1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: Fellow Ridiculous historians. It's pretty weird when we think about 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:09,799 Speaker 1: all the strange things that are treated as normal. Imagine 3 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: if you went to some part of the world that 4 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:16,279 Speaker 1: did not have a tooth fairy, and you told the child, Hey, 5 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: when you lose your tooth, put it under wherever you're sleeping, 6 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 1: and a magical creature will give you money. 7 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure I've brought this up to you before, Ben, 8 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 2: and I think I may have even sent you one 9 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 2: of her little missives. But the I want to say 10 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 2: Icelandic pop singer Aurora. She made the delightful point that 11 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 2: when you brush your teeth, it's the only time you 12 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 2: clean your skeleton. 13 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 1: Beautiful, Let's roll the show. Ridiculous History is a production 14 00:00:46,960 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Growing up in the West, many of us 15 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: as children encounter strange myths and traditions. One of the 16 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: most famous is Santa Claus. But you know the one 17 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:25,639 Speaker 1: that always terrified me was the tooth fairy. 18 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 2: Is that a fact? 19 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: Ben? 20 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 2: Yes? Yes, I had a. 21 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: Deep and abiding fear of the tooth fairy. I didn't 22 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: like losing teeth and I didn't like touching metal. I 23 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 1: never have, so the idea that there would be someone 24 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: who sneaks in and like switches this tooth that I 25 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: have to sleep on top of with metal, you know, 26 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: some in the under the cover of. 27 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,559 Speaker 2: Darkness, a perfect storm of nightmare you have, young Ben. 28 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: It's true, it's true. No, it's true. What about you 29 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: were you were you a tooth fairy kid? Yeah? 30 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, and then you know, and being a dad myself. 31 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 2: By the way, we need to do a quick disclaimer here. 32 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,359 Speaker 2: Spoiler alert for certain child based things. 33 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: Ah yes, spoiler alert for stuff that's on a need 34 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: to know basis. 35 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,239 Speaker 2: There you go. Yeah, that's a good diplomatic way. So 36 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:23,239 Speaker 2: we're gonna do a countdown five, four, three, two one. Yeah. 37 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 2: So my kid just now figured out that the tooth 38 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 2: fairy is me and her mom. 39 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: Did you get caught? 40 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 2: No? I didn't. But it just finally was like, she's 41 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 2: like when she's at my house, she gets a certain 42 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 2: amount of money. She's a mom's house, she gets a 43 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 2: certain amount of money. And it kind of started being like, 44 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 2: wait a minute, what maybe that was our fault. We 45 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 2: should have coordinated a little bit better. But yeah, she 46 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 2: was into it, and I was about it as well, 47 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 2: and I see the benefits of it. But Robert Lamb 48 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 2: from Stuff to Blow Your Mind made a really good 49 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 2: point about how with things like the Tooth Fairy and 50 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 2: Santa Claus, we do a really bad job as a 51 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 2: culture differentiating between like myth and tradition. It has to 52 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 2: be taken so literal and become like a lie to children. 53 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:11,919 Speaker 2: I have resented the Santa Claus lie for a long time, 54 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 2: and I'm really happy to be done with that because 55 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 2: it really made me feel uncomfortable. 56 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: And there's some yeah, there's some double think. It's so 57 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: strange too because on another podcast, Stuff they Want you 58 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: to Know, one of the points that haunted me before 59 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,920 Speaker 1: for years on that show was most people growing up 60 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: in the US, just statistically speaking, the first conspiracy theory 61 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: they learn about is Santa Claus, and the conspiracy thing 62 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: is reals. Can you like that changes the way you 63 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: think about authority and parents and anyone over ten? 64 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 2: Do you remember Pete and Pete the Nickelodeon show, Yeah, 65 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 2: Redheaded Brothers. 66 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: I just remember the tattoo the Ta Tattoo school. 