“And now do you understand what the Little Man’s
profession was? This horrid little being, whose face shone
with kindness, went about the world looking for boys.
Lazy boys, boys who hated books, boys who wanted to
run away from home, boys who were tired of school—all
these were his joy and his fortune. He took them with
him to the Land of Toys and let them enjoy themselves
to their heart’s content. When, after months of all play
and no work, they became little donkeys, he sold them on
the market place. In a few years, he had become a millionaire.”
Carlo Collodi, The Adventures of Pinocchio
thanks...cripes...story goes back to 1880’s...