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- The Land of Toys (Italian: Paese dei balocchi) is a fictional location in the Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) that is disguised as a haven of freedom and anarchy for boys and occasionally girls, but is eventually discovered to be far more sinister. Described as a "land of Cocagne", the size and nature of the location is unclear: the Disney adaptation depicts it as a large amusement park on an island whereas the novel implies that it is at least as large as a township. Also, in Italian, paese can mean 'country' or 'land', but also 'town' or 'village'. To its unsuspecting visitors (like Pinocchio and Candlewick), the Land of Toys appears to be a fantastic haven for wayward boys and girls to do whatever they want with no consequences or law; to act as they please without recrimination. However, the truer and more sinister purpose of the Land of Toys is eventually revealed: by means of a disease called "donkey fever" that affects people who never study, the boys and girls turn physically into donkeys (in Italian culture, the donkey is symbolic of ignorance, stupidity, goofiness and labor). Subsequently, they get sold by The Coachman to different places. Along with Land of Toys, other names for the land include: Pleasure Island (Disney film adaptation, 1940), Land Where Dreams Come True (Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, 1987),Terra Magica (The Adventures of Pinocchio, 1996), Fun Forever Land (Pinocchio, 2002), Fantastic Island (Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, 1997) and Luilekkerland. (en)
- Il Paese dei balocchi è un luogo immaginario descritto da Carlo Collodi nel trentesimo capitolo del romanzo Pinocchio. (it)
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