2 Nov 2011
One of my students lost a tooth over the weekend, and I asked her if the tooth fairy came to visit her. She was confused by my mention of the tooth fairy, and someone explained to me that there is a different tradition in Spain for when you lose a tooth.
Instead of the tooth fairy, they have Ratoncito Peréz (Little Mouse Peréz). When a child loses a tooth, he or she places it under their pillow. They may optionally leave out some cheese--if they'd like Ratoncito Peréz to bring them something really good--in the same way we bribe Santa with cookies and milk. Ratoncito Peréz visits the child's house and exchanges the tooth for a gift. My student got a neat book about Ratoncito Peréz!
In the original tale (which dates back to 1894), Ratoncito Peréz lives with his family in the city of Madrid. Ratoncito Peréz, being a bit of a wild mouse, frequently leaves their house (a box of cookies) to wander around the city and sneak into the houses of children who had lost teeth.
The story was written by Luis Coloma for Alfonso XIII (the future king) when he was just 8. In the main plot, Ratoncito Peréz visits King Buby I (incidentally the nickname Alfonso XIII's mother gave him). Ratoncito Peréz is depicted as a noble knight. When Ratoncito Peréz visits King Buby I, he wakes him up and turns him into a mouse so that he can show King Buby a side of the city that he doesn't know. As they go through the city, King Buby sees the poverty of some of its citizens.
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