Ratón Pérez

El Ratoncito Pérez or Ratón Pérez (literally translated into English as Perez mouse or Perez the Mouse) is a figure popular in Spanish and Hispanic American cultures, similar to the tooth fairy, originating in Madrid in 1894. As is traditional in some English-speaking countries, when a child loses a tooth it is customary for him or her to place it under the pillow, so that Ratoncito Pérez will exchange it for a gift. The tradition is almost universal in Spanish cultures, but takes different forms in different areas. He is known as "Ratoncito Pérez" in Spanish speaking countries, with the exception of some regions of Mexico, Peru and Chile, where he is called "el Ratón de los Dientes" (The Tooth Mouse), and in Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay and Colombia, he is known simply as "El Ratón Pérez".

The Ratoncito Pérez has been used in by Colgate marketing in Venezuela, stars in the 2006 Argentine movie El Ratón Pérez, and appeared in the tale of the Vain Little Mouse.

A mouse named Ratón Pérez first appeared in "Cuentos, oraciones, adivinanzas y refranes populares" (1877), as the husband of "La Ratita Presumida" (The Vain Little Mouse). This character would later inspire Luis Coloma, who would make him part of the Spanish traditional folklore by turning him into a sort of Tooth Fairy.

In 1894, Coloma was contracted to write a story for Alfonso XIII, who had just lost his tooth at the age of 8. Coloma's story follows Ratoncito Pérez who lived with his family in a box of cookies in Madrid, but frequently ran away from home through the pipes of the city, and into the bedrooms of children who had lost their teeth. The story details how Ratoncito Pérez cunningly misleads any cats in the vicinity who may be lurking, and includes his interaction with King Buby (Queen Maria Christina's nickname for Alfonso XIII).

The city council of Madrid paid tribute to Ratoncito Pérez with a commemorative plaque outside the warehouse where the mouse was said to have lived. The plaque reads: "Here lived, in a box of cookies, Ratoncito Pérez, according to the story that the father Coloma wrote for the young King Alfonso XIII." Ratoncito Pérez thus became the first fictional character honored with a plaque by the Madrid City Council. Coloma's original manuscript, with his signature and a dedication to King Alfonso XIII, is now located in the vault of the Royal Palace Library.

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Wikipedia