Wayzata Mom Creates Plush Tooth Figure -- And The Story Behind Him

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Pretty much everyone can remember losing that first tooth.

The lucky ones saw their tooth fall out on its own.

The unlucky ones might have had one end of a string tied to that loose tooth and the other end tied to a door and, well, you know the rest.

"I know for a fact that happens," Heidi Whitaker said. "I think I was a victim of that experiment when I was 4 or 5 years old."

But as a kid, Whitaker's mom gave her a tooth pillow to store her lost teeth in for the Tooth Fairy.

So when Whitaker's oldest daughter lost her first tooth, she got an idea.

"It is something to help them walk through an uncertain time in their life," she said. "Something to help them get excited about that first loose tooth, that first wiggle."

That's where a plush toy named Tug enters the picture.

"Tug has a super cool backpack to keep the tooth," Whitaker said.

But the Wayzata mom didn't just create Tug, she created a story called "Tug and the Tooth."

"The story is about a little girl named Liza who discovers she has a loose tooth," Whitaker said.

In the story, Tug comes to life in Liza's dream and takes her on an adventure to the Tooth Fairy's castle.

She meets characters along the way who teach her life lessons, and also how to take care of her teeth.

"I was surprised to find there was really nothing on the market for kids losing their teeth," Whitaker said.

There is now.

Whitaker sold nearly 500 in the first week alone, proving that losing one small tooth really is a big deal.

"Whatever the Tooth Fairy tradition families have, Tug doesn't influence with that or conflict with that," Whitaker said. "He just enhances that."

Several retailers have talked with Whitaker about carrying "Tug and the Tooth."

She's also hoping to introduce Tug to dentist offices across the country.

Tug, and the book that comes with him, costs $29.99. It can be found at tugandthetooth.com