Children swoop through the shop in a fever pitch of joy, delight, and glee, coveting every toy they see. Mothers and fathers plead and scold in futile efforts to restore order. A smiling Geppetto, with Figaro the cat snuggled in his arms, watches over the scene. Once again, he has fulfilled the children's most ardent dreams and desires with his marvelous wooden creations. But the lively bustle around him makes Geppetto sad.
Night falls and the families have all left.
This masterpiece of carving and imagination will belong only to Geppetto, and no one else. Much later, in the deepest dark of the night, there is a strange commotion. A wind buffets Geppetto's house, a gentle quaking rattles the walls, and a brilliant light cascades from the shop. The noise awakens Geppetto. She promises that if he is good and unselfish, someday he may become a real boy.