Twig the Fairy

Twig the Fairy

Twig the Fairy
First appearance "Twig the Fairy and the Curious Land of Real"
Created by Kathy Gfeller
Information
Aliases Twig Oaklyn Flewinia Thistlebottom
Gender Female
Occupation Woodland Fairy
Twig
Twig performing at Scarborough Faire 2008

Twig Oaklyn Flewinia Thistlebottom, better known as Twig the Fairy, is a fairy character frequently seen at Renaissance fairs around the United States. A "charmer of children",[1] Twig entertains passers-by with jigs and airs played on a double-piped aulos. She occasionally offers a glass stone glittering with "faerie dust" as a token of friendship to children who approach her.[2] The actress who plays Twig describes Twig's character as a "shy and gregarious—kind of a woman-child: innocent, mischievous, playful."[3] Twig is a silent character because, according to the actress who plays her, "talking takes away a bit of the mystery" of fairies.[3]

Character

The character of Twig debuted at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in 2003. Since then, Twig has appeared at Renaissance festivals across America. She makes regular appearances at the Carolina Renaissance Festival,[1] the Arizona Renaissance Festival, the Scarborough Renaissance Festival, the Colorado Renaissance Festival,[4] the Siouxland Renaissance Festival (in Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, among others. Twig has appeared twice on the cover of the nationally-published Faerie Magazine and has more than 240,000 followers on Facebook.[3]

Actress

2003Twig
An Early Incarnation of Twig, 2003.

Twig is portrayed by Kathy Gfeller, an actress from the small North Woods town of Ely, Minnesota.[5] She studied theater, fiber arts, and history at Minnesota State University at Mankato.[6] Kathy joined the renaissance festival circuit as a performer after graduating with a degree in fiber arts and sculpture, finding that she could express herself best as a silent fairy.[3][6] According to Kathy, "Twig was born out of my desire to portray what I thought a real fairy might be, and of what I've always wanted to meet as a child. She is a contradiction: innocent yet mischievous, bashful yet gregarious, full of music yet silent."[7]

Works

Twig the Fairy and the Mermaid Misadventure

1st edition, 2011
Author Kathy Gfeller and Linda Clayton
Country United States
Language English
Series Twig the Fairy
Genre Children's fiction, Fantasy
Publisher Twig the Fairy, LLC
Publication date
 2010
Media type Print (hardback)
Pages 40
ISBN 978-0-9848871-0-1
Preceded by Twig the Fairy and the Curious Land of Real (2010)
Twig Book
Twig's first children's book, 2010.

Ms. Gfeller published her first Twig the Fairy book in December 2010. It is a photo-illustrated children's story entitled "Twig the Fairy and the Curious Land of Real". A thematic coin was issued by Twig to celebrate the book's publication.

In an interview with Ms. Gfeller in Minnesota Monthly magazine, she announced that she is working on a second book.[3] That book, "Twig the Fairy and the Mermaid Misadventure" was published in December 2011.

On October 18, 2012, Twig, with help (?) of certain goblins, announced a Kickstarter project to support the production of a new storybook, involving "goblins and a unicorn." The campaign met its goal on October 25, with 17 days to spare, no doubt aided by copious amounts of glitter and good will. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/twigthefairy/twig-the-fairy-storybook-featuring-goblins-and-a-u

References

  1. 1 2 Sharpe, Scott (October 2005). "Postcards from the Road". The News & Observer.
  2. ↑ "Twig's Myspace". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Full-time Fairy". Minnesota Monthly. Greenspring Company. August 2011.
  4. ↑ "Entertainment". Coloradorenaissance.com. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  5. ↑ "What fairy tales are made of...". Shakopee Valley News. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  6. 1 2 "On the Road, Jason Davis, KSTP, 2009 (around the 8.5 min mark)". Kstp.com. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  7. ↑ "MRF Friends Resource Pages". Mrffriends.tripod.com. 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
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