The tooth fairy is one of the many folk myths practiced in many countries like the US, Germany, South Africa, Canada, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. In this myth, a fairy is supposed to provide a child with a gift in return for a tooth that has come out of the child. The child keeps the tooth below their pillow, as it is believed that the fairy will take the tooth when he or she is asleep. The tooth fairy takes the tooth and adds it to her all-white tooth castle present in the sky. The gift supplied by the fairy is normally given by the parents as money.
This tradition is believed to come from Anglo-Saxon as well as Latin American cultures, though this could be found in many other cultures in different forms. This tradition of tooth cultures could be found in many western cultures, though with different names. In countries where Spanish is spoken, one can find this character as Ratoncito Perez. It is a little mouse with the same surname “ratón de los dientes”. The character of “Ratoncito Pérez” was created by the Priest Luis Coloma around 1894. A tale with the character appeared in the tale of Vain Little Mouse.
The Tooth Fairy (Fatina) could also be found in Italy where it is substituted by a small mouse called Topino, whereas in France, the character is known as La Petite Souris. In the lowland Scotland, one can come across a traditional tale in which a white fairy rat could be seen purchasing the teeth with coins.
In many Asian countries like Korea and Vietnam, a tradition goes whereby, when a child loses a tooth from the lower jaw, he or she throws it on to the top of a roof and if it falls out from the upper jaw, it is placed beneath the floor. The child does it with the request to replace the tooth with a tooth of a mouse, as teeth of mouse keeps on growing for their whole life. IN many parts of India, the tooth lost by young children is sometimes offered to the sun, wrapped in tiny cotton rag.
There are many films that have been made on the theme of teeth. These movies are made on the lines of horror. One of the popular films on this theme is Darkness Falls, which is made by Jonathan Liebesman. In the movie, a woman who was killed long ago comes back as an evil spirit, takes the form of the Tooth Fairy, and keeps on haunting. Another film on this genre is The Tooth Fairy that is directed by Chuck Bowman. IN the movie, a murderous woman keeps on killing children for their teeth.
A comedian version of the Tooth Fairy was brought out in 1997 in the TV movie Toothless. In the movie, Kirstie Alley who plays the role of a dentist, becomes a tooth fairy unwillingly. Some other productions on the theme include the 1991 LAcewood creation of a 24 minute children’s animated short film called Tooth Fairy, Where Are You, the Nickelodeon Cartoon series, The Fairy Odd Parents and Hell boy II.
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