67 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, and you could make your dance or whatever. But 68 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 2: that show also had a bunch of really cool guest 69 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 2: appearances from like interesting musicians like Michael Stipe. First place 70 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 2: I ever heard of who Iggy Pop was. But in 71 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 2: that show, there's a thing called like the International Adult Conspiracy. 72 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 2: I believe it's what it's called, and that is exactly 73 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 2: what this kind of stuff is. It is an agreed 74 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 2: upon the lie that you feed your children. And I 75 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 2: just felt uncomfortable with it because I'm like, is she 76 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 2: gonna ever trust anything? I say again, yeah, especially if 77 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:23,039 Speaker 2: she figures it out herself. And I never like come clean. 78 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: Oh, speaking of coming clean, it's time to introduce everybody 79 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: to our mutual favorite part of our show, super producer 80 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 1: Casey Pegram Casey, I've got to ask, when did you 81 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: figure out that the tooth Fairy was not, in fact 82 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: a supernatural creature. 83 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,720 Speaker 3: I think I figured it out pretty early on and 84 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 3: kind of kept up the illusions for a little bit. 85 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 1: Ye. 86 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 3: Well, my own financial benefits, That's. 87 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 2: What I'm saying, because once you stop believing, then the 88 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 2: cash drives up. What was your exchange rate for a 89 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 2: tooth you don't mind, man, I. 90 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 3: Want to say maybe five or ten bucks. 91 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 2: Oh wow, it's pretty rich. 92 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:09,359 Speaker 1: And if you were a child in the United States 93 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: in twenty thirteen, you got an average of three dollars 94 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,840 Speaker 1: and seventy cents per lost tooth, and that's twenty three 95 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,800 Speaker 1: percent jump over the last year's rate, twenty twelve's rate 96 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:20,279 Speaker 1: of three dollars a tooth. 97 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 2: And it's interesting too because this is obviously an average, 98 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 2: so some kids might get a twenty spot for their tooth, 99 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 2: some kids might just get a buck. And I believe 100 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 2: that was tracked regionally, and that it was found that 101 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 2: in the south where we live, that's where the tooth 102 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 2: fairy was the stingiest, and I believe up north is 103 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:46,599 Speaker 2: where they were a bit more generous. Yeah, so this 104 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:47,159 Speaker 2: is weird. 105 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:49,919 Speaker 1: I'm not going to say who in my family, but 106 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: there was also a practice that I thought was normal, 107 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:55,799 Speaker 1: wherein it was kind of a surprise or a gamble 108 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: to see how much money the tooth fairy would leave you. 109 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: Because our tooth fairy our family was like pretty pretty discerning, 110 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: and so some teeth would get more money because they 111 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:10,599 Speaker 1: were better somehow, like a canine tooth that had a 112 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: point was considered you know, a nice It's like tulips. 113 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: It was like tulips, except with just this invisible fairy creature. 114 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, and speaking of like you know, tooth fairy money 115 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:26,840 Speaker 2: as some sort of financial indicator. Delta Dental, who I 116 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,279 Speaker 2: believe we actually go through through our company, a dental 117 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 2: insurance company, actually tracked the average exchange for a tooth 118 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:40,360 Speaker 2: from two thousand up to twenty sixteen and they correlated 119 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,159 Speaker 2: it with the changes in the S and P five 120 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 2: hundred market and found that it was pretty close. Oh wow, 121 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 2: interesting and this is super interesting, Ben. This is a 122 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 2: lot of this is from a fabulous article from our 123 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 2: friends over at Mental Flaws. The tooth fairy inspired this 124 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,279 Speaker 2: researcher to come up with something called tooth fairy science. 125 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 2: Do you want to talk about that, man, tooth fairy science. 