We all know the Tooth Fairy. We know well who he is and when he shows up, but like all tradition it also has a past and as such, an origin. Therefore, we will get a little closer to it and we have to go back a bit in time to understand when it arises and why.
The little ones are always anxious about their arrival, because even if it is at the time of the loss of a tooth, they will have their reward. So that trance will go through in a more bearable way. But in case you are ever asked or simply for your own interest, we are going to reveal how all this custom arises. Do not miss it!
When the Pérez Mouse was born
As we have noted before, we all know him for his good work when little ones lose their teeth. But, How did its history really come into being and in what way? Well, It must be said that the Ratoncito Pérez was born thanks to Luis Coloma. This was a writer and journalist which gave life to a story in which its protagonist was the Mouse Pérez. It was a story that saw the light back in 1894, it told the story of a mouse that lived in a box of cookies. Even said house had an address because it was located in the warehouse of a pastry shop that was in Madrid at that time.
So we see that the writer combined real places with fictional characters to shape a more credible story. The mouse's job was to escape through the plumbing area to reach all those homes where children had lost their teeth. Until once he enters the palace and meets the boy who lives there, who becomes the mouse's assistant.
How the story of the Pérez Mouse arises
It is true that it is a story as we have mentioned but every story also has a beginning. This was not by chance but the story arises because Alfonso XIII, son of María Cristina also had his first tooth fall out and it seems that it was a somewhat traumatic moment. So, it was his mother who ordered to write a story to calm the little boy, whom she called Buby, as it appears in the original story. Where this name is mentioned but not the real one of Alfonso XIII. In summary, history is a way for the little ones to lose their fear, to see that some changes are not so bad and that they bring something better.
What does the Ratoncito Pérez really mean?
Today we know that it is a tradition that parents keep alive, whenever a baby tooth falls out. It is a way of reassuring them in the face of this loss and those to come. The tooth is exchanged for a coin to be found under the pillow or on the bedside table. But the moment the story came out, its author thought that fantasy was very funny, but in addition to that, it had to have a teaching.
Therefore, within the plot, the king goes with the mouse to discover a life lesson. Being able to verify that there are many families experiencing real needs that he always had covered. So there he would realize that he really was lucky. That was the moral lesson that is also learned from the story of the Tooth Fairy and that the monarch himself had to learn.
Ratoncito Pérez: A legend with his own street
As in the story the exact place where the Ratoncito lived, which was none other than Calle Arenal, is cited, now his memory is captured there. it was in 2003 it was decided to put a commemorative plaque. Although we all follow the tradition and remember this character, it is now official that Madrid has him more alive than ever. It must be said that he is the first character that belongs to fiction and that he has a street. But as we say, after his long career and good work, he deserved no less.