Yo, what is the deal with Tinkerbell? Is she just a sidekick, a mascot, a spokesperson, a fairy, a princess, canceled?

She seems like she has simultaneously one of the most prominent and most forgotten characters in the Disney catalog.

Hey, brother!

Okay, seriously, what is the deal with Tinkerbell?

I asked because my three-year-old daughter recently discovered the lineup of Disney Fairies franchise

movies that prominently feature Tinkerbell.

And as such, I've been exposed to the character quite a bit lately.

But even before that, it is impossible to have avoided one of Disney's most iconic

characters of all time, and that's coming from someone who didn't even own a copy of Peter Pan growing up.

Who is Wendy? Is she a good guy? The guy with the hook's okay, right?

But while Tinkerbell's never center stage, she always seemed integral to the Disney brand, woven neatly into the Disney logo revealed before each

cinematic adventure.

More on that, just a bit.

My point is, though, that it's hard to encroach on the popularity and nearly ubiquitous nature

of Mickey Mouse, but sometimes Tink does seem to be right there in the conversation.

Her famous pixie dust almost seems like it broke free of its films

restraints and became the source of the magic Disney is so well known for putting on screen.

But no matter how iconic she may be, I'm almost simultaneously unsure why she is so iconic

and also kind of surprised that she's not more iconic. That sentence was a train yek and...

Train yek.

That sentence was a train wreck, and yet I stand by it.

Tinkerbell is a character packed with backstory, lore, crazy facts, and even more questions.

...