Jiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of The Talking Cricket (Italian: Il Grillo Parlante), a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his children's book The Adventures of Pinocchio, which Disney adapted into the animated film Pinocchio in 1940. Originally an unnamed, minor character in Collodi's novel, he was transformed in the Disney version into a comical and wise partner who accompanies Pinocchio on his adventures, having been appointed by the Blue Fairy (known in the book as The Beautiful Fairy with Sky Blue Hair) to serve as Pinocchio's official conscience. Since his debut in Pinocchio, he has become a recurring iconic Disney character and has made numerous other appearances.

The singing cricket became a domestic pet in early antiquity. The ancestors of modern Chinese people possessed a unique attitude towards small creatures, which is preserved in present-day culture of flower, bird, fish, insect. Other cultures studied and conquered big game: large animals, birds, and fishes. The Chinese, according to Laufer, were more interested in insects than in all other wildlife. Insects, rather than mammals or birds, became symbols of bravery (mantis) or resurrection (cicada), and became a precious economic asset (silkworm).