Both versions tell the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous little boy who can fly, and has many adventures on the island of Neverland that is inhabited by mermaids, fairies, Native Americans, and pirates.

Prior to the publication of Barrie's novel, the play was first adapted into the 1907 novelisation The Peter Pan Picture Book, written by Daniel O'Connor and illustrated by Alice B. Woodward.

The novel was first abridged by May Byron in 1915, with Barrie's permission, and published under the title Peter Pan and Wendy, the first time this form was used.

Barrie created Peter Pan in stories he told to the sons of his friend Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, with whom he had forged a special relationship.

[1]: 45–47 The character's name comes from two sources: Peter Llewelyn Davies, one of the boys, and Pan, the mischievous Greek god of the woodlands.

[2]: Chapter 5  Andrew Birkin has suggested that the inspiration for the character was Barrie's elder brother David, whose death in a skating accident at the age of fourteen deeply affected their mother.

[1]: 47  The character was next used in the stage play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, which premiered in London on 27 December 1904 and became an instant success.

Barrie's working titles for it included The Great White Father and Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Hated Mothers.

After their magical flight to Neverland, the children are blown out of the air by a pirate cannon and Wendy is nearly shot and killed by the Lost Boy Tootles, because Peter's fairy companion, Tinker Bell, is jealous of her and tricks him into thinking that she is a bird.

[b] Soon John and Michael adopt the ways of the Lost Boys and all three of the Darling siblings begin to forget their parents and home.

In gratitude for Peter saving Tiger Lily, her tribe guards his home from the next imminent pirate attack.

One day, while telling stories to the Lost Boys and her brothers, Wendy recalls her parents and decides to return to England.

Peter does not believe Tink about the poison (as he is confident the pirate could not have entered their secret lair without him noticing), so instead she drinks it herself, causing her near death.

While the pirates search for the creature, Peter sneaks into the cabin to steal the keys and frees the Lost Boys.

At the end of the story, the Darlings adopt them and they gradually lose their ability to fly and their memories of Peter and the Neverland.

The play's subtitle "The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" underscores the primary theme: the conflict between the innocence of childhood and the social responsibility of adulthood.

[14][page needed] Barrie was very perspicacious in noticing many aspects of children's mental development decades before they were studied by cognitive psychologists.

Jeffrey Howard has noted its existential motifs, claiming that Peter Pan is a "precautionary tale for those who fear the responsibilities of living, and the uncertainties of dying," which explores concepts like the inevitability of death, freedom to create our lives, alienation, and the notion that existence lacks any obvious or inherent meaning.

[17] The original stage production took place at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End on 27 December 1904.

Besides du Maurier, the pirates were: George Shelton (Smee), Sidney Harcourt (Gentleman Starkey), Charles Trevor (Cookson), Frederick Annerley (Cecco), Hubert Willis (Mullins), James English (Jukes), John Kelt (Noodler).

Philip Darwin played Great Big Little Panther, Miriam Nesbitt was Tiger Lily, and Ela Q.

[19] Stepping into the role created by Nina Boucicault, Cecilia Loftus played Peter in the 1905–1906 production.

The 1905 Broadway production starred Maude Adams, who would play the role on and off again for more than a decade and, in the U.S., was the model for the character for more than 100 years afterwards.

[23] It was produced again in the U.S. by the Civic Repertory Theater in November 1928 and December 1928, in which Eva Le Gallienne directed and played the role of Peter Pan.

The story and its characters have been used as the basis for a number of motion pictures (live action and animated), stage musicals, television programs, a ballet, and ancillary media and merchandise.

The best known of these are the 1953 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney featuring the voice of 15-year-old film actor Bobby Driscoll (one of the first male actors in the title role, which was traditionally played by women); the series of musical productions (and their televised presentations) starring Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan, and Cathy Rigby; and the 2003 live-action feature film directed by P. J. Hogan starring Jeremy Sumpter and Jason Isaacs.

Some of these have been controversial, such as a series of prequels by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and Lost Girls, a sexually explicit graphic novel by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie, featuring Wendy Darling and the heroines of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

[29] The copyright status of the story of Peter Pan and its characters has been the subject of dispute, particularly as the original version began to enter the public domain in various jurisdictions.

[32] The original play Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up entered the public domain in the United States in 2024.

In 2006, Top Shelf Productions published Lost Girls, a sexually explicit graphic novel featuring Wendy Darling, in the U.S., also without permission or royalties.