126 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's important, but it's not near as whimsical as 127 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: it sounds. An Air Force flight surgeon, skeptic and critic 128 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: of alternative medicine named doctor Harriet Hall coined this term 129 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: to essentially describe the importance of making sure some event, object, 130 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: or phenomena is real before attempting to study it. 131 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 2: That's right, because the example here is if you are 132 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 2: studying the amount of money the tooth fairy leaves and 133 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 2: averaging it out, you might think that you're just studying 134 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 2: the behavior to the tooth fairy or tooth fairies. But 135 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 2: what you're actually studying is the behavior of parents. And 136 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 2: so if you are studying a thing that doesn't really exist, 137 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 2: there might be another thing that is actually doing the 138 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 2: thing that you're studying that you never even considered. And 139 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 2: so it's just an important way to create good data 140 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 2: and also to plan good studies. 141 00:07:55,720 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, and this is interesting because we're looking at so 142 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 1: many cultural things. 143 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 2: That describe the tooth fairy. 144 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: One of the things that I think is fascinating, It's 145 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: something we were focusing on for this episode is the 146 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: origin of the tooth fairy because there are so many 147 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: things like Santa Claus, Christmas, trees, the Easter bunny, things 148 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: of that nature that we accept growing up as normal, 149 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 1: normal things. You know, even though many of these will 150 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: be tied to a religious practice, secular kids practice them too, 151 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:34,439 Speaker 1: because Christmas or Hanukah, that kind of stuff is just cool, 152 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. And what I think will 153 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 1: surprise a lot of people here is that the origins 154 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: of the tooth fairy are at least the twoth fairies. 155 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:44,720 Speaker 1: We understand it. 156 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 2: In the US. 157 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:51,480 Speaker 1: The origins are fairly recent. We can trace back ancient 158 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 1: tales of tooth related rites of passage. That stuff is 159 00:08:57,880 --> 00:08:59,560 Speaker 1: really fascinating. 160 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 2: Like the throwing of the teeth, which appears across several 161 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 2: different cultures, which is really interesting. The vikings did it, 162 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 2: especially baby teeth. 163 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, the offering of a tooth to a rat 164 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: because it would make your like a rat or a 165 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: rodent of some sort, because it was thought to ensure 166 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: that the child's teeth would grow strong. 167 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 2: And that's really interesting when we get into the modern 168 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:28,200 Speaker 2: day tooth fairy myth, or at least the story that 169 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 2: likely was the cause of it, where the tooth fairy 170 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 2: is in fact a rodent. 171 00:09:33,679 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, it's true. So we know that at least 172 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: in Europe. The ritual of how to handle one's shed 173 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:45,440 Speaker 1: baby teeth is global. There are just different rituals around it. 174 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 1: Like you said, no, this tradition in Europe at least 175 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 1: dates back to the earliest written records in Norse and 176 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: Northern European cultures, and during the Middle Ages there were 177 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 1: superstitions about children's teeth. You had to burn your baby 178 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: teeth to save a child from hardship in the afterlife, 179 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:11,760 Speaker 1: or you would wear children's teeth to bring you good 180 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:15,160 Speaker 1: luck in battle, or you would bury teeth to hide 181 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: them from witches. And it's interesting because back then it 182 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: was thought that if a witch were to get a 183 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 1: hold of your teeth, the witch would have power over you. 184 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 1: It's kind of weird, right. 185 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 2: It is a little weird. 186 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 1: So what's this what's this original story? Because we can 187 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 1: kind of trace it back, right. 188 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:32,319 Speaker 2: It's neat, but it's really cool because it kind of 189 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 2: incorporates some of the things we were just talking about. 190 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 2: So it turns out that the tooth fairy. The origins 191 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,840 Speaker 2: of the tooth fairy date back to eighteenth century France, 192 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,520 Speaker 2: when a fairy tale called oh boy, I try to 193 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 2: do casey proud la bon petitri la bon SOI yeah, 194 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:52,199 Speaker 2: and what does that translate to, sir? 195 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:53,439 Speaker 3: It's like the good little mouse. 