Collection Information: My Little Toothbrush was collected on April 27th, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. It belongs to a sub-genre of nursery rhymes called fingerplay.
Informant: The informant is Hakan Yagiz. He is 22 years old and is an only child from Seattle, Washington. His mother, father, and step-father are all turkish, and he spent many summers living in Turkey with his family. His mother worked as a banker when she lived in Turkey, but when she immigrated to the US she went to dental school. Hakan has dreamed of following in his mother’s footsteps for a long time, and he was recently admitted to the University of Washington’s Dental School. Currently, he is finishing his senior year at UCLA.
Text:
I have a little toothbrush, (hold fist as though you are holding a tooth brush)
I hold it very tight.
I brush my teach each morning,
And then again at night.
I go brush, brush, brush (make a brushing motion)
And swish, swish, swish (pretend to swish water in your mouth)
And then when they’re all clean
I will blow you a kiss. (blow a kiss)
Context: This fingerplay is meant to be sung just after waking up or just before bed. The informant described it as something he would sing in unison with his mother. Right after singing the song, the child is supposed to go brush their teeth. This song can be performed by any caretaker such as a parent, nanny, babysitter, or grandparent along with the child.
Meaning and Interpretation: In the most basic sense, this song is simply a reminder for a child to brush his or her teeth. It is meant to convey the importance of dental hygiene and to make brushing teeth seem fun and easy because kids usually do not like brushing their teeth. In the case of the informant, this piece held special meaning because it was a chance for his mother to share her profession with him. Obviously his desire to become a dentist was contingent on his academic interests and other factors, but he acknowledges the role that his bond with his mother played in inspiring his career aspirations. He viewed his mother as a great role model, and their tradition of singing this fingerplay song was one site of their bonding as well as a transmission of her interest in dentistry.
Collector’s Information: Chris Faulkner, Dartmouth ’14, Russian 13, Professor Mikhail Gronas, Spring 2014
