Pixies bring out the kid in all of us and help us enjoy our connection to nature. These small woodland animals reflect the clever and mischievous aspect of human nature in plays and poetry, and they return us to the magical side of fantasy stories. They are also associated with death and the afterlife; however, this is more of a sinister theme than a morbid one. In music, the pixie is a tiny fairy-like creature who can be seen as the musical equivalent of a hobgoblin. They usually have little more than bells on their ankles and wear clothes that they take off during performance. The pixie was first mentioned by William Shakespeare in 1597 when he wrote about them performing for King Henry IV. Since then, they have appeared in many other writers' works, most often being used as comic characters. For example, Pinocchio meets some pixies who tell him he's handsome enough to be a real boy. Shakespeare also uses the term "pixie" to describe a kind of supernatural creature. He calls these little people "merry elves" which means "playful spirits." Today, "pixie" is still used to describe such creatures but it also means any small person, such as those involved in witchcraft or magic.