In this modern take on the legend, a pro-sports star becomes the tooth fairy and has to get in touch with his sensitive side. If you could choose the least tooth fairy like actor in Hollywood today, at the top of the list you’d find Nicholas Cage or The Rock. The film is well animated, but a bit silly, even for a kids film. In recent films, the Tooth Fairy appeared in:Īn almost superhero version of mythological characters have to join together to save the world and the Tooth Fairy is a key part of the group, presented as likeable, and almost bird like.

The Tooth Fairy has featured in other lore about fairies, too. Some of these films are more or less what you’d expect from a female fairy character. To this day, the tooth fairy legend has appeared in hundreds of plays, books, cartoons and feature films. Some parents offer more money for bigger teeth or for the first or last tooth, also inspired by European tradition.

The legend was obscure for a while, but with the popularity of Walt Disney’s fairy characters, the tooth fairy gained popularity and quickly became a presence in most households.Ī recent survey by Visa found that the average child in the United States receives $3.70 per tooth, which is considerably more than what we used to get as children. In 1927 or so, a book popularized what would consider to be the modern tooth fairy. The tooth fairy as we know her was inspired by the legend of the mouse mentioned earlier and the good fairy myth. The most common rendition was inspired by other fairies in pop culture, but the tooth fairy has appeared in countless shapes and sizes, from young to old, human to sprite, even animals and birds have inspired the look of the fairy. Unlike the counterparts of Santa Claus or The Easter Bunny, which have been branded in large part by companies like Coca Cola and Cadbury, the Tooth Fairy has not been associated with one specific look. (9) swallowed by mother, the child or a pet. (4) thrown onto or over the roof of a dwelling. Other traditions of the tooth fairy include rituals dating back thousands of years in almost every culture. In other cultures, the legend varies to include beavers, cats, dogs or even squirrels. Anthropologists consider a type of ‘sympathetic magic’ a way for believers to transfer good luck or traits to the child who lost the tooth. The reason for the mouse being synonymous with so many culture’s tooth fairy tradition is the fact that rodents continue to grow their teeth their entire lives. Perez is used to market dental products to children much the way the tooth fairy is in Canada or the US. Perez has become a pop symbol in his own right, appearing in cartoons and he even has a museum dedicated to him in Madrid, Spain. In Latin countries the most well known character is Ratoncito Perez. In France, a mouse or rabbit dating to the 17th century mentioned a La Petite Souris. More recently, when the 6th tooth fell out, the child was rewarded with a gift in many northern European countries. This tradition is prominent in Russia, Spain and many asian countries like China. Ultimately the most popular version of a ‘tooth deity’ is the image of a mouse, who would enter children’s rooms and remove baby teeth. There’s also the more general tradition of a good fairy in Europe that was birthed out of fairy tales and popular literature in more recent times. A tradition of the tand-fe or tooth fee originated in Europe for a child’s first tooth, and vikings used children’s teeth and other items from their children to bring them good luck in battle. There are traditions, legends and myths dating back millennia with regards to loosing your baby teeth.Įarly norse and European traditions suggest that when a child lost a baby tooth, it was buried to spare the child from hardships in the next life. The Tooth Fairy as we know it is a relatively recent creation, like other myths, evolved over time. With any luck, we’ll learn something together and satisfy our fascination with folklore at the same time!

But where did this sprightly sprite originate, and just how long have we believed in her magic? 123 Dentist decided to dig into the history of the Tooth Fairy and provide you with some much needed answers. Unlike the other two mythological heroes of modern folklore, the Tooth Fairy exists across religion and culture in many anglo-based societies. The tooth fairy is an iconic symbol of childhood, the same way we fondly remember Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny, we look back on the Tooth Fairy with fond memories.

Toothfairy movie about mice