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Tinker Bell (also known as Tinkerbell in common usage, or Tink for short), is a fictional character from J.M. Barrie's 1904 play and 1911 novel Peter and Wendy. She has also appeared in multiple film and television adaptations of the story, in particular the 1953 animated Walt Disney picture Peter Pan. At first only a supporting character initially described by Barrie as "a common fairy," she has since become a worldwide icon due to Disney's adoption of her as its official mascot, and later the centerpiece of the Disney Fairies media franchise.

Media appearances

Tinker Bell had no dialogue in Barrie's novel and play, in which she was described as a fairy who mended pots and kettles, like an actual tinker. Though sometimes ill-tempered and vindictive, at other times she is helpful and kind to Peter. The extremes in her personality are explained in-story by the fact that a fairy's size prevents her from holding more than one feeling at a time. Like other fairies in Barrie's works, she can make it possible for others to fly by sprinkling them with fairy dust. In addition to Arthur Rackham's original illustrations, Tinker Bell has also been depicted by fantasy artists Brian Froud and Myrea Pettit.
Film adaptations provided the first vocal effects for the character, whether through sound — such as musical expressions or the sound of a tinkling bell — or human speech. She was played by Virginia Browne Faire in Herbert Brenon's 1924 version of Peter Pan, Julia Roberts in 1991's Hook, and by Ludivine Sagnier in the 2003 adaptation, which originally planned to use a computer-generated version of the character, but instead used Sagnier in combinations with digital models and effects to take advantage of the actress's expressions. Tinker Bell was voiced by Debi Derryberry in the 1990 Fox animated program Peter Pan and the Pirates, and in the 1989 anime series Peter Pan no Boken, she was voiced by Sumi Shimamoto.
A bronze sculpture of Tinker Bell by London artist Diarmuid Byron O'Connor was commissioned by Great Ormond Street Hospital — to whom Barrie bequeathed the copyright to the character — to be added to his original four-foot statue of Peter Pan, wresting a thimble from Peter's hand. The figure has a nine-and -a-half-inch wingspan and is seven inches tall, and was unveiled on September 29, 2005 by Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Disney personification

Tinker Bell has been one of Disney's most important branding icons for over half a century, and is generally known as "a symbol of 'the magic of Disney." She has been featured in television commercials and program opening credits sprinkling pixie dust with her wand in order to shower a magical feeling over various other Disney personalities, though the 1953 animated version of Tinker Bell never actually used a wand. In the picture and the official Disney Character Archives, she is referred to as a pixie, and the term pixie dust is a description of the "fairy dust" she uses in the original book.
Despite an urban legend that the original animated version of Tinker Bell was modeled after Marilyn Monroe, Disney animator Marc Davis's reference was actress Margaret Kerry. He illustrated Tinker Bell as a young blond woman clad in a lime-green, hip-length dress with a rigid trim, and green slippers with white puffs. She is trailed by small amounts of pixie dust when she moves, and this dust can help humans fly if they believe it will.
Since 1954, Tinker Bell has featured as a hostess for much of Disney's live-action television programming, beginning with Disneyland (which first introduced the theme park to the public while it was still under construction), to Walt Disney Presents, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, and The Wonderful World of Disney. In 1988, the same year The Wonderful World of Disney moved from ABC to NBC as The Magical World of Disney, she closed the end of Who Framed Roger Rabbit with a sprinkling of fairy dust as the screen went to black prior to the closing credits. A new, self-titled animated feature, in which Disney's version of the character speaks for the first time, is scheduled for release on DVD in October 2008.
At Disneyland, Tinker Bell is prominently featured in Peter Pan's Flight, a suspended dark ride based on the artwork from the animated film. Located in Fantasyland, it is one of the few remaining original attractions from the park's opening day. Beginning in 1961, she was also featured as a live performer who flew through the sky at the climax of some of the nightly fireworks displays. She was originally played by 71-year-old gymnast Tiny Kline, up until her retirement three years later.

Role in Disney Fairies

Tinker Bell was originally part of the Disney Princess franchise, from which she was later extracted and converted into the central character of the new Disney Fairies franchise in 2005. In addition to an extensive line of merchandise, the upcoming Tinker Bell film is the first of four upcoming direct-to-DVD features set in the secret world of Pixie Hollow, which is planned to be constructed near the Matterhorn and where guests will be able to interact with Tinker Bell and her companions.