196 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 2: Oh, it's the good little mouse, and it's the good 197 00:10:56,040 --> 00:11:00,440 Speaker 2: little Casey on the case. So this is the story 198 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:04,679 Speaker 2: of le bon petit the good little Mouse. There is 199 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:10,680 Speaker 2: an evil king who imprisons a good queen, and the 200 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,320 Speaker 2: queen is sort of like a you know, a snow 201 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:15,599 Speaker 2: white type figure. She can talk to the animals and 202 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 2: all that, and so she gets a little mouse to 203 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:20,439 Speaker 2: help her out of this jam. 204 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 1: That's right, that's right, And the mouse, luckily for her, 205 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 1: it turns out not to just be an intelligent, plucky 206 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 1: little rodent. Also, the mouse is secretly a fairy, and 207 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 1: once revealed to be a member of the fair folk 208 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: or a fay, the former mouse frees the queen and 209 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 1: then knocks out all of the king's teeth yikes, at 210 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: which point, as you would naturally do in fairy tale logic, 211 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,839 Speaker 1: he hides these teeth under the king's pillow and then 212 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: eventually as the king killed. 213 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:54,560 Speaker 2: Oh so that's not creepy at all. 214 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:57,720 Speaker 1: Well we could do, you know we. I'm sure everyone 215 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:01,679 Speaker 1: listening to this has heard stories before war about how 216 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: much more morbid and graphic the original version of fairy 217 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: tales are, you know what I mean. So don't let 218 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:12,080 Speaker 1: the patina of Disney feel goodery fool you about the 219 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 1: true nature of fairy tales. But that's fantastic, right, So 220 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: this goes back to what we were saying earlier about 221 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 1: the cultural thing with rodents. 222 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 2: It's right, rodents and teeth and the sacrifice of teeth, 223 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 2: the offering up of teeth and the pillow even exactly. 224 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:34,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, So let's fast forward a little bit to an 225 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:39,079 Speaker 1: especially pivotal article that was written in nineteen oh eight. 226 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 2: That's right, because one of the earliest mentions of the 227 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,079 Speaker 2: tooth Fairy, which that is not the language used in 228 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,240 Speaker 2: the play, right, No, No, it's it's the cute little 229 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 2: mouse fairy right there, teeth involved in the pillow, and 230 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 2: that kind of cements the whole mythology of the tooth Fray. 231 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 2: But it doesn't really have a name yet. So in 232 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,840 Speaker 2: a column in the Chicago Daily Tribune nineteen oh eight 233 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 2: called Household Hints, somebody writes in and suggests that I'm 234 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:08,960 Speaker 2: going to quote it. And this is also cribbing this 235 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:11,199 Speaker 2: from this mental floss article that has a list of 236 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:15,559 Speaker 2: unexpected things about the tooth Fairy. Many a refractory child 237 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 2: will allow a loose tooth to be removed if he 238 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 2: knows about the tooth Fairy. If he takes his little 239 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:23,839 Speaker 2: tooth and puts it under the pillow when he goes 240 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 2: to bed, the tooth Fairy will come in the night 241 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 2: and take it away, and in its place will leave 242 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 2: some little gift. And then you got a play that 243 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:35,720 Speaker 2: comes out in the late twenties by Esther Watkins called 244 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:38,920 Speaker 2: the tooth Fairy, right, and that's history. 245 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:43,200 Speaker 1: And this was a re release of that original French story, 246 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,960 Speaker 1: The Good Little Mouse. It was in English, it was 247 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 1: in nineteen twenty seven specifically, and this is where the 248 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: mouse fairy character becomes cemented with some of the imagery 249 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 1: that we have seen before, the wings in particular. And 250 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: there are scattered references afterwards and around this time to 251 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:06,520 Speaker 1: the tooth Fairy in the first half of the twentieth century, 252 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:11,439 Speaker 1: but it doesn't really hit its boom. It's Malcolm Gladwell 253 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:16,680 Speaker 1: esque tipping point until after World War Two, because one 254 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: of the most popular stories in Callers magazine in nineteen 255 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: forty nine mentions the tooth Fairy, and this, you know, 256 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: this makes it a little bit more legitimate. But from 257 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 1: what we found, the tooth Fairy didn't even enter in 258 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 1: encyclopedia until what the late seventies. 