Reading our newspaper today, there was an article about two young men in our town who are currently serving in the Peace Corps in Panama City, Panama. Periodically, they report about their experiences. I thought you might find this one interesting:
A little boy lost a tooth this week. I asked him what he did with his tooth. He threw it on the roof. Apparently, the tooth fairy equivalent here is Ratoncito. After asking around, I discovered every house has a Ratoncito. Hes basically a little mouse with great big ears that he uses to fly, Dumbo style. They say hes kind of a burnt-orange color and only comes out at night.
When you lose a tooth you sing this song and throw the tooth on the roof. Ratoncito, Ratoncito take my little tooth and leave me a new big tooth. This rhymes in Spanish. After their explanation, I told them that in the United States, the tooth fairy takes your tooth from under your pillow and leaves a gift. The locals thought this was hilarious and stupid. Like flying mice make perfect sense.