The document discusses the tooth fairy tradition and research on children's perceptions of the tooth fairy's appearance. A 1984 study found that most children believed the tooth fairy to be female, though some thought it was neither male nor female or could be either. When asked about her findings, researcher Rosemary Wells explained that children envisioned the tooth fairy as things like a Tinkerbell-type fairy, a man, bunny rabbit or mouse. A review of children's books found the tooth fairy depicted in various forms including a child with wings, pixie, dragon, mother figure and others. Unlike Santa, children are not as bothered by inconsistencies in the tooth fairy's portrayal.

1. Jesah Marie L. Estrellado

2. Jesah Marie L.
Estrellado

3. Jesah Marie L.
Estrellado

4. Jesah Marie L.
Estrellado

5. ∞The tooth fairy is
a fantasy figure of early
childhood. The folklore states that
when children lose one of
their baby teeth, they should place
it underneath their pillow and the
tooth fairy will visit while they
sleep, replacing the lost tooth with
a small payment.
The tradition of leaving a
tooth under a pillow for the tooth
fairy to collect is practiced in
various countries in
the Anglosphere. ∞
Jesah Marie L.
Estrellado

6. Jesah Marie L. Estrellado

7. Appearance of Tooth Fairies
Belief of Children
Female- 74%
Neither a male
nor a female-
12%
Either a male or
a female- 8%
Findings From Wells’
Research
Tinkerbell-
type tooth
fairy
Man
Bunny
Rabbit
Mouse
Public Children’s Books
Child with
wings
Pixie
Dragon
Blue
Mother
Figure
Flying
Ballerina
Dental
hygienist
etc
Jesah Marie L. Estrellado

8. ∞ Unlike Santa Claus and, to a lesser
extent, the Easter Bunny, there are few details
of the tooth fairy's appearance that are
consistent in various versions of the myth. A
1984 study conducted by Rosemary Wells
revealed that most, 74 percent of those surveyed,
believed the tooth fairy to be female, while 12
percent believed the tooth fairy to be neither male
nor female and 8 percent believed the tooth fairy
could be either male or female. ∞
Jesah Marie L. Estrellado

9. ∞ When asked about her
findings regarding the tooth
fairy's appearance, Wells
explained - "You've got your basic
Tinkerbell-type tooth fairy with
the wings, wand, a little older and
whatnot. Then you have some
people who think of the tooth
fairy as a man, or a bunny rabbit
or a mouse.” ∞
Jesah Marie L. Estrellado

10. ∞ One review of published children's books
and popular artwork found the tooth fairy to also
be depicted as a child with wings, a pixie, a dragon, a
blue mother-figure, a flying ballerina, two little old
men, a dental hygienist, a potbellied flying man
smoking a cigar, a bat, a bear and others. Unlike the
well-established imagining of Santa Claus,
differences in renderings of the tooth fairy are not
as upsetting to children. ∞
Jesah Marie L. Estrellado

11. Jesah Marie L. Estrellado

12. Jesah Marie L.
Estrellado

13. Sources:
Jesah Marie L. Estrellado
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_fairy