259 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, a very modern and American creation. 260 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:47,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's much more recent than you might think. And 261 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:50,960 Speaker 1: according to some people who have researched the history of 262 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 1: the tooth fairyes, such as Michael Hinkston over at Salon, 263 00:14:55,200 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 1: we can't overestimate the amount of influence corporations had over 264 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 1: the creation of tooth fairy. So we said, so, like, 265 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,200 Speaker 1: you know, the old story was Santa Claus before the 266 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: Coca Cola Santa. The appearance of Santa vary widely. He 267 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 1: might be really skinny, his costume differed. But once a 268 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:24,160 Speaker 1: soda company made this sort of pleasant, ruddy cheeked guy 269 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,880 Speaker 1: who's always wearing the same costume, right, they sort of 270 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 1: codified this icon, first in the US and now around 271 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,360 Speaker 1: the world. That's how people think of Santa Claus often. 272 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 1: So he puts the finger at another corporate entity that 273 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: sort of solidified the idea of the tooth fairy. And 274 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: you can find this article it's called Don't Tell the 275 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 1: Kids The Real History of the Tooth Fairy. In this 276 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: he delves into the work of perhaps the most influential, 277 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: most prominent tooth fairy scholar scholar, Yeah, tooth fairy scholar, 278 00:15:58,160 --> 00:15:59,239 Speaker 1: Rosemary Wells. 279 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:03,440 Speaker 2: Right, exactly, rose Mary Wells. And she saw what we've 280 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:07,960 Speaker 2: been seeing that the practice of you know, dealing with 281 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:10,200 Speaker 2: teeth in a ritualistic way, I guess for lack of 282 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 2: a bet, yeah, I know, was a thing across cultures, 283 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 2: but there was precious little known about the origins of 284 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 2: the tooth Fairy. And she's the one who kind of 285 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 2: dug in and found a lot of this stuff and 286 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 2: really went to town. She interviewed all kinds of folks, 287 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 2: anthropologists and parents and kids, and came out with a 288 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 2: series of articles to get to the heart of this 289 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:36,240 Speaker 2: mythical creature, the root character, the root. Indeed the root 290 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:39,480 Speaker 2: that was a joke from her previous episode as a 291 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 2: call back. Yeah yeah, yeah yeah. 292 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 1: So she dove into this and became known as like 293 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:52,200 Speaker 1: the global expert on these traditions, the evolution of this 294 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 1: in the zeitgeist. She even opened up the Twoth Fairy 295 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 1: Museum in her home in Deerfield. So people who study 296 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 1: this will tell you that there are several factors that 297 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:09,440 Speaker 1: led to the tooth fairies agreed upon depiction. 298 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:10,240 Speaker 2: Here in the US. 299 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:12,479 Speaker 1: And first we should mention for a long time, no 300 00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:14,399 Speaker 1: one agreed with the tooth fairy looked like right. 301 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:16,840 Speaker 2: That's right. It wasn't really a prominent feature. It was 302 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 2: just kind of a winged, tiny creature, a. 303 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:20,919 Speaker 1: Thing that happened. 304 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, especially since the origins were it being 305 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:28,360 Speaker 2: a literal mouse, right right, So this. 306 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 1: Changes a little bit. The animation giant Disney starts using 307 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: fairies and fairy godmothers in the nineteen fifties in a 308 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:40,480 Speaker 1: lot of their films like tinker Bell and Cinderella's right, 309 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 1: so you get this image of like, this is what 310 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 1: a fairy has. 311 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 2: Right, it's not a long jump to just insert that 312 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 2: visual that Disney provided the public consciousness with, and there 313 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 2: you got your tooth fairy. 314 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:54,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like, hey, this is what a fairy looks like. 315 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:57,959 Speaker 1: Now that one's just a tooth themed fairy. 316 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:00,880 Speaker 2: Lack of a better fact, he's picture the tooth fairy 317 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:02,560 Speaker 2: as being a tinker Bell esque figure. 