Since the Blue Fairy came first--PINOCCHIO in 1940 vs. ALICE IN WONDERLAND in 1951--it would have been the other way around. She looks like Marge Champion who was the model for both Snow White and the Blue Fairy in the Disney movies. When I was a little kid, I didn't know the difference between the Blue Fairy and Tinkerbelle and thought they were the same person.
I saw Disney's PINOCCHIO in 1962, when it was re-released to theatres. I was just a toddler, not yet old enough to be in school, but that movie made a big impression on me. It's likely one of the movies that had the biggest effect on shaping my young mind.
The story itself was frightening, with many chapters of harrowing adventure, and it doesn't even end in a satisfying way, as Pinocchio becomes a "real boy" and has that uncanny valley disturbing quality about him, whereas when he's a puppet he's a lot cuter and lovable.
But the friendliest characters in the movie are Blue Fairy (Tinkerbelle to me) and Jiminy Cricket. Jiminy Cricket was my favourite of all the Disney characters. Not only did I see him in the movie, but I saw him on THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY. He hosted the Christmas episode in 1963, along with Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbelle--which might have contributed to my belief that she and the Blue Fairy were one and the same.
Jiminy was a beloved vocalist--I think we had his hit tune "When You Wish Upon a Star" in our record collection. And one of my father's pet names for me was Jiminy Cricket. It always gave me a warm feeling inside when he called me that. So that's a big reason why I loved the character so much.
I don't know if I heard people saying "Jiminy Cricket" as an oath before I saw PINOCCHIO. But these folksy expletives were common when I was growing up. My father never used real swear words--he never even said "hell" or "damn," it was always "heck" and "darn." "Jiminy Cricket" is a substitution for Jesus Christ--so if he called me Jiminy Cricket, was he really calling me Jesus Christ?