This genre-historical study provides an analysis of the fantastic children's literary works from the GDR, including the Soviet-occupied zone. In addition to a comprehensive presentation of the theoretical debate surrounding the fantastic, twelve exemplary analyses highlight programmatic development lines, aesthetic forms, motifs, and themes of this genre. Two model types of GDR children's and youth literature are outlined, and the study questions what functions these serve and to what extent one can speak of a functionalization of the fantastic. Two detailed excursions refer within the literary chronology to two significant outsiders of the GDR literary system: Peter Hacks and Reiner Kunze. Finally, the study points to the importance of GDR children's and youth literature in the context of memory culture and poses the question: What remains?.