Shrek Fairy Tale Characters: Who They Are and Where They Come From

The Shrek films feature a large cast of storybook figures, led by Pinocchio, Gingy, the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Bears, Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming and Rumpelstiltskin. The story starts in Shrek (2001), directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, where Lord Farquaad banishes fairy tale creatures to Shrek's swamp. Later films keep adding names, and the two puss in boots spin-offs bring in nursery rhyme figures of their own.

If you are choosing tonight's film for a family, all four main films and both spin-offs carry a PG rating in the US, according to TMDB. Each entry below names the tale, the first film and the voice actor, so you can play spot the cameo with your kids. For the leads, see shrek characters, for the right sequence see shrek movies in order, and the whole series lives on the shrek movies hub.

Pinocchio is the wooden puppet from the story that carries his name, first seen in Shrek (2001) as one of the creatures dumped in Shrek's swamp. Cody Cameron voices him, and Cameron also voices the Three Little Pigs, so a single actor covers two of the refugees. Chris Miller voices Geppetto, the puppet's maker, in the same film. Pinocchio returns in Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek Forever After (2010), and he turns up again in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), which makes him one of the longest serving background faces in the saga.

The Three Little Pigs are the trio from the nursery tale of the same name, and they first appear in Shrek (2001), where they are storybook neighbors rather than a plot driver. Cody Cameron voices them in Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek Forever After (2010), and the credits list the pigs on the same line as Pinocchio. They are easy to spot in the crowd that backs Shrek when the swamp fills up, and in the party and rescue scenes of the later films.

Gingy (the Gingerbread Man) is the cookie from the folk tale about the gingerbread man who runs away, and he appears in every main Shrek film plus Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Conrad Vernon voices him in all of them, and in the credits of the 2022 spin-off he is named Gingy rather than the Gingerbread Man. Vernon also voices Rumpelstiltskin in Shrek the Third (2007), so he has a wider role in the saga than the cookie alone. More on him at gingy shrek.

The Big Bad Wolf is the predator from The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood, first credited in Shrek 2 (2004) as Wolf. Aron Warner voices him in Shrek 2, Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek Forever After (2010). He belongs to the same gang of storybook regulars as the pigs and the Gingerbread Man, and he is a background face rather than a plot driver. A very different wolf stars in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), covered further down under Death (the Wolf).

The Three Bears are Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear from Goldilocks and the Three Bears, first seen in Shrek (2001), where Bobby Block voices Baby Bear. They get their biggest showing in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), directed by Joel Crawford, where Mama Bear is voiced by Olivia Colman, Papa Bear by Ray Winstone and Baby Bear by Samson Kayo. Goldilocks is a separate character, voiced by Florence Pugh, and in that film the group is a gang chasing the same map as Puss, which is a long way from the quiet cottage of the original story.

Lord Farquaad, voiced by John Lithgow, is the ruler of Duloc who banishes fairy tale creatures to Shrek's swamp in Shrek (2001). He is short tempered, he wants to become king by marrying a princess, and his deal with Shrek is what sets the first film moving: rescue Princess Fiona from a dragon and the creatures will be removed. He is the reason the swamp is crowded with storybook figures in the first place. See lord farquaad shrek for more.

Yes, Fairy Godmother, voiced by Jennifer Saunders, is the fairy in Shrek and first appears in Shrek 2 (2004). She is a Cinderella style helper, but rather than granting wishes out of kindness she has her own plan: she wants Fiona to marry her son, Prince Charming. That twist on the kindly godmother gives the sequel its villain. She is covered in more depth at fairy godmother shrek.

Prince Charming is the storybook prince from the princess tales, voiced by Rupert Everett, and he first appears in Shrek 2 (2004) as Fairy Godmother's son and a rival for Fiona. He returns in Shrek the Third (2007), where he wants revenge and starts gathering the fairy tale villains. Everett voices him in both films. See prince charming shrek.

Rumpelstiltskin is the deal-making schemer from the tale named after him and the main antagonist of Shrek Forever After (2010), directed by Mike Mitchell, voiced by Walt Dohrn. Dohrn is billed for Rumpelstiltskin, a Priest and a Krekraw Ogre. At the start of the film he offers a tired, restless Shrek a deal: one day as a real, frightening ogre in return for one day from his past, and Shrek agrees without reading the fine print. Conrad Vernon had already voiced a Rumpelstiltskin cameo in Shrek the Third (2007). See rumpelstiltskin shrek.

Puss in Boots is the swashbuckling cat from the old tale, voiced by Antonio Banderas and first seen in Shrek 2 (2004). He then stars in his own spin-offs, Puss in Boots (2011), directed by Chris Miller, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), directed by Joel Crawford. Banderas is the lead voice in both, and Salma Hayek Pinault voices his partner Kitty Softpaws in each. Details at puss in boots shrek, plus kitty softpaws shrek.

Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill and Jack Horner are the nursery rhyme characters in the Puss in Boots spin-offs. In Puss in Boots (2011), Zach Galifianakis voices Humpty Alexander Dumpty (the credited name for Humpty Dumpty), Puss's childhood friend, while Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris voice outlaws Jack and Jill, who own magic beans that lead to a giant's castle and a golden goose. Little Boy Blue also appears in the 2011 film, voiced by Chris Miller. In Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), John Mulaney voices the spoiled crime boss Jack Horner, who wants all the world's magic for himself.

Peter Pan, Snow White, Cinderella and other storybook figures appear in cameos across Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007). Peter Pan appears in Shrek (2001), voiced by Michael Galasso, and the Magic Mirror is voiced by Chris Miller. In Shrek 2, Larry King voices the Ugly Stepsister. Shrek the Third brings in Amy Poehler as Snow White (with Megan Hilty as the singing voice), Amy Sedaris as Cinderella, Maya Rudolph as Rapunzel, Cheri Oteri as Sleeping Beauty, Susanne Blakeslee as the Evil Queen, Ian McShane as Captain Hook and Eric Idle as Merlin.

Spoiler for Shrek 2. King Harold (the Frog Prince), voiced by John Cleese, is revealed in Shrek 2 (2004) to be the Frog Prince, which makes the king himself a fairy tale character. The film shows he used the same potion years earlier to win Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews), and he turns back into a frog when Fairy Godmother is destroyed.

Spoiler for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Death is the hooded wolf, voiced by Wagner Moura and credited as Wolf, who hunts Puss in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). The film reveals that the wolf is Death itself, a Big Bad Wolf figure original to the film and far more menacing than the Wolf of the main films. Puss runs from him in terror, and at the end he faces him and says he values his one remaining life. Death respects that courage and spares him, while hinting they will meet again. See death puss in boots.

The fairy tale characters who do the most work are Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming, Rumpelstiltskin and Death, because each carries a relationship or conflict rather than a gag.

Spoilers for Shrek 2, Shrek Forever After and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish follow.

In my opinion, Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming are the best example, since they turn the idea of happily ever after into a family business, which gives Shrek 2 (2004) a real emotional test for Shrek and Fiona. Rumpelstiltskin does the same job in Shrek Forever After (2010), because his contract strips Shrek of the day he was born and forces him to value his ordinary family life.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) takes the idea furthest, since Death is a fairy tale wolf who exists to make a cat who has lost count of his close calls face his fear. The crowd cameos (Pinocchio, the Pigs, the Gingerbread Man) work best as background, and the films are wise to keep them there. Shrek 5 is scheduled for release on June 30, 2027, according to Variety, and the shrek 5 page tracks which storybook faces might come forward.