Toothache Tree
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| Toothache Tree | |
|---|---|
  The Toothache Tree in the DOS and CD-ROM Deluxe versions | |
| First appearance | Mario is Missing! (1992) |
| Greater location | Kathmandu |
- “The Ikha Narayan Temple houses a four-armed statue of Vishnu, one of the principal Hindu gods. Under a temple roof nearby sits Vaisha Dev, the god of teeth and toothaches. The stories say that if a person suffers from tooth pain, he or she may make a small contribution and then drive a nail into the wood surrounding the god. The nail relieves the pain by pinning down the evil spirits in the wood. Of course, just in case, a nearby lane is filled with open-air dentists' stalls.”
- —Pamphlet, Mario is Missing!
The Vaisha Dev Shrine, also known as the Toothache Tree, is a wooden log in Kathmandu that serves as a shrine to Vaisha Dev, the Newar patron goddess of toothache. People suffering from toothache use a nail to affix a coin to the tree, hoping their toothache will be cured.
In the PC version of Mario is Missing!, a Koopa Troopa steals one such nail from the tree, which forces the tree's information booth to shut down. Luigi must track down the nail and return it.
Questions
To return the nail, Luigi must prove its authenticity by answering these questions:
- How many arms does this Vishnu fellow have?
- Four
- Two
- One
- None
- Vaisha Dev, the resident deity, is the god of:
- trees and forests
- teeth and toothaches
- tools and instruments
- gums and braces
- To cure your tootache, drive a _____ into the toothache tree.
- tooth
- toothpick
- nail
- hangnail
