Three Under-appreciated Western Cultural Icons

Why did Western Culture develop the industrial revolution and then far surpass other cultures in developing science and applying it to it’s civilization?

I think the answer is from an unlikely and under-appreciated source. Only the Western Culture has cultural icons that develop skeptical thinking in its population. I know education or the school system may want to claim the credit, but I believe that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy (The Holy Trinity) deserve the credit. Indeed, each of these innocent children stories once started, evolved into more elaborate deceptions in their detailing that made them more believable to impressionistic minds.
Why would parents deceive their children this way? Is there a hidden cultural agenda? Why would such stories persist in the culture? Do they confer an evolutionary advantage? What other culture so thoroughly convince kids one thing and then at an early age bursts their bubble about it? Most if not all other cultures, including our own religious sub-cultures, discourage skepticism. Those in control of these cultures are threatened by skepticism. For example, a “doubting Thomas” is a christian-based derogatory term applied to discourage any questioning of the group's commonly held belief. Religious-based cultures teach their children their non-evidence based religious beliefs but of course never alter these or allow any doubt when the child grows older. Faith is a virtue, or advanced as such, by these cultures. One could argue it keeps believers gullible and child-like and thus easy to control. Ironically the belief in the tooth fairy is frequently used to label adults as being too trusting and ready to believe anything.

One of the reasons given for the persistence of the tooth fairy myth is that parents use it to reassure themselves (that their kids are still so gullible) that their little babies are still that -babies. After all losing baby teeth is a sure sign of the inevitable maturation process.

Cultural lies for children are able to promote healthy skepticism. Only when you can produce such disbelief, after holding such strongly held beliefs, can you develop a questioning way of viewing the world and thus

advancing it. It was interesting what I found when I started researching on the origins of these three cultural memes.

Apparently most children lose their belief in these stories between 5-7 years of age and there is even a disease recognized when children don't lose these beliefs. I'd like to say it's "religion" but it's not ... yet. Wikipedia discusses the controversy about deceiving children about Santa Claus.

I searched for whether other cultures deliberately deceived their children but I couldn't find any evidence of it.

Collaboration is a bonus. November 2012 saw the release of the movie the Rise of The Guardians based on the idea that the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman along with Jack Frost join forces to save the world from an evil force.