Wendy Darling facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Wendy Darling
Peter Pan character
1907 illustration by Oliver Herford of Wendy and the Lost Boys
First appearance	Peter Pan (1904)
Created by	J. M. Barrie
Portrayed by	Hilda Trevelyan (UK first 1904 production) Mildred Morris (US first 1905 production ) Mary Brian (1924 film) Maggie Smith (Hook) Rachel Hurd-Wood (2003 film) Freya Tingley (Once Upon a Time) Ever Anderson (Peter Pan & Wendy) Hazel Doupe (Peter and Wendy TV film)
Voiced by	Kathryn Beaumont (1953 film; other Disney media until 2005) Kath Soucie (Return to Never Land) Hynden Walch (other Disney media; 2005-present) Maia Mitchell (Jake and the Never Land Pirates)
Information
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Children	Jane (daughter)
Relatives	John Darling (brother) Michael Darling (brother) Margaret (grandchild)
Nationality	English

Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a famous character from the 1904 play and 1911 novel Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie. She is one of the main heroes in the story and its many movies and shows. Wendy's exact age is not given, but she seems to be around 12 or 13 years old. She is a girl who is almost a grown-up, which is different from Peter Pan, who never wants to grow up. This idea of growing up is a big part of the Peter Pan stories. At first, Wendy is not sure about flying to Neverland, but she soon loves the adventures. In the end, she decides to go back home to her parents and accept that she will grow up.

Wendy's Family and Home
Wendy in Movies and TV Shows
Images for kids
See also

Wendy's Family and Home

In the book Peter Pan and its movies, Wendy is a schoolgirl from the Edwardian era. This was a time in history around the early 1900s. She goes to a "kindergarten school" with her younger brothers, which means a school for kids before they become teenagers. Like Peter, Wendy is often shown as being on the edge of becoming a teenager.

Wendy lives in a middle-class home in London. Her father is George Darling, who works in a bank and can be a bit strict and proud. Her mother is Mary. Wendy shares a nursery room with her two brothers, Michael and John. In the Disney movie, her father first thinks she should have her own room because she tells her brothers "silly stories." But he changes his mind at the end of the film.

Wendy's Personality

Wendy is a very important character in the Peter Pan story. She is proud of being a child and loves telling stories and using her imagination. She doesn't really like the idea of becoming an adult. This is partly because of her father, whom she loves but also fears a little when he gets angry. Early in the story, Wendy hopes to avoid growing up. Peter Pan gives her this chance by taking her and her brothers to Neverland, where they can stay young forever.

In Neverland, Wendy starts to show her more grown-up side. Peter and the Lost Boys want her to be their "mother." They don't remember much about having a mother, but Wendy agrees to help them. She does things like cooking and cleaning for them. There's also a bit of innocent flirting between Wendy and Peter, which makes Peter's fairy friend, Tinker Bell, jealous. In Barrie's book, Wendy even asks Peter if he would talk to her parents about "a very sweet subject," hinting that she might want to marry him someday.

Wendy eventually learns that being an adult has good parts too. She decides to return to London and not put off growing up any longer.

Barrie also wrote a short play called When Wendy Grew Up – An Afterthought. This story was added to the novel in 1911. In this part, Wendy has grown up and is married, though we don't know who she married. She has a daughter named Jane. When Peter comes back looking for Wendy, he doesn't understand that she is no longer a young girl because he doesn't know about time in Neverland. He meets Jane and asks her to fly to Neverland with him. Wendy lets her daughter go, trusting her to make her own choices, just like Wendy did. The story says that Jane will have a daughter named Margaret, who will also go to Neverland with Peter Pan. This way, the adventures will continue "for ever and ever."

How Wendy Looks

J. M. Barrie doesn't describe Wendy's looks in detail. But she is usually shown as a pretty girl with blond or brown hair. In the Disney movie, Wendy has light brown hair and wears a blue nightdress with a blue ribbon in her hair.

Wendy's Relationships

In the original book and the 1953 Disney movie, Wendy has a good relationship with her mother, Mary Darling. Her relationship with her father, George Darling, is a bit harder. He is always serious and doesn't like Wendy telling stories to her brothers, calling them childish. He even threatens to move Wendy to her own room. However, Wendy and her father do love each other. When Wendy comes back from Neverland, she seems to understand her father better.

Wendy has a good relationship with her brothers, John Darling and Michael Darling. She tells them stories every night. She cares a lot about them and tries to protect them. In the 1953 cartoon movie, she helps John and Michael realize they need their real mother. She convinces them to go home after their adventures in Neverland.

