海角大神

For children, losing one鈥檚 baby teeth is an important rite of passage. It marks a child鈥檚 departure from early childhood and entry into middle childhood 鈥� a time when, among other milestones, a child鈥檚 belief in magic begins to recede.

Because of this, there鈥檚 something precious about the myth of the tooth fairy. Our children鈥檚 belief that the tooth fairy is real is a sign that they are still little, that they鈥檙e not growing up too quickly, that they鈥檙e still innocent. Children love the strange idea that a tooth will be whisked away in the night by a fairy, with money or a small token left in exchange: It鈥檚 a fun, harmless fantasy.

Unlike the holidays of Christmas and Easter, which also have their own beloved fantasy figures attached to them, there is no predicting when an individual tooth will fall out. Waiting for a loose tooth to wiggle its way out takes patience 鈥� and once it鈥檚 out, it can be nerve-wracking for a child to keep it safe until the tooth fairy can collect it.

Perhaps because losing a tooth is such a personal, individual event, it has not been commercialized in the way that collective holidays and their fantasy figures have been. In the U.S., for example, millions of 海角大神 families spend months gearing up for Christmas, anticipating the joy and the gifts it will bring. Marketers do everything they can to encourage people to spend a lot on the holidays; sales and specials encouraging purchases seem to begin earlier every year, and a fairly uniform image of Santa Claus is widely used in these promotions.

But with children鈥檚 teeth on their own individual timetables, marketers have never tried to monetize this milestone鈥� Until now.

Susan Linn of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood聽聽that The Real Tooth Fairies, LLC is working hard to colonize the tooth fairy myth.听, The Real Tooth Fairies takes the open-ended, family-centered tooth fairy tradition and subjects it to a heavy-handed marketing makeover.

, 鈥淓ach tooth is really a holiday moment鈥� 鈥� in the same way that Christmas, Easter, Valentine鈥檚 Day, and Halloween are holiday moments: moments that can be commercialized, packaged, and sold to consumers. In fact, they explain, 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a massive opportunity.鈥�

In the world of the Real Tooth Fairies, there is not just one tooth fairy; there are six tooth fairies who have been coronated by a tooth fairy queen. Why six? The brand is copying the formula for success experienced by other popular girls鈥� brands, such as Disney Princess, the Disney Fairies, Bratz Dolls, and the Spice Girls. Like the characters from those marketing success stories, each fairy has a different look: their hair color and skin tones vary 鈥� but not their body types; they all fit the Barbie mold. They also have different interests, ranging from animals to math to rock music 鈥� though without fail, each one of them has a handsome boyfriend. And a tiara.

In addition to these seven characters, the brand also serves up a short, stout, eyeglass-wearing, hairy-legged 鈥渨annabe鈥� tooth fairy called聽聽who, like Cinderella鈥檚 ugly stepsisters, is clearly meant as a counterpoint to the tall, pretty, real fairies. Unfortunately, her existence perpetuates a negative stereotype that (like so much about this brand) is not age appropriate, and which our girls don鈥檛 need: She suggests that any girl who doesn鈥檛 achieve a stereotypically beautiful appearance is unworthy of love and acceptance 鈥� unwanted. Although the brand claims to promote kindness, Stepella is excluded from the group.

Real girls, called 鈥淓arthies鈥� on the Real Fairies site, are expected to identify with one specific 鈥渞eal fairy鈥� from the main group of six, and then make requests on the web site for things that their parents will have to pay for 鈥� everything from personalized letters from a favorite fairy (starting at $0.99) to birthday party packages (costing $379).

So much for the tooth fairy myth鈥檚 innocent simplicity.

In fact, the brand grafts together components from nearly every popular girls鈥� brand: fashion (Barbie and Bratz), music (Hannah Montana), fairies (Tinkerbell and friends), royalty and romance (Disney Princesses), a pro-social 鈥渒indness鈥� message (Monster High), and so on. It鈥檚 a transparent effort to push every button possible in hopes the brand would sell.

Susan Linn agrees with this assessment.听鈥滻t鈥檚 like an amalgam of the worst trends in the toy industry,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t contains every known money-making ploy in a pseudo-sweet ambiance, but it鈥檚 full of gender stereotyping and sexualization.鈥�

Although the brand was launched in December 2011, it has recently grown dramatically in popularity: In April 2013, it boasted 7.1 million unique viewers. It has already been funded with $3.9 million. With these promising viewing trends, the owners want to raise an additional $4 million to expand it; they鈥檙e seeking to add a boys鈥� section to the site (with time-traveling action-adventure elves, because apparently fairies are too 鈥済irly鈥� for boys) and get licensed products into stores 鈥� so they created a pitch video for potential investors.

The company鈥檚聽聽recently came to the attention of CCFC. Upon seeing it Linn, was disgusted. 鈥淭he pitch to investors epitomizes the worst of the toy industry,鈥� Linn said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e cloaking themselves as doing something good for children, when really it鈥檚 about making money.鈥澛�

While corporations often feign that their product is meant to do something good for children 鈥� e.g.,聽聽claim that it聽, which The Real Tooth Fairies, LLC has also copied 鈥撀爐here鈥檚 something particularly problematic about the way it is playing out here. Linn points out that the tooth fairy has always been in the public domain, and beliefs about the tooth fairy have been very聽. Families have enjoyed devising their own tooth fairy rituals for generations 鈥� and, Linn fears, The Real Tooth Fairy, LLC hopes to put an end to that.

鈥淭his is a major assault on an area of childhood that has been unbranded,鈥� Linn explained. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an assault on the imagination. Families have always made up their own tooth fairy rituals, and it鈥檚 egregious to stultify children鈥檚 imaginations in that way.鈥�

To help CCFC save the tooth fairy, visit their聽聽or sign their聽.听

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