The folkloric adventures of J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" feature a definitive fairy in the character of Pan's possessive companion and consummate rescuer, Tinkerbell. Arguably literature's all-time favorite fairy, Tinkerbell is regarded as emblematic of fictional fairy lore, her character immortalized by countless lovingly rendered depictions on page, stage and screen. Tink is envisioned as a tiny winged pixie, with a mighty personality, stubbornness and charisma that belies her palm-size. Her trademark is her endless supply of magic pixie dust enabling its recipients to fly---conditioned, of course, on their own power of imagination and genuine belief in fairies.
Cinderella's beloved Fairy Godmother launched the legend of fairies as fantasy-fulfilling grandma-types, with a fairy for every hard-luck deserving girl with a dream---and a fairy tale romance and makeover to match. For Cinderella, scorned by her evil stepmother and stepsisters, her Fairy Godmother materializes to grant her weeping wish to attend the Prince's Royal Ball. Out of thin air, some garden items and choice magic words, Cinderella's personal stylist concocts a princess-worthy gown, horse-drawn coach and, famously, glass slippers. A Fairy Godmother's powers, however, are not unlimited, here reflected in the magic makeover's impending expiration at midnight. The take-away moral: fairy tale dreams can come true, but it's up to each dreamer to transform her Fairy's fleeting spell into reality.
Of all popular tradition's fairy stories, "Sleeping Beauty" most vividly illustrates the good and evil dichotomy existing even within the fantastical species. The tale juxtaposes its "Good Fairies," heroines committed to safeguarding the King and Queen's only daughter, and the evil fairy, named Maleficent in Disney's retelling of the story, who is hell-bent on the princess's destruction. Fueled by irrational vengeance, Maleficent embodies the horryifying potential of magical ability in malevolent hands. Despite the Good Fairies' meticulous efforts, they find themselves largely helpless against Maleficent, drunk to near-invincibility on her own narcissism and inhuman strength; once she succeeds in cursing her victim to death, the Fairies can do nothing but tweak this fate via a perpetual sleeping spell, with a spark of hope to be broken by Sleeping Beauty's true love's first kiss. In the happy end, then, it's only human will and emotion that can determine destiny; Maleficent's fatal flaw is in underestimating pure love's empowering force to trump even black magic.
"The Nutcracker," the epic Christmas-time fairy tale ballet, includes among its interconnected acts a traditional fairy story: that of the Sugarplum Fairy. "The Nutcracker" is the narrative depiction through dance and music of its child protagonist Marie's elaborate Christmas fantasy dream. In the girl's imagination, her toy nutcracker gift comes to life as a Nutcracker Prince, and the two journey to the mythical Kingdom of the Sweets, where the Sugarplum Fairy reigns as compassionate fairy-princess. The Sugarplum Fairy warmly welcomes Marie and her Prince, and encourages them to enjoy her Kingdom's sensory delights---sweets from around the world personified by her dancing subjects.