Peter Pan is a free-spirited young boy who never grows up. This mischievous boy with a never-ending childhood can fly. He spends his time in an island called Neverland. He is the leader of a group called Lost Boys. Little Peter Pan leads a life of adventure interacting with fairies, pirates, mermaids, Native Americans, and occasionally ordinary children from the world outside Neverland.
Peter Pan was created by J M Barrie, a Scottish novelist and playwright. Peter Pan stories also involve other characters like Wendy Darling and her two brothers, Peter’s fairy Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, and the pirate Captain Hook. The novel was first published in 1911. In 1929, Barrie gave the copyright of Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street Hospital, a children’s hospital in London.
Besides the novel, Barrie also wrote a play featuring this adorable kid. The play was titled Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up and had three acts. This play was revised many times and finally, in 1929, a definitive version containing five acts was published. Peter Pan has been featured in a variety of media and merchandise. The first film featuring the character came out in 1924.
In 1953, Walt Disney produced an enduringly popular animated feature film on Peter Pan. Disney’s Peter Pan was different from Barrie’s original creation; he was more charmingly impish than the somewhat selfish Peter of Barrie’s play and book.
The play was adapted for television in 1955 and again in 1960. An acclaimed Broadway musical version starring Mary Martin as Peter Pan and directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, won three Tony Awards.
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