Carlo Collodi, pseudonym of Carlo Lorenzini, (born Nov. 24, 1826, Florence, Tuscany [Italy]—died Oct. 26, 1890, Florence), Italian author and journalist, best known as the creator of Pinocchio, the childlike puppet whose adventures delight children around the world.

As a young man Collodi joined the seminary. The cause of Italian national unification usurped his calling, however, as he took to journalism as a means of supporting the Risorgimento in its struggle with Austria. In 1848 Collodi started publishing Il Lampione, a newspaper of political satire. With the founding of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, Collodi ceased his journalistic and militaristic activities and began writing for children.