the legend of the tooth mouse, the tooth fairy and the tooth mouse origin

The child puts his or her lost baby tooth under the pillow before going to bed. Then, in the morning the child finds a coin, a small banknote or a present in the place of the tooth : this is the tradition of the tooth mouse.

This myth is recent : an 17th century French language fairy tale " La Bonne Petite Souris ( " The Good Little Mouse ", written by Madame d'Aulnoy) "and the fairy tale " The Tooth Fairy", published by Lee Rogow, are said to be the origins of this myth. But, it has really started since the beginning of the 20th century as far as its current form is concerned and it has become very popular since the middle of the 20th century. This myth aims at reassuring children when they lose their teeth. And, this tradition exists under different names all over the world.

The tooth mouse is known as "el Ratoncito Pérez" in Spanish-speaking countries (Spain, Argentina...) : a little mouse with a common surname, such as Smith in English . In Venezuela and in Mexico, children call it "el Ratón" ("la Souris"). In Catalonia (a region of Spain), the little angles, "els Angelets", come to see children. In English-speaking countries and in northern European countries, it is called the Tooth Fairy : the Tooth Fairy in English, Zahnfee in German, Tannfe in Norwegian. Both creatures (the Little Mouse and the Tooth Fairy) exist in Quebec and in Italy ( Topino stands for "the Tooth Mouse" and Fatina stands for the "Tooth Fairy"). In French-speaking countries ( France, Belgium, Switzerland, Morocco, Algeria and Luxemburg...), we speak of the Tooth Mouse. In Ireland the Tooth Fairy is known as Annabogle, although this is a more recent tradition.

The child puts his or her lost baby tooth under the pillow before going to bed. Then, In the morning the child finds a coin, a small banknote, or a present in the place of the tooth. In reality, this is usually done by the child's parents : This is the myth of the tooth mouse.

A less-common variant consists in putting the tooth in a glass of water beside the bed. Again, in the morning, the tooth is replaced with a coin. This variant is becoming more common, as it is far easier for parents to find a tooth in a glass of water beside the bed without having to look for it under the pillow of the child ( taking the risk of waking him or her).

The primary useful purpose of the tooth-fairy myth is probably to give children a small reward and something to look forward to when they lose a tooth, a process which they might otherwise find worrisome. It also gives children a reason to give up a part of themselves that they may have grown attached to.

Teething traditions vary according to cultures and time : baby teeth are burried, hidden, swallowed, burnt, thrown over the roof ... Sometimes, only the first one is important ! Animals play an important role as well : if an animal eats a lost baby tooth, the permanent tooth to come will supposedly look like that animal's tooth (animals such as dogs, pigs, mice,rats...) : letting the tooth be eaten by mice or rats will ensure that the child will have a strong and sharp permanent tooth (such folk rituals were recorded as late as 1929).

For example, in the Philippines, when a child loses a tooth, he or she throws it over the roof . In this way, it is said that a mouse will give him back a sharper and stronger permanent tooth (as strong and sharp as the teeth of this mouse).

In Togo, parents tell children to throw their baby teeth over the roof : When doing this, children are supposed not to open their mouths. Indeed, if a lizard see the hole in children's mouths, the baby tooth will not be replaced (There are many lizard in the walls of houses in Togo.) !

In some Asian countries, such as Japan and Korea, when a child loses a tooth the usual custom is that he or she should throw it onto the roof if it came from the lower jaw, or into the space beneath the floor if it came from the upper jaw. While doing this, the child shouts a request for the tooth to be replaced with the tooth of a mouse. This tradition is based on the fact that mice's teeth go on growing for their whole lives.

The most commonly accepted belief by academics is the fairy's development from the tooth mouse, depicted in an 18th century French language fairy tale. In "La Bonne Petite Souris," a mouse changes into a fairy to help a good Queen defeat an evil King hiding under his pillow to torment him and knocking out all his teeth.

The first written reference to the tooth fairy appeared with a book, "The Tooth Fairy" written by Lee Rothgow. This fairy tale was very popular in the 50's. Since then, the tooth fairy and the tooth mouse have been part of families' traditions all over the world.

The "Ratoncito Pérez" character was created around 1894 by the priest Luis Coloma (1851-1915), a member of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language since 1908. The Crown asked Coloma to write a tale for the 8 years old Alfonso XIII, as one of his teeth had fallen out. The child in the story was called Bubi, that is how Alfonso was knicknamed by his mother the Queen Doña María Cristina.