Tinker Bell (who is known as "Tinkerbell" in standard use), is a fictional character in J.M. Barrie's story play and succeeding novel Peter and Wendy, as well as a number of adaptations including the widely known animated Disney film Peter Pan. In the first book and story play, Tinker Bell is described as a standard fairy who mends pots and kettles, i.e. a tinker, and is frequently referred to merely as "Tink". Though occasionally ill-behaved and vindictive, at other times she is useful and friendly to Peter (for whom she apparently has romantic feelings). The extremes in her character are explained in-story by the fact that a fairy's size prevents her from holding more than one feeling at a period. Tinker Bell, like the other fairies in Barrie's works, can make it possible for others to fly, by sprinkling them with fairy dust.Barrie's fairies are dependent on the knowledge of others to survive. In one famous scene, she is almost dying, but will make it if sufficient people believe in fairies. In the play the characters make a plea to the children watching to sustain her by shouting out "I believe in fairies," and clapping, an example of "breaking the fourth wall." In the novel and the 2003 film, Peter calls out to dreaming youngsters from within the storytelling universe to believe in her. At the end of the novel, when Peter returns to the Darling home after a year in Neverland, it is revealed that Tinker Bell "is no more" since "fairies don't live quite long, but they are so little that a short time seems a good while to them." Peter has forgotten her. Screen adaptations of the story omit this play scene.
Although originally just a supporting character in Barrie's works, she has become widely known beyond this context. This is specially true of her interpretation by the Walt Disney Company, who have used her as a mascot and later on established the Disney Fairies media franchise around her. The character's name is frequently used as a synonym for fairy.
Source from Wikipedia.
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