TRACY -- Tinker Bell spread a little pixie dust in Tracy on Saturday.

Margaret Kerry, now 83 and known to her grandchildren as "Grandma Tink," was the original model for Walt Disney's spunky pixie in the 1953 classic "Peter Pan."

In town to meet and greet her fans at a back to school party at West Valley Mall, Kerry showed she still knows how to strike a pose, as she showed off the original poses she did to land the part.

Kerry, who lives in Southern California, is quick to share stories about her life as the jealous foot-stamping sprite that gets into all sorts of mishaps that entangle Peter Pan.

"Tinker Bell is loved by so many, from small kids to those 90 and more," said Kerry. "I was 21 when I auditioned for the role. I got a call that Disney was looking for a reference model for a 3 1/2-inch sprite that didn't talk. I had to ask 21 Century Fox if I could get out of work to do this.

"For the audition, I choreographed a pantomime to a 45 record of me preparing breakfast and the mishaps that go with it. At the audition, they asked if I could start work the next Tuesday. I was asked to bring in a one-piece bathing suit and I was to stand in front of the camera and act things out. They modeled Tinker Bell's personality after my own."

"Tinker Bell actually started off as a brunette and then it was changed to a redhead and finally a blonde," added Kerry.

"I liked her Pixie Dust," said 4-year-old Tracy resident

"Tinker Bell is my favorite!" said 9-year-old Tracy resident Emily Porter. "Seeing her was cool. If I could talk to her I would want to be her friend."

"When I was growing up and saw Tinker Bell on television -- it was the highlight of my week," said Sheryl Madison-Lancaster, one of the event's coordinators. "Today my granddaughter dresses up like Tinker Bell and plays her in skits."

Margaret Kerry originally started in show business at the tender age of 4. It was during the decade of the Great Depression that Margaret Kerry, then known by Peggy Lynch, appeared in several episodes of the popular "Our Gang" series.

"I made $8.50 a day back then, and that was a big deal in the 30s," she said.

Peggy Lynch's (Margaret Kerry's) first big break came years later when she was 18 and started work on the picture "If You Knew Susie," a comedy about two ex-vaudevillians who retire only to find themselves not accepted by the local townsfolk.

"During the production of the movie If You Knew Susie,' my name was changed and just in time for the credits," said Kerry. "In that same movie I played the role of Marjorie Parker who was the daughter of Sam and Susie Parker, played by Eddie Cantor and Joan Davis."

The 1948 RKO "Susie" picture pre-dates Margaret Kerry's days with Disney and Kerry was billed as a "newcomer." At the time, this movie put her in the mainstream but it wasn't until 1953 when Kerry would become forever known as her alter-ego Tinker Bell.

Kerry has been part of 37 motion pictures and done over 600 voice overs, including that of the voice of the red headed mermaid in Disney's "Peter Pan" movie. For the past eight decades she has kept busy as an actress, dancer, writer, producer, show host and role model appearing on both the big and little screens. Kerry has also had guest roles in several TV shows including the "Three Stooges," and "The Andy Griffith Show."

"If I had to sum up Tinker Bell in one word it would be beguiling," Kerry said. "When she's very, very bad we love her and when she's very, very good we love her."