"Peter Pan" by J. M. Barrie Trivia Quiz

Answer: Newfoundland

There has been some dispute about Nana's pedigree. In the story she is a Newfoundland, whilst in the original Disney film she is a St Bernard. Many critics have stated that Nana is based on J. M. Barrie's own Newfoundland, Luath. It should be pointed out that J. M. Barrie had two dogs, Luath and Porthos, a St. Bernard, at the time he wrote the story.

Answer: Wendy Moira Angela Darling

It is believed the name "Wendy" either comes from the Welsh name Gwendolyn" or from the name "fwendy wendy" which a young girl called Barrie. Wendy is believed to be in her adolescence, around thirteen years of age. She, like Peter Pan, does not want to grow up and is not shy about tempting Peter with the possibility of telling him stories if he will take her to Neverland.

Answer: She mended pots and kettles

In the book J. M. Barrie states that "she mends the pots and kettles", and was said to be "common". In the original play she was represented by a light and the sound of tinkling bells. Partly vindictive, partly kind, "Tink", as Peter called her, could only have one emotion at a time within her small frame. This left no room for a counter-balance to the extremes of her emotions.

Answer: It was an acorn button

"Now", said he, "shall I give you a kiss?" and she replied with a slight primness, "If you please." In exchange, Wendy gives Peter a thimble because he does not know what a kiss is. Later on Wendy kisses Peter and calls it a "thimble" and Peter "thimbles" her back, though "Tink" was not happy with this and pulled Wendy's hair.

Answer: Blackbeard

Upon hearing that the pirate captain is Hook, John queries "Jas. Hook?" because he knew of the captain's reputation. "He was Blackbeard's bo'sun." "He was the worst of them all." "He was the only man of whom Barbecue was afraid." I have "googled" the name "Barbecue", a.k.a. "The Sea cook", but have found no other reference to his name outside of the "Peter Pan" book.

However, the "Sea cook" could refer to R. L. Stevenson's eponymous character "Long John Silver".

Answer: Long Tom

When Hook sees Tinkerbell's light he orders the crew of the "Jolly Roger" to load and fire "Long Tom". The confusion caused by the cannon results in the separation of the children from one another.

Answer: John's top hat

However, it was too late. As we have seen, the pirates fired on the children, causing them to split up. Unfortunately for Wendy, the top hat, with Tinkerbell in it, was in Wendy's hands.

Answer: Piccaninny

Tiger Lily is described as "the most beautiful of dusky Dianas and the belle of the Piccaninnies, coquettish, cold and amorous by turns". During the story she is captured by the pirates when she attempts to kill Hook on his ship. She is subsequently rescued by Peter, and kisses him, to the chagrin of Wendy and Tinker Bell.

The name "Piccaninny" normally appears as an offensive slur in literature, but I have found a number of places in Australia based around the name "Piccaninny". These are: "Piccaninny Crater", "Piccaninny Plains Sanctuary", and "Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park".

Answer: Cinderella

Peter has promised the Lost boys that he will return to them with the next installment of the story "Cinderella", which he listens to at the window of the Darling house. The real reason he is there is not to hear the story that is told by Mrs. Darling, but to hear the stories about himself told by Wendy to her two brothers.

Answer: Tootles

Tinkerbell persuades Tootles, and the other Lost Boys, that Peter wishes them to shoot Wendy with the bow and arrow as she flies overhead after she becomes separated from her brothers and Peter. He is blamed by the others and offers Peter a bare breast so that he may kill him for the dastardly deed.

But Wendy saves him and we find out that the arrow had hit Peter's "kiss" (acorn button). Tootles is able to defend Wendy later on in the story.

Answer: A cake

The cake was "a large rich cake of a jolly thickness with green sugar on it". Hook has found the hideout of the Lost Boys and wishes to kill them with the cake.

Answer: Marooners' Rock

Whenever Wendy went to the rock to watch the mermaids dance they would dive into the water and deliberately splash their tails to soak her. She was lucky enough to receive one of the combs belonging to the mermaids from Peter Pan.
Tiger Lily was to be placed on the rock by Smee and Starkey after she had been caught attempting to board the Jolly Roger.

Answer: Panther

Throughout the story, war is seen as some kind of game with rules to follow. However, Hook takes no notice of these rules and carries out a sneak attack on the redskin village. The redskins know where he is, from the moment he and his crew land ashore, and expect him to establish a stronghold on a small hillock on the island. Hook ignores the hillock and immediately attacks the village, resulting in a massacre.

It is Panther who cuts his way through the pirates to carry Tiger Lily and the remnants of the tribe to safety.

Answer: Smee

As the battle ends the pirates listen at the entrance to the Lost Boys hideout. The Lost boys ask Peter who he thinks has won the battle, whereupon he states, "If the redskins have won ... they will beat the Tom-Tom; it is always their sign of victory". Hook signals Smee to beat the Tom-Tom and the Lost Boys are captured after saying goodbye to Peter.

Answer: Slightly

Now comes a most curious episode in the story. Hook descends the hole in Slightly's tree to Peter's lair and finds the boy asleep behind a small door. But instead of breaking down the door and dispatching him then and there, he poisons Peter's cup and leaves the boy to sleep undisturbed.

This is uncharacteristic, coming as it does after his merciless behavior while attacking the redskin village.

Answer: A cat o'nine tails

Bill Jukes is sent into the cabin to get the "cat" as a way to further terrorise the children. The boys are horrified because Peter is in the cabin and they expect him to be found by Jukes. Jukes is killed by Peter and the pirates are stunned by the news.

Answer: His foot

After Peter has beaten Hook in a sword fight Hook signals to Peter to kick him in the rear as he leaves the ship. To Hook this is "bad form" and he happily falls to what he thinks is the sea but, in actual fact, is the waiting jaws of the crocodile.

Answer: He moved into the dog kennel

Mr. Darling believes that, because he had chained Nana to the kennel, the children were able to fly away, and that Nana was a lot smarter than him. He swears that he will never leave the kennel until the children have returned. He is so remorseful that he attends his workplace while still ensconced within the kennel.

He becomes a celebrity in the streets, crowds gather, and he even signs some autographs.

Answer: Her kiss

Mrs. Darling is described at the start of the book as having "a sweet mocking mouth". The kiss is described as "the kiss that had been for no-one else" and "perfectly conspicuous in the right-hand corner". It is believed that the "hidden kiss" represents the mother's lost youth when it was she who had flown with Peter in Neverland.

Barrie also states that Peter "was very like Mrs. Darling's kiss.".

Answer: "Second on the right, and straight on till morning."

The mention of a star comes from the 1953 Disney movie of the same name. Peter's directions are a red herring because Barrie states "Peter, you see, just said anything that came into his head". Remember this was before space flight was even thinkable. Neverland is an island where the Lost Boys live without growing old.