Peter Pan first appeared as a character in 1902 when Sir James Barrie published his novel The Little White Bird. While the novel was written mainly for adults, the character of Peter Pan resonated with children as well as adults. In 1904 a play entitled Peter Pan was debuted and had a highly successful stage run.

Through the years various plays and stories circulated which featured the character of Peter Pan. Many of these were unauthorized reproductions of Barrie's Peter Pan character. Eventually, Peter Pan was delivered to American audiences with the production of Walt Disney's animated version of Peter Pan, which was produced in 1953. Various plays and short stories also continued to be written which included Peter Pan, each one revising and adding more adventures to Peter's story.

The Peter Pan character has also spawned many live action film adaptations, including Hook in 1991 and Peter Pan in 2003. In every incarnation, Barrie's original version for the Peter Pan character is upheld, in homage to one of the most lasting and memorable fictional characters of all time.

Sir James Barrie, the author who created the Peter Pan character based many of his ideas on his friend Peter Davis. Davis believed in fairies and provided much of the framework for Peter Pan's character. The tale of Peter Pan was also drawn heavily from Barrie's own childhood memories. Barrie's brother David died when the author was only thirteen and some believe that this is why Barrie had Peter run away and refuse to grow up.