Tooth fairy

For other uses, see Tooth Fairy (disambiguation).

A woman dressed as a fairy surrounded by children
A woman dressed as the Tooth Fairy during Halloween

The tooth fairy is a folkloric figure of early childhood in Western and Western-influenced cultures.[1] The folklore states that when children lose one of their baby teeth, they should place it underneath their pillow or on their bedside table; the Tooth Fairy will visit while they sleep, replacing the lost tooth with a small payment.[2]

  1. ^ Blair, John R.; McKee, Judy S.; Jernigan, Louise F. (June 1980). "Children's belief in Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy". Psychological Reports. 46 (3, Pt. 1): 691–694. doi:10.2466/pr0.1980.46.3.691. S2CID 146492076.
  2. ^ Watts, Linda S. (2007). "Tooth Fairy (legendary)". Encyclopedia of American Folklore. New York: Facts on File. p. 386. ISBN 978-0-8160-5699-6.