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The original Magical Girl archetype. Sometimes she's from Another Dimension or otherwise Magical Land unless the whole show is in a magical setting. Magic study is often equated with school, and many characters are out getting their licenses. The origin of magic is implied to be genetic with training required to hone it. She may be a princess, who may or may not be visiting Earth as part of training to become queen—if so she may have to compete with rivals to the throne.
She may or may not be actively fighting monsters. Usually it's a hard enough life just trying to get through the day, and she'll use her magic (often a non-flashy variety) to make things easier. Theoretically.
Cute Witches are sometimes thought to have influenced the rather benevolent image of witches in Japan; even the standard Strange Girl or Goth Girl tends to be somewhat cute. Will almost always wear a Robe and Wizard Hat, and may or may not use a Magic Wand. If she has a pet, it will likely be a cat.
The original Cute Witch, Sally The Witch, was directly inspired by the American TV series Bewitched.
If and when the Cute Witch grows up, if she doesn't lose her powers, she usually becomes the Hot Witch.
Contrast the Wicked Witch, who is evil, old and ugly.
Examples
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Anime and Manga
- Cardcaptor Sakura was originally envisioned as a witch, but CLAMP decided that they needed something more original, and looked to tarot cards for their inspiration. She still shares a lot in common with witch Magical Girls.
- ChibiUsa in Sailor Moon is more like one than the standard Magical Girl Warrior the show features. She's time-traveled from the future for unspecified training, and her powers are mostly trickery than being useful for fighting.
- Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service. She's a relatively mild version of the folklore witch rather than the overly cute magical girl type.
- In Umineko No Naku Koro Ni, even the cute-looking witches are mad, bad, and dangerous to know, subverting the trope of a benevolent cutesy witch girl.
- Maburaho: Yuna practices Western magic, and when dressed up in the proper attire, she looks like the standard stereotypical lovely witch.
- The Gedou Otome Tai half of Akahori Gedou Hour Rabuge revolves around five sisters who are daughters of masked villains. They are given magical powers and black witch outfits by an imp so that they can be great villains. Except that they're so damn nice, they just can't help but use their powers to do good.
- The characters of Shamanic Princess come from another world where magic is a way of life, and most of them are very cute.
Comics
- Harvey Comics created Wendy the Good Little Witch as a backup feature for Casper the Friendly Ghost back in 1954. She got her own title in 1960. All adults witches appearing in the various series are green-skinned and wicked, suggesting that Wendy might outgrow her cuteness and desire to use her powers to do good.
- Magica De Spell was deliberately designed as youthful and attractive by Carl Barks as an aversion to the hag stereotype (such as with other Disney witches like Witch Hazel and Mad Madam Mim). Her appearance and mannerisms were inspired by actresses Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren, as well as the character of Morticia Addams.
Literature
- The Worst Witch book series naturally features one of these as a heroine. She was an extremely clumsy witch to boot.
- Tiffany Aching from her series of Discworld books is an aversion. Just because you're 11 years old doesn't mean you can't be angry, defiantly plain, and wearing shitkicker boots.
- Sephrenia from the Elenium trilogy by David Eddings. Though she was not, technically speaking, a witch, she was often called that by those who opposed the use of magic for religious reasons. And despite being a few hundred years old, she was said to be extremely lovely.
Live Action TV
- Firefly's River Tam is a sci-fi version of this concept. She is a lovely teenage girl who likes to dance and play although she is also seriously disturbed. She has supernatural powers in the form of psychic abilities, she did attend a "school" to get her powers, and she even fights monsters, the show's mysterious and terrifying Reavers (although her fighting them became more obvious in the movie Serenity). She's also called a witch repeatedly in the setting, by both superstitious villagers who wanted to burn her and by Jayne from their crew.
Video Games
- The
 ◊ Witch◊ princess◊ from most of the first DS Harvest Moon games. Even though she's pretty mean at start, she becomes a lot nicer when you talk to her a lot (and give her gifts, trigger heart events etc.), and you can even marry her eventually. Even if you are a girl. in the Japanese versions.
- Marisa Kirisame, one of the protagonists of the Touhou series; if her face doesn't appeal to you as "cute", her witch attire with frills does. Her ally/rival, Alice Margatroid also counts, though in a slightly more mature way, as does the enigmatic Patchouli Knowledge who seemingly doesn't care to change out of her pimped out pajamas. Let's just say all of the witches in Touhou are cute. Actually, let's just say that everyone in Touhou are cute, even the ones that would normally be creepy.
- Mizuno from Tomba! is actually called "The Cute Witch". She's also intensely sarcastic, and prone to losing her magic mirror.
- Melody from Rune Factory. She runs the bathhouse and doesn't quite know why. In the original game, she only dresses the part, but in Rune Factory Frontier, it's possible for her to actually learn magic from Cinnamon.
- Lymle from Star Ocean The Last Hope is 15 years old by her race's standards, but mentally acts and speaks like a 6 year old girl. If there's anything she knows complete mastery over though, it's using Symbology Magic and summoning Cerberus from a pocket dimension akin to Hell itself.
- Super Robot Wars NEO: Sharlie Lunoille and the Merville, which is a Fembot with cat ears riding a mechanical broom that can be used as a Wave Motion Gun.
- In Yume Nikki, Madotsuki can become one herself through the aptly titled Witch effect. Doing this enables her to fly a broom, which serves no real purpose (as most things in the game). One can trigger an event on the roof this way, though.
- Witch Beatrice from Dark Souls is a cute witch in a world where cute doesn't show up much at all.
- Sally from Adventure Quest Worlds is a witch and a Necromancer that dresses in pink, and has a freaking teddy bear.
Web Comics
- The Hellrune Coven of Magick Chicks (a spinoff from their origin in Eerie Cuties) are three cute little ladies. Not all sweetness and nice, but quite cute.
Western Animation
- Obscure 1960s character Honey Halfwitch is actually half-wizard/half-girl, according to the theme song).
- Mirta is much nicer than most other witches in Winx Club and is really the only cute witch. In season two she becomes a fairy.
- Rupert has two examples: A young witch who's upset because "witches aren't supposed to be cute," and Tiger Lily, who's learned a few things from her father, the Conjuror.
- Hanna-Barbera's Winsome ("Winnie") Witch sometimes fancies herself as one cute witch.
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