El Ratoncito Pérez

El Ratoncito Pérez is a beloved figure in Spanish and Hispanic American cultures. When children lose a baby tooth, they place it under their pillow or on their bedside table. El Ratoncito Pérez then visits the child while they sleep, replaces the tooth with a small gift, and leaves behind a note. The tradition of El Ratoncito Pérez is said to have originated in oral tradition folktales such as The Vain Little Mouse. In 1894, Luis Coloma wrote a tale for an eight-year-old King Alfonso XIII that turned El Ratoncito Pérez into a tooth dealer. El Ratoncito Pérez is known by many names throughout Spanish cultures, including El Ratón de los Dientes (The Tooth Mouse) and El Ratón Pérez. In the Philippines, some Christian ethnic groups have a similar tradition of a rat visiting children when they lose their teeth. However, unlike in Hispanic countries, the rat is not named. El Ratoncito Pérez has been featured in the 2006 Spanish-Argentine film The Hairy Tooth Fairy and its 2008 sequel. He has also been used in Colgate marketing in Venezuela.