand from adults until they make such "jackasses" of themselves that they turn into donkeys for the Coachman to sell into slavery. The Coachman whips his minions, ordering them to shut the gates, trapping the boys on the island. Later that night, Jiminy Cricket finds the Coachman's minions loading crates of donkeys onto boats. The Coachman examines every donkey, first checking that it cannot longer talk by asking its name, then, if the response is a hee-haw, ripping off the creature's clothes, if it has, before his minions throw the animals into crates. One donkey, Alexander, can still talk, and cries to be allowed to go home. The Coachman throws Alexander into a pen of still-talking donkeys. These donkeys are presumably kept by the Coachman to pull his stagecoach.

At this point, Jiminy realizes the fate of Pleasure Island's visitors and rushes to warn Pinocchio. Though Lampwick is transformed into a donkey, Pinocchio, despite growing donkey ears and a tail, manages to escape the island, with Jiminy's help. After that, the Coachman is not seen again in the film.

Trivia

 * The Coachman did get his punishment in the SNES video game. He gets kicked down a cliff by Pinocchio.

El Cochero