Step aside for just a minute Justin Timberlake. The Blue Fairy brought sexy back a long time ago. Sure, maybe she is missing the feistiness of Tinker Bell – and the pleasantly plump physique of Merryweather…
Photo credit armadillo444 Flickr.com
but…it’s ok because she makes up for it in motherly demeanor, beauty, and her way of recognizing the good in people. She was the only one who could instill “character” into a wooden-headed boy. Even her spells were beautiful and elegant.
“Little puppet made of pine – wake! The gift of life is thine.” ~ The Blue Fairy
Seriously – who talks like that any more? Now here’s why she’s sexy…
In what was called a “story meeting” on January 12th 1939, Walt Disney specified that The Blue Fairy was to “give the appearance of loveliness… (but not look like) a glamour girl.” Early model sheets and inspirational sketches reflected Walt’s concept, depicting her as an ethereal beauty with swirling, billowing clothes and loose, (trend-setting) untamed hair. After all – a fairy can’t literally fly in – and be expected to have to perfectly coiffed hair.
However, at some point in the Blue Fairy’s creation, her design changed, and she became a less ethereal figure, with more human proportions.
The way we know her today, with her glittery dress, and fabulously 40’s look – suggest the inspiration of Jean Harlow, so ultimately she did resemble the “glamour girl” Walt had initially wanted to avoid. Still, he seemed pleased with this version of The Blue Fairy, whose newly-found sexual allure worked on both Jiminy Cricket and the men working on the film. They reportedly whistled on first seeing a color test of the Blue Fairy.
And just like that – she was quite literally the first to bring sexy back.
Jean Harlow had a way with the fellas too…Photo credit Chud.com
She made Jiminy Cricket weak in the knees. Photo credit FanPop.com
A Blue Fairy Biography Refresher:
The Blue Fairy can be found in Disney’s 1940 film Pinocchio. She is a magical being who fulfills Gepetto’s wish, and transforms Pinocchio into a living creature of sorts, and later into a real boy. Don’t let her soothing voice and calm demeanor fool you, this fairy is no wallflower. During the movie she helps Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket with her magical heroics, both directly and from afar. One of only two female characters in the movie (the other being Cleo the beautiful goldfish), her heroics stand out even more – and the blue fairy is obviously one of the most powerful characters in the cast. She is the one who initially grants Pinocchio life, and who ultimately decides whether or not he should become a real boy.
In my search for some cool video of the Blue Fairy in action- I found this little gem. Check this out this sweet serenade from Ray the Cajun firefly (of Princess and the Frog fame), and the exploration of The Blue Fairy as possibly being his sweet Evangeline.
So, where is she now?
- The first place might surprise you when it’s revealed! Tomorrow Disneyways will be posting a Blue Fairy themed edition of World Secrets that you won’t want to miss!
- The Blue Fairy has her own spell card known as “The Blue Fairy’s Wand Wish” in the interactive Disney theme park game – Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.
- In the ABC original series, Once Upon a Time, The Blue Fairy plays a supporting role only seen in Story Book Land and is portrayed by Keegan Connor Tracy.
- In the animated series Disney’s House of Mouse, the Blue Fairy makes occasional appearances.
Where she is not…
This video was shot as a farewell to The Blue Fairy from the cast and crew of the 2008 winter run of Disney’s Electrical Parade. Kind of sad. But stay tuned to Disneyways tomorrow. We will have more on the sexy, sparkling Blue Fairy in our next edition of World Secrets.
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