318 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know what, I'm right there with you, man. 319 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:09,880 Speaker 1: There's another thing that happens here right around the same time. 320 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 1: Because we said the tooth theory didn't really blow up 321 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 1: till post World War two US. Right, that's an economic boom, 322 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:18,960 Speaker 1: there's an increase in prosperity. If you're living through the 323 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: Great Depression, you might not have a nickel to give. 324 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 2: A kid, absolutely not, and that would be a frivolous 325 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 2: use of a nickel. 326 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 1: And then, secondly, at least, as it's argued in Forbes magazine, 327 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: the child's centered view of the American family doesn't really 328 00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:38,280 Speaker 1: come into play until post World War Two. Now, again 329 00:18:38,359 --> 00:18:41,920 Speaker 1: this is Forbes, but the author argues that after World 330 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: War Two it became normal for parents to cater to 331 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: their children. 332 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,280 Speaker 2: To kind of dote on them. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, 333 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 2: before they have them like out working in the fields 334 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 2: or whatever. You know. 335 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 1: There's an interesting idea here too, which is equating a painful, 336 00:18:55,640 --> 00:19:00,360 Speaker 1: scary experience for children to some sort of reward. 337 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,200 Speaker 2: Like you'd be brave, get that tooth out, you got 338 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,240 Speaker 2: a dollar come in your way or a nickel or whatever. 339 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 2: Super capitalist not to mention, you can even double down 340 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:11,240 Speaker 2: on that and make it about like, hey, if you 341 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:13,639 Speaker 2: brush your teeth, roll well, the tooth fairre will give 342 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:14,760 Speaker 2: you more money or whatever. 343 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 1: You know. 344 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:18,439 Speaker 2: Oh nice parenting, parenting jiu jitsu. 345 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:21,680 Speaker 1: Did you do that? Course, that's a great move. I'm 346 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 1: impressed with you, so we I think we already talked. 347 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:25,199 Speaker 3: Now. 348 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,000 Speaker 2: She knows I'm a dirty liar, so you know, nothing 349 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:30,000 Speaker 2: I say will ever stand again. 350 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: You tell her you're a dirty liar who kept her 351 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:32,600 Speaker 1: teeth clean. 352 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:33,200 Speaker 2: That's true. 353 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 1: It might be a Jack Nicholson moment for you, Like 354 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:37,199 Speaker 1: in that what was it? What's the name of that 355 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:39,560 Speaker 1: film A Few Good Men, A Few good Men. Yeah, 356 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:42,400 Speaker 1: you can't handle the tooth. That's funny, that's cute, ben 357 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 1: I like that. 358 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,280 Speaker 2: Speaking of handling the teeth, that's another part of the 359 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 2: whole Rigamar role is you got to kind of sneak 360 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 2: in like a thief in the night and scond with 361 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 2: the tooth from under your sleeping child's pillow and then 362 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:57,040 Speaker 2: shove it somewhere. I have a drawer full of baby 363 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 2: teeth somewhere. I always pictured you as that kind of guy. Yeah, 364 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 2: speaking of that, though, you told me a really interesting 365 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:06,919 Speaker 2: story about someone who stumbled upon a cash of teeth 366 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 2: in a building, in the walls of a building here 367 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:09,960 Speaker 2: in Georgia. 368 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 1: Yes, that's true. In October of this year in Valdosta, Georgia, 369 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:18,000 Speaker 1: which is in South Georgia for people unfamiliar with the state, 370 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,560 Speaker 1: there were some construction workers who were at the TB. 371 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:26,240 Speaker 1: Converse building and they were trying to prepare the place 372 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:30,680 Speaker 1: for They were essentially trying to renovate it, and they 373 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:34,879 Speaker 1: wanted to get it ready for a new commercial tenant. 374 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:39,679 Speaker 1: And that's when they discovered around one thousand individual teeth 375 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,159 Speaker 1: oh buried in a wall on the second floor with. 376 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:44,920 Speaker 2: The tooth ferry. We're in fact real Yeah, I know 377 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:46,439 Speaker 2: you are just shutting your way through this one. I 378 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:49,320 Speaker 2: appreciate you sticking, staying without a taking one for the team. 379 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 2: But that would be like the tooth fairies like Burrow, 380 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 2: like Den. 381 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,880 Speaker 1: Perhaps that's what they do with the teeth, right, that's 382 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,120 Speaker 1: the to me as a kid, that was the weirdest thing. 