In J. M. Barrie’s 1902 novel The Little White Bird, in a chapter about Peter Pan, a story about the origin of fairies appears. Barrie who also created the Tinkerbell character, wrote, “…when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.”

Fairies, also known as fays, feys, faerys, faeries and collectively as fae, wee folk and good folk are tiny, humanoid, supernatural creatures. Sometimes winged and often mischievous, in many cultures fairies are also known to possess magical powers. Sometimes the term ‘fairy’ is used to describe any magical creature, including goblins or gnomes: at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creature. Their origins are unclear with some sources describing them as some form of angel, others as a species completely independent of humans or angels while others still believe they represent the spirit of the dead.

Among all the myths and legends that surround fairies, it is difficult to pinpoint when and where the Tooth Fairy legend began. In early Europe, a child’s lost baby tooth was usually buried and some believe that the Tooth Fairy evolved from the tooth mouse depicted in “La Bonne Petite Souris” (The Good Little Mouse), an 18th century French language fairy tale. In the story a mouse magically becomes a fairy to help a good queen defeat an evil king by hiding under his pillow to torture him and knocking out all his teeth. This combination of ancient intercontinental traditions has evolved into one that in one form or another is present almost worldwide.

For example, in Spanish-speaking countries, the Tooth Fairy is in fact a character called Ratoncito Pérez, a little mouse created around 1894 by the priest Luis Coloma. Coloma was asked to write a tale for eight-year old royal Alfonso XIII, as one of his teeth had fallen out and Ratón Pérez appeared in the tale of the Vain Little Mouse. In Italy also the Tooth Fairy (Fatina) is often substituted by a small mouse and in France this character is called La Petite Souris (the little mouse).

In certain parts of Scotland however there is the tradition of the Fairy Mouse: a white fairy rat which purchases the teeth with coins. In some Asian countries, such as India, Korea and Vietnam, 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 the teeth of mice go on growing for their whole life, a characteristic of all rodents. In Japan, a lost upper tooth is thrown straight down to the ground and lower teeth straight up into the air; the idea is that incoming teeth will grow straight.

Regardless of their origins, children the world over have a fascination with the Tooth Fairy and with all types of fairies. From the Cicely Mary Barker Flower Fairies book first published in 1923, to today’s Disney Fairies of Pixie Hollow, fairies have a timeless and universal appeal. Many sites are dedicated to bringing you fairy tales and activities and at sites like Fairy Coloring Pages you’ll find the best fairy coloring book