Alakazam! Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo! Poof! These are the words that stick in a young child’s mind after hearing or reading a story, folk or fairy tale. Children’s folk and fairy tales date back thousands of years. Used for entertainment and education, these stories have been passed on from generation to generation and loved by children and adults alike. Magic has accompanied children’s tales as a crucial and integral aspect for as long as they have been around, adding a sense of mystery, wonder, possibility and over all fun. Magic and fantasy in children’s tales open up brand new possibilities such as magical creatures and people, one example being the beloved Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, who teaches the young girl to have faith no matter how hard life may get. Magic also introduces new worlds and places outside of our own, such as Never Never Land in the story Peter Pan, showing the importance of childhood and imagination. Magical powers are also shown through children’s tales, as in the transformation of a King to a beast in Beauty and the Beast, teaching one about the importance of inner beauty and personality. With these magical components combined, children learn how to have faith, to believe, use their imagination and to understand the importance of childhood and to have fun as they continue to grow. Whether it is the creation of endless possibility for imagination or to teach children important things about life such as how to believe or the importance of being kind, the use of magic and fantasy plays a crucial role in children’s stories, folk and fairy tales.
Characters in fairy tales go far beyond human beings, but play the same important role. Ogres, witches, pixies, talking animals, fairy godmothers and more have been taking the stage and shining in the spotlight for centuries. These characters have a universal appeal because of the diversity, opening up many possibilities of imagination and wonder for children world-wide. They are black, white, yellow, green, extra tiny, medium sized and large. There is a magical character for every type of person living whether old, young, happy or sad, making it possible to connect these figures to everybody. One particular magical being, the Fairy godmother, from the story Cinderella is a memorable magical character for her kind and funny personality traits. She teaches Cinderella and also children how important it is to have hope, strength and faith. During one hard time in Cinderella’s life, Cinderella wants to give up and the Fairy Godmother tells her, “Nonsense child! If you lost all of your faith, I couldn’t be here. And here I am.” Although she is a magical and fictional character, this sends a positive message to children who listen to or watch the story but in a way that will capture their attention. Another fairy who has made an impression on many children is Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. This tiny thumb-sized fairy shows that size does not always matter and even though she is small, she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to. She is determined and strong despite her tiny size. The magic to go along with what these characters are teaching makes it more appealing, fun and memorable.
The magic in Peter Pan does not stop at a determined fairy, nor does magic in children’s’ tales stop at magical beings. The magic in children’s tales also allows them to discover entire new worlds and places beyond anything they might ever experience in real life, stimulating their mind and senses with a new feeling of amazement, wonder and awe. Worlds set apart from our own are made possible through magic and Never Never Land is one example of these worlds. In this far away place where children do not grow up, food can be imaginary, a best friend can be a pixie and people can fly, children are exposed to all kinds of new color, ideas, shapes and imagery they may have not otherwise experienced. It also allows their imagination to soar, creating their own world of fun which they may have never before imagined. Never Never Land also emphasises the importance of childhood, enjoying life and the idea that there is no rush to grow up. Peter Pan gives the perfect description of Never Never Land during his invitation to the Darling children to join him on his journey back home: “So come with me where dreams are born and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land.” Other magical worlds that stimulate the mind and senses are the Wizarding world of Harry Potter, and Narnia from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. These also open up doors leading to endless possibilities of imagination, which, even though are fictional, let children know that there are things in the world beyond what they may know, waiting to be discovered and explored. It is the magic that makes this happen.
Sometimes the magic in a children’s story is not as obvious as a flying fairy or a pumpkin that turns into a carriage. It can be hidden yet hold the same amount of effect on a child’s mind. In Beauty and the Beast the young handsome prince gets transformed into a ferocious, ugly, furry beast because of his greedy temper and nasty humour. Only when he becomes a kind and caring person does he get transformed back to his human form. Although this cannot happen in real life, the magical aspect of turning the prince into a beast not only tells a child how important it is to have caring and kind qualities, but it shows them with images and things beyond our reality. It sends the message of how important inner beauty is in a way they will remember. The message would not be as strong without the magical aid to boost the imagery and concept.
Many children’s tales have non-magical humans or places, but have objects that hold some power beyond reality. The Wizard of Oz is another tale where magic plays a part in nurturing the mind and imagination, where Dorothy must tap her red sparkling shoes to take her back home, and her friends consist of a talking lion, tin man and scare crow. This is also a story which helps the imagination soar and at the same time teaches children that everybody has a heart. Another tale where magic aids a child’s learning is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang where their car can fly. This allows children to realize that sometimes thing can happen we would not normally expect. The magic in these stories also give the sense that almost anything is possible and allows one’s mind to wander to brand new places of fun and creativity.
The results from the creation of magic and fantasy are extraordinary. Many things besides the exploration of a young child’s mind have been discovered because of the use of magic in children’s tales. Movies, continuation of stories, books, games and even world-spread theme parks are all made possible because of magical ideas. These give children and families new opportunities to travel, see new places and create ever lasting memories, along with learning how to be a caring person and having the senses explode with color, art, shapes and imagery brought to life. Without the magic and fantasy bringing new opportunity to life in children’s tales many of these things would be missed, characters that have changed lives would not exist and the fun would not be as widely explored. It is the magic in these tales that make new possibilities and endless ideas for imagination for the young and old everywhere.
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