383 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 1: What the hell is that ferry with those teeth? 384 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:02,919 Speaker 4: Like the bone collector right right, like the bone clothing 385 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 4: any I mean, if you think about it, this is 386 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:10,439 Speaker 4: a weirdly common trope, like Cereal mascots, you know, like 387 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:11,600 Speaker 4: the Lucky Charms guy. 388 00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:14,640 Speaker 1: He's just taking all these charms. What's he doing with them? 389 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 2: It's freakish, you know. He's also really skinny too, so 390 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 2: he's alw he's not eating at all. Yeah. 391 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,959 Speaker 1: Yeah, And it's not like the tooth fairy is putting 392 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,080 Speaker 1: the teeth in its mouth and getting a bigger smile. 393 00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 2: Though that's a great idea for a horror story, and 394 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,399 Speaker 2: there is in fact a spooky tooth fairy. I believe 395 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 2: not to mention a silly tooth fairy starring the rock 396 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:36,639 Speaker 2: and then subsequent I believe straight to video sequels Larry 397 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 2: the Cable Guy. 398 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,439 Speaker 1: So I would love to see Tom Waits's tooth fairy. 399 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,920 Speaker 1: It's like a haggard old wizard with like tiny wings 400 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: and he comes in. He's like, suh, gotta keep quiet, mister, 401 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:52,640 Speaker 1: pocket the bucket. 402 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 2: That's great. If you guys haven't seen Tom Waits in 403 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 2: the Ballad of Buster Screws, we gotta let it go. 404 00:21:58,240 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 2: Absolute delight. 405 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:08,080 Speaker 1: So I feel like we've learned a lot here. The 406 00:22:08,119 --> 00:22:11,560 Speaker 1: tooth fairy is, at least the way we understand it 407 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:16,640 Speaker 1: is so much more recent. It's that cross pollination of 408 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,320 Speaker 1: this mouse that sneaks into a kid's bedroom, and then 409 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:22,159 Speaker 1: this general idea of the quote unquote good fairy. 410 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:23,240 Speaker 2: Right, we just sort of. 411 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:28,200 Speaker 1: Smushed them together America style melting pot, a melt there 412 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:31,959 Speaker 1: we go. Yeah, we fond duded it, and then it 413 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 1: caught on. 414 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:34,000 Speaker 2: And spread like wildfire. 415 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: I feel like there's also an economic aspect to this too, 416 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,080 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Sure, it's not like put 417 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,200 Speaker 1: your teeth under your pillow and you get to spend 418 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:47,800 Speaker 1: more time with your loved ones. It's put your teeth 419 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,440 Speaker 1: on your pillow. Here's three dollars and seventy cents. 420 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, and those dollars in nickels and tens and twenties, 421 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:55,320 Speaker 2: and guy, I wonder if any kid ever got one 422 00:22:55,400 --> 00:23:00,359 Speaker 2: hundred surely, surely, yeah, somewhere must be nice anyway. Yeah, 423 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,479 Speaker 2: add up in twenty fifteen to two hundred and fifty 424 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 2: six million dollars. That is bonkers. Yeah, and there's okay. 425 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:14,840 Speaker 2: I found the quote that I wanted to. I want 426 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 2: to sit here about the economic part. And I appreciate 427 00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:21,520 Speaker 2: you putting in that that huge number, that statistic for us. So, 428 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 2: going back to Christina Kilgrove's article in Forbes, she says 429 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,720 Speaker 2: the Tooth Fairy holds a shorter and less visible pedigree 430 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 2: than Santa Claus, but her macroeconomic function in today's society 431 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:37,879 Speaker 2: differs only in degree. Santa Claus's promise is pre monetary 432 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 2: goodness gets you barbies or a Rambo doll. The tooth 433 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:46,040 Speaker 2: Fairy's promise is more modern anything, even your own body, 434 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:50,640 Speaker 2: can be turned into gold. That, in its final reductive wisdom, 435 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:54,639 Speaker 2: is precisely the vaunted magic of free enterprise. That is 436 00:23:55,320 --> 00:24:00,679 Speaker 2: dark spot on. Actually, man, I want to rattle off 437 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:03,919 Speaker 2: a couple of these other maybe non monetary traditions at 438 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 2: the end here, should we just leave it with that 439 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:06,399 Speaker 2: amazing quote? 440 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,240 Speaker 1: Ie, I don't know. Let's maybe we can find something 441 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:11,400 Speaker 1: a little less dark dark. 442 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, let's talk about some of the other traditions that persist. 