Sometimes a collectable has a little feature that makes you look at it completely differently.
That happened to us with the Jim Shore Disney Traditions Treasure Keepers.
At first glance, they're beautiful Disney Princess figurines. Rapunzel stands in her flowing purple gown, her famous golden hair curling behind her, while Cinderella wears that unmistakable blue ball gown.
But look a little closer at their dresses and you'll discover something rather wonderful.
Each princess has a tiny secret drawer hidden inside her gown.
The Disney Traditions Treasure Keepers were designed with these little compartments for holding tiny pieces of jewellery and other precious keepsakes.
But when we opened the drawers on our Cinderella and Rapunzel Treasure Keepers, we immediately thought of another very important treasure that needs keeping safe.
A tooth waiting for the Tooth Fairy.
And we think they might make the most magical Tooth Fairy boxes.
What Are the Disney Traditions Treasure Keepers?
The Disney Traditions Treasure Keepers are a lovely little collection of Disney Princess figurines designed in Jim Shore's distinctive folk-art style.
Rather than being purely decorative, each princess has a small pull-out drawer cleverly incorporated into the front of her gown – a secret compartment for keeping something tiny and precious inside.
There are five princesses in the Treasure Keeper collection:
- Belle Treasure Keeper – A29503
- Rapunzel Treasure Keeper – A29504
- Ariel Treasure Keeper – A29505
- Cinderella Treasure Keeper – A29506
- Aurora Treasure Keeper – A29507
That also means a child could have a Tooth Fairy princess connected to a Disney character they particularly love.
Perhaps Ariel guards the teeth of a Little Mermaid fan.
Belle looks after them for the child who always has their nose in a book.
Rapunzel might be perfect for a Tangled lover, while Aurora and Cinderella bring all the traditional fairytale magic you could possibly ask for.
Whichever princess you choose, there's something delightfully secret about that tiny drawer.
A Disney Tooth Fairy Box with a Secret Drawer
Losing a tooth is one of those brilliantly strange little childhood milestones.
First comes the wobble.
Then the constant checking of the wobble.
Then showing absolutely everybody else how much it wobbles.
And eventually…
The tooth is out!
Traditionally, of course, the tooth is tucked underneath the pillow ready for the Tooth Fairy to collect during the night.
This system has worked perfectly well for generations, but I do feel we should acknowledge the logistical difficulties involved.
The Tooth Fairy has to locate an extremely small tooth underneath the head of a sleeping child, retrieve it without waking them and leave payment behind.
She's obviously exceptionally good at her job.
But a designated little drawer would certainly make things easier (she's a busy lady, afterall!)
How Could You Use a Treasure Keeper as a Tooth Fairy Box?
We haven't actually used our Disney Traditions Treasure Keepers this way - and this isn't their original purpose – it's simply a Tooth Fairy idea I fell rather in love with.
When a tooth comes out, instead of putting it underneath the pillow, the child could write a tiny note to the Tooth Fairy.
Something as simple as:
"Dear Tooth Fairy, I lost my tooth today. Please look after it for me."
Fold the note up nice and small, place it in the princess's secret drawer with the tooth and leave the Treasure Keeper somewhere safe for the night.
Then it's time for bed.
At some point during the night, the Tooth Fairy arrives.
By morning, the tooth and little note have disappeared…
…and in their place are a few shiny coins.
Perhaps even a tiny reply. Maybe there is a little glitter where her little wings have fluttered?!
Tiny Letters from the Tooth Fairy
This might be my favourite part of the whole idea.
Imagine the hidden drawer becoming a tiny postbox between a child and the Tooth Fairy.
Every time another tooth falls out, a little letter goes into the drawer.
And every time the Tooth Fairy visits, another comes back.
Perhaps she congratulates them on such a wonderfully sparkly tooth.
Perhaps she mentions that she's heard another one is beginning to wobble.
Maybe particularly beautiful teeth receive an especially glowing inspection report.
The letters don't need to be long. In fact, the smaller the better (the drawers are quite small).
There's something much more convincing about a message that's clearly fairy-sized.
And the Tooth Fairy's replies could be kept somewhere safe afterwards, creating a tiny collection of memories from those years when losing a tooth was one of the most exciting things that could possibly happen.
One Tooth Fairy Princess, Lots of Memories
This is where I think using a Disney Treasure Keeper becomes particularly lovely.
Rather than having a different envelope, pot or Tooth Fairy container every time a tooth comes out, the princess becomes part of the tradition.
Every lost tooth goes into the same secret drawer.
Every time, the child knows exactly where the Tooth Fairy will visit.
And every morning comes that wonderful little moment:
Pull open the drawer and see if she's been.
Over the years, that princess quietly gathers memories.
The first wobbly tooth.
The one that fell out at school.
The stubborn one that seemed to wobble for approximately six months.
The one that disappeared somewhere and required a slightly apologetic explanatory letter to the Tooth Fairy.
Until eventually, one day, there aren't any more baby teeth to put inside.
And When the Tooth Fairy Years Are Over...
This is probably what I love most about the idea.
Once the Tooth Fairy years are over, the Treasure Keeper doesn't have to disappear into a box.
It's still a beautiful Jim Shore Disney Traditions figurine.
It can sit on a shelf or become part of a Disney collection as the child gets older.
Except now it isn't simply Rapunzel Treasure Keeper A29504 or Cinderella Treasure Keeper A29506.
It's their Tooth Fairy princess.
The one that sat waiting whenever a tooth fell out.
The one whose drawer mysteriously contained coins the following morning.
The one the Tooth Fairy knew to visit.
And perhaps, many years later, it might even be passed on to another little person whose first tooth has just started to wobble.
A Little Note for Grown-Ups
Disney Traditions figurines are collectables rather than children's toys, so this is definitely something we'd see as a grown-up-managed Tooth Fairy tradition.
Keep the figurine somewhere safe, let an adult handle moving it if necessary, and make opening that magical little drawer part of the ritual rather than treating the princess as a toy.
The magic comes from the tradition – the little note, the secret drawer and the excitement of discovering what has happened overnight.
Sometimes the Smallest Traditions Are the Most Magical
Childhood magic doesn't always need to be enormous.
Sometimes it's a wobbly tooth.
A tiny folded letter.
A secret drawer hidden inside a princess's dress.
The excitement of going to bed knowing that sometime during the night, someone magical is coming.
And then that first dash in the morning.
The drawer is pulled open.
The tooth has gone.
There are coins where it used to be.
She's been!!
Disney collectables are wonderful things to own simply because we love them. But occasionally you find a piece that can become part of a family's story as well.
And if a Disney Princess happens to have a secret drawer hidden in her ball gown?
Well.
It seems only sensible to make sure the Tooth Fairy knows where to find it. ✨🧚♀️
