Vilhelm Pedersen drew this representation of the Sandman for the fairytale &quot;Ole Lukøje&quot; (Mr. Sandman) by Hans Christian Andersen   The '''Sandman''' is a mythical character in Western folklore who brings good dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto the eyes of children while they sleep at night.  ==Representation in traditional folklore== Traditionally he is a character in many children's stories, invoked to lull children to sleep. He is said to sprinkle sand or dust on or into the eyes of the child at night to bring on dreams and sleep. The grit or &quot;sleep&quot; in one's eyes upon waking is supposed to be the result of the Sandman's work the previous evening.  ''Ole Lukøje'', one of Hans Christian Andersen's folk tales, told of the different dreams the Sandman gave to a young boy in a week. The Sandman would sprinkle dust in the eyes of the children.  Andersen wrote:   E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776–1822) wrote an inverse depiction of the lovable character in a story called ''Der Sandmann'', which showed how sinister such a character could be made. According to the protagonist's nurse, he threw sand in the eyes of children who wouldn't sleep, with the result of those eyes falling out and being collected by the Sandman, who then takes the eyes to his iron nest on the moon, and uses them to feed his children. The protagonist of the story grows to associate this nightmarish creature with the genuinely sinister figure of his father's associate Coppelius.  ==In popular culture==  The Sandman is a popular character in folklore referenced in popular culture over several centuries.  * Films, including 1991 and 2000 versions of ''The Sandman''. * Popular music including Morningtown Ride by The Seekers, &quot;Mr. Sandman&quot; popularized by the Chordettes, &quot;Enter Sandman&quot; by Metallica, and &quot;Mr. Sandman&quot; from the album ''Tical'' by Method Man. * The 1933 Walt Disney Silly Symphonies cartoon &quot;Lullybye Land&quot; ends with the baby being put to sleep by the sandman. * The 1957 Soviet cartoon &quot;The Snow Queen&quot; is introduced by the Sandman who is depicted as an elf who puts children into a trance (sleep) using a black umbrella which causes a dreamless sleep or a colourful umbrella which causes dreams. *Roald Dahl's title character in The Big Friendly Giant is greatly comparable to the Sandman. * The Sandman appears in ''The Santa Clause 2'' and ''The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause'' portrayed by Michael Dorn. He is shown as a member of the Council of Legendary Figures and tends to fall asleep during meetings. * Comic book characters from Vertigo, DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Sandman from Vertigo is shown to be Morpheus, Classical god of dreams. In the 1960s Batman series a sleep-themed villain called the Sandman appears, who sprays a formula that puts people into a trance. * Video Games such as Fallout 3, the ''Punch-Out!!'' series, Team Fortress 2, Persona 4 and many others include Sandman references. * In the Charmed episode &quot;Sand Francisco Dreamin',&quot; the protagonists must save a Vir de Somnio (or &quot;Sandman&quot;) from being killed.  Without his ability to bring dreams to the people of the city, people would be unable to deal with personal issues in dreams and become angry and short-tempered while awake. * A Kidsongs video &quot;Good Night, Sleep Tight&quot;, released in 1986, featured two sandmen named Sandy and Dusty. * In William F. Nolan's Logan Trilogy, Sandmen are a group of professional law enforcers and hitmen who deal with those who try to flee mandatory death at 21.  