443 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:18,160 Speaker 1: Let's travel around the world. So we've been to the 444 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:22,359 Speaker 1: United States, but we talked about Wait, we talked about 445 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 1: tooth tossing, right. 446 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's true. In countries like Turkey and even Greece 447 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:34,520 Speaker 2: or Mexico, kids throw their teeth onto the roof. Why, 448 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 2: I don't know, that's where they belong. Good, good luck, 449 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 2: I guess I'm not sure. Ben. You mentioned something earlier 450 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:46,920 Speaker 2: about how it would maybe encourage healthy growth of adult teeth. 451 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:54,439 Speaker 2: But in the Philippines, Korea, India, and Vietnam, only the 452 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:56,560 Speaker 2: lower teeth get tossed. 453 00:24:57,119 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 1: Oh, I remember this because the upper teeth go on 454 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 1: the floor. And the idea is that, through I guess 455 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:06,640 Speaker 1: sympathetic magic or attraction, the new tooth. 456 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 2: Will grow toward the old one. Smart makes sense, right, 457 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 2: it does make sense. 458 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 1: And then there are other tooth tossing things where sometimes the. 459 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,240 Speaker 2: Kid will yell out a wish while. 460 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:20,400 Speaker 1: They're tossing a tooth, got it, which makes I guess 461 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:22,359 Speaker 1: makes more sense to me for some reason, because it 462 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:25,120 Speaker 1: feels like an exchange, very instant exchange. 463 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:27,119 Speaker 2: Well, I don't have a tooth to throw, Ben, but 464 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 2: I wish we could just keep talking about teeth forever. 465 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:33,320 Speaker 2: But I don't think you make it. You're shuddering at 466 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:35,600 Speaker 2: this point. You're literally you're in a cold sweat. 467 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, but we're doing this for the ridiculous Historian's very 468 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,280 Speaker 1: I'm doing it for you all throughout Central Asia. If 469 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: you have a kid that loses a tooth, remember it's 470 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: traditional to put the tooth into some fat and feed 471 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:49,680 Speaker 1: it to a dog. Please don't try that. I don't 472 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:51,960 Speaker 1: know how a dog would digest a tooth. This is 473 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:54,440 Speaker 1: done because the idea is that the grown up tooth 474 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:56,840 Speaker 1: that replaces it will be as strong as a dog's tooth. 475 00:25:57,160 --> 00:25:59,600 Speaker 1: And if there's no dog around, bury it by a 476 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:03,960 Speaker 1: tree so that the new tooth and strong roots. That's 477 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: a quote from mental Floss. 478 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 2: That's wonderful. That's wonderful. 479 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 1: So do you have kids, how did you handle the 480 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:13,840 Speaker 1: tooth fairy growing up? You know what I mean. I'd 481 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:15,760 Speaker 1: love to hear from people who didn't really have it 482 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,480 Speaker 1: as a thing in their house, because not everybody. 483 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 2: Does absolutely, Or if you're a parent, how do you 484 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:24,560 Speaker 2: feel about the tooth fairy lie let us know. You 485 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 2: can write to us at Ridiculous at HowStuffWorks dot com, 486 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:29,680 Speaker 2: or we can hit us up on our Facebook group, 487 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:33,000 Speaker 2: the Ridiculous Historians, where we just have a good old 488 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 2: time hanging out by the Internet fire, you know, warming ourselves, 489 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,760 Speaker 2: burning our teeth, dricking hot cocoa together with the other 490 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 2: ridiculous historians that hang out there. There's a lot of fun. 491 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 2: Casey gets on, Jonathan Strickland the Quizzler gets on, or 492 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:47,000 Speaker 2: as you like to call him, Ben the Quizzler, just 493 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:48,520 Speaker 2: to take him down a pet, you gotta take him 494 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 2: down when he gets big. He is a haughty boy. 495 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:52,920 Speaker 1: Sometimes he gets big, little too big, a little big 496 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:57,359 Speaker 1: little big. So thanks also to Alex Williams, you compose 497 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:01,560 Speaker 1: our track. Thanks to you, Lol Brown, And it sounds 498 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:05,199 Speaker 1: like you're doing a pretty solid job navigating the ethically 499 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 1: fraught path of parenthood. 500 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,840 Speaker 2: Well, you know, when it all came out, she definitely 501 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:13,720 Speaker 2: didn't hate me or distrust me, So I guess I'm 502 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:22,640 Speaker 2: doing okay. We'll see you next time, folks. For more 503 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:26,200 Speaker 2: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or 504 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 2: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.