Wendy believes in Peter Pan and shares his stories with her brothers. When Wendy and Peter first meet, she starts to care for him. The stories hint that they have special feelings for each other, but it's never fully said. In the 2003 film, these feelings are clear. Wendy shows her love by giving Peter a hidden kiss to save him from Captain Hook. They also have a special moment in the cartoon sequel, Return to Never Land, when Peter and a grown-up Wendy meet again after many years. In Hook, an older Wendy suggests she still has feelings for Peter, who has grown up and married her granddaughter.

The Name Wendy

The name Wendy was not very common before J. M. Barrie's play became popular. Some people even say he "invented" it. The name was used a little as a short form of the Welsh name Gwendolyn. But it's thought that Barrie got the name from a phrase used by Margaret Henley. She was a five-year-old girl whom Barrie became friends with in the 1890s. She called Barrie her "friendy-wendy," which she said as "fwendy-wendy." Sadly, she died at age five.

In some countries like Great Britain, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, children's playhouses are often called Wendy houses.

Wendy in Movies and TV Shows

Wendy Darling has appeared in many movies and TV shows based on the Peter Pan stories.

Live-action Movies

Peter Pan (1924 silent film): Mary Brian played Wendy.
Hook (1991 film): Dame Maggie Smith plays an older Wendy. She helps orphans find homes. She was also a neighbor of J. M. Barrie, who loved her stories and wrote them down. Her granddaughter, Moira, is married to Peter Banning (Robin Williams), who is the grown-up Peter Pan. In a flashback, a younger Wendy is played by Gwyneth Paltrow. The movie suggests that Wendy still has feelings for Peter.
Peter Pan (2003 film): Rachel Hurd-Wood plays Wendy. In this movie, Wendy easily becomes a mother figure to the boys. But she also has romantic feelings for Peter, who doesn't understand them. She is also more adventurous and even fights pirates with a sword. The film also hints that Wendy is attracted to Captain Hook, showing she is growing up.
Come Away (2020 film): Ava Fillery plays Wendy. This movie mixes Peter Pan with Alice in Wonderland. Wendy is shown as Peter's niece.
Peter Pan & Wendy (upcoming film): Ever Anderson will play Wendy in this new Disney live-action movie.
Wendy (2020 film): This is a new version of the Peter Pan story. Devin France plays Wendy.

Animated Movies

Wendy Darling as shown in Disney's Peter Pan.

Peter Pan (1953 animated film): Kathryn Beaumont is the voice of Wendy. Disney's Wendy is shown as a motherly figure who cares for everyone. She can seem bossy but means well and is a little fond of Peter. She also appears as a character you can meet at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
Return to Never Land (2002 animated film): Kath Soucie voices a grown-up Wendy. She is married and has told her children stories about Peter Pan. Her role is small, but she is happy to see Peter again when he brings her daughter Jane home.
Tinker Bell (2008 animated film): America Young voices Wendy. In this movie, Wendy is a baby who receives a music box that Tinker Bell fixed.

Television Shows

Peter Pan (1955, 1956, 1960 TV musical): Kathleen Nolan and Maureen Bailey played Wendy. In the 2014 TV musical Peter Pan Live!, Taylor Louderman played her.
Peter Pan (1976 musical): Briony McRoberts played Wendy.
Wendy (2011 web series): Meaghan Martin played Wendy.
Once Upon a Time (TV series): Freya Tingley played Wendy. In this show, she was held prisoner by Pan in Neverland for over a hundred years.
Peter & Wendy (2015 TV film): Hazel Doupe played Wendy.
Peter Pan and the Pirates (animated series): Christina Lange voiced a black-haired Wendy.
House of Mouse (animated series): The Disney version of Wendy appeared as a guest.
Jake and the Never Land Pirates (animated series): The Disney version of Wendy appeared in a special episode, voiced by Maia Mitchell.
World of Winx (animated series): An adult Wendy appeared as the head of an orphanage in London, England. She helped the Winx Club find Peter Pan.

In Other Stories

In the Peter and the Starcatchers book series, Wendy Darling is the daughter of Molly Aster. Peter met Molly when he first found Neverland.
In the anime series Adventures of Peter Pan, Wendy is a brave and tomboyish character. She helps save a young witch and even stands up to Captain Hook.

Images for kids

1907 illustration of Wendy and the Lost Boys
Wendy Darling as shown in Disney's Peter Pan