While losing their first or ‘milk’ teeth is a rite of passage for young children who look forward to seeing what money the ‘Tooth Fairy’ has left under their pillow, Emma saw the opportunity to turn the tradition into a force to nurtue children’s emotional well-being and self-esteem.
The result is My Forever Tooth Fairy which Emma has created with the help of her daughter, eight-year-old Eabha.
“I had been working in the corporate world, in marketing in local software firm Intact for twenty years,” says Emma, who lives in Faughart, outside Dundalk. “In summer 2022, I began formulating this idea and putting it together.”
The inspiration for the brand came when Eabha began losing her first teeth and engaging with the tooth fairy.
“She had no interest in the money but she was totally enthralled by the magic of it all.”
Conscious that her young assistant is listening beside her, Emma explains: “I began researching the tooth fairy and realised that it could be quite a magical experience that reassures children of their own intrinsic worth.”
“The tradition of the tooth fairy coming to children is common in Ireland, the UK and the United States but I felt it was something that could benefit children worldwide.”
In Emma’s story, the each child has their own Forever Tooth Fairy, who collects the teeth once they have lost them, gaining the magic powers that belong to each child. These superpowers, such as love, confidence, and kindness, are then spread by their Forever Tooth Fairy across the world.
“I decided that if I was going to tell the story, I was going to do it right,” says Emma.
In addition to the beautifully illustrated book, the My Forever Tooth Fairy gift set which includes a beautiful plush fairy doll’, a tooth tote and display case.
“It’s a story that parents can read to their children and it’s also a keepsake and something that they can use to keep track of the years as they loose their teeth, from about four or five to around twelve.”
After a long search Emma engaged a Welsh artist Alice Wong to illustrate the book.
“She’s a Mum too and I went to Wales to visit her twice. We both bonded on how we wanted to bring this to life.”
Emma also put a lot of work into sourcing the doll which accompanies each giftpack.
“The doll is 30cms and her face is made from soft vinyl while her body is soft and squishy so she can be cuddled.”
There are two fairies, a girl fairy called Fayla and a boy fairy called Fayne whose names are based Fae on the old term for fairy.
As she developed the product, Emma got great support from Louth Local Enterprise Office and Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Programme.
“They have been phenomenal in the encouragement they have given me. They can see the opportunities in what I am doing. I would love for it to go on the global market. No-one else has taken the story of the tooth fairy and built it into a product like this so why shouldn’t an Irish company?”
Emma is so confident that the My Forever Tooth Fairy will come to rival a certain Christmas Elf, without making constant demands on parents, that she has left a well-paying job and invested her life savings into the venture.
“I am committed to it and am putting everything behind it.”
The girl fairy version launches for pre-order in mid-June with the giftpacks arriving for delivery in mid-July.
“The first editions will hopefully become collectors’ items,” says Emma who is already working on new products and are set to explore international opportunities to bring the magic of the tooth fairy to children worldwide.
She has already given My Forever Tooth Fairy a test run, reading the story to pupils in Kilcurry National School and they gave it the thumbs up!
“The kids loved it,” says Emma.
She is also taking as a good omen that fact that there is a fairy fort in a field at the back of her house.
“I’d forgotten all about it until my husband Alan mentioned it. I said it’s written in the stars that My Forever Tooth Fairy will be a success.”
