The research is focused on the origins and evolution of Russian romantic fairy tale of 1960-1980s for children. Addressing this topic is connected with the need to determine the specifics of functioning of this kind of fairy tale. The main aim of the study is to identify what features that had initially appeared in Russian romantic fairy tale of the XIX century remained in the XX century, as well as the nature of the changes occurred. Research of the works of the XX century Russian fairy tale authors A. Sharov and E. Borisova enables to see the evolution trends of romantic fairy tale as a literary genre. Such distinctive features of romantic fairy tale as stable problem-thematic complex, elements of medieval aesthetics in depicting the fictional world, the specificity of the subject organization – these have remained in its development in the XX century. The result of the study shows that the romantic fairy tale of the XX century experienced not only the direct influence of the romantic fairy tale of the XIX century, both Russian and foreign, but also the influence mediated by the works of A.