Since 1998, an insurance firm has conducted a poll to determine how much swag the tooth fairy or, depending on your country, the magical mouse, elf, brownie, or tooth rat has been leaving behind for children who’ve lost their teeth.
When the poll began, the going rate for a tooth was about $1.50. The most recent survey found that, in the United States, a tooth was pulling in about $4.66! The going rate in other nations was similar:
- C$6.11 in Canada ($4.59 U.S.)
- ¥525.82 in Japan ($4.72 U.S.)
- €4.38 in Ireland and Spain ($4.67 U.S.)
- £3.75 in England ($4.70 U.S.)
- R$14.47 in Brazil ($4.63 U.S.)
- ₡2613.42 in Costa Rica ($4.66 U.S.)
NPR’s Planet Money examined whether the value of lost teeth has kept pace with inflation. They posited a tooth was worth about $0.50 in the 1970s. If the value of a tooth had risen with inflation, it would be worth less than $3.00
Sources:
http://www.theoriginaltoothfairypoll.com/fairy-tales/
http://www.theoriginaltoothfairypoll.com/the-original-poll/
http://currencyconverter.io/525.82-usd-cad
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=520586228
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/01/how-university-costs-keep-rising-despite-tuition-freezes/512036/
https://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_botsman_the_currency_of_the_new_economy_is_trust/transcript?language=en
