Tooth Fairy Myth & Legend

We all remember the days of our youth when we would excitedly leave baby teeth under the pillow for the Tooth Fairy (creating a tricky job for the parent who had to sneak in during the night to exchange it for a treat.) But exactly why do we even have a Tooth Fairy? Is this just a racket for youngsters to make cash? Is there actually some history behind this practice?

Well, of course there is! (Otherwise I wouldn't have asked the question, now would I?) And it turns out to be pretty interesting. To me, anyway. But I am a nerd when it comes to history, folklore, myth & legend. Stop laughing. Please?

Long, long ago- centuries, in fact- people in Europe would bury their children's baby teeth in the garden after they came out. This was supposed to cause a new tooth to grow in the child's mouth. In England, children were instructed to throw their teeth into the fire, lest they spend the afterlife searching for their lost teeth.

Both of these superstitions also may have come about through the fear of witches- a sinister idea that may, in fact, be the precursor of today's gentle, sparkly, not-at-all scary Tooth Fairy! Supposedly, if a witch had possession of something that had come off of an individual (fingernail clippings, hair, or a tooth) then the witch could control or cast spells on that person. So you either burned or buried that tooth to keep it out of a witch's evil clutches!

Luckily, we don't have to worry about that today. Our modern tooth fairy (like the lovely ladies featured on Crosby & Taylor Tooth Fairy Kits) is sweet and kindly. So, wait a minute- what on earth does she want with all those teeth? Isn't that a little... weird? Not at all. Some people believe she throws them up in the sky, where they become stars. Others believe she is building a castle in the sky. A huge, white castle made entirely of baby teeth. Ok, so maybe that is slightly strange. But still fun.

If you believe that there are already enough stars up there, or that she must have a big enough castle by now, or even if you just think baby teeth are interesting and cool to collect- you just may need one of these Tooth Fairy Kits.

The special keepsake box has a space for all 20 baby teeth, with a tooth chart to identify them and to record the date they fell out. They also include a reminder coin for the parents and a pouch with coin that makes it easy to slide out from under a sleeping head. The Fairy herself is available in a choice of 3 ethnicities- Caucasian, Asian, or African-American.



Just write a little note for the Tooth Fairy, asking her to leave your tooth for you. She'll still give a treat. She's been collecting teeth for centuries now, so your 20 teeth aren't that big a loss. She'll probably be happy that you think teeth are as cool as she does. Maybe she'll think you're building your own castle.

These are very new, so you may need to call a retailer and ask about them. Find one at our website here or here. (If you are a retailer and you don't carry them yet, contact us for info! info@tinwoodsman.com)

Do you have any great Tooth Fairy stories? Leave a comment and share them with us!

-Jen