Tinker Bell made her debut as a supporting character in Walt Disney Productions' 1953 animated feature film Peter Pan, adapted from J.M. Barrie's play and novel. She is portrayed as a petite fairy with blonde hair tied in a bun, a green leaf-like dress, translucent wings, and pom-pom shoes, emitting a glowing trail of pixie dust. In the film, she has no spoken dialogue, communicating solely through expressive gestures and high-pitched tinkling bell sounds (created by sound effects). Her physical movements were modeled after actress Margaret Kerry, and she serves as Peter Pan's devoted companion in Neverland, responsible for sprinkling pixie dust to enable flight.

Tinker Bell's personality is defined by her fiery temper, intense loyalty, and pronounced jealousy. Deeply attached to Peter Pan, she reacts with hostility toward Wendy Darling, manipulating the Lost Boys into attempting to shoot Wendy down and later allying briefly with Captain Hook out of spite. Despite these flaws, she demonstrates profound courage and selflessness by drinking poison meant for Peter, risking her life in the process, and is ultimately revived through the collective belief of children in fairies.

In subsequent Disney media, Tinker Bell underwent significant expansion and development, particularly in the Disney Fairies franchise launched with the 2008 direct-to-video computer-animated film Tinker Bell, where she was voiced by Mae Whitman. Reimagined as a tinker-talent fairy in Pixie Hollow, she is inventive and resourceful but struggles with impulsiveness and dissatisfaction with her assigned role. Across the series of films—including Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009), Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010), and others up to Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2014)—she forms lasting friendships, learns to embrace her unique abilities, and grows in maturity, evolving from a jealous sidekick into a proactive, empathetic protagonist central to Disney's fairy mythology.