Sofia’s entire body was burned (Picture: East2West)

A disturbing new social media craze is endangering the lives of girls in Russia.

The post urges children to secretly turn on the rings on their kitchen hobs, promising that they’ll become ‘fire fairies’ if they do.

It’s designed to look like a prank from the popular kids’ show ‘Winx Club: School of Witches’ – and since it’s gone viral, children have been left seriously injured with severe burns.

Sofia Ezhova, five, suffered severe burns all over her body after she switched on a gas oven to play the ‘game’.


Children are told to secretly turn on their cookers (Picture: East2West)

The post says: ‘At midnight, when everyone is asleep, get out of your bed and go around the room three times. Then say the magic words: ‘Alfey kingdom, sweet little fairies, give me the power, I’m asking you’.



‘Then go to the kitchen silently, so no one notices you or the magic of the words will disappear. Switch on the gas stove – all four burners – but do not light it. You don’t want to get burns, do you? Then go to sleep.

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‘The magic gas will come to you, you will breathe it while sleeping and in the morning, when you wake up, say “Thank you Alfeya, I’ve become a fairy”. And you will become a real fairy of fire.’

Police have now warned parents about the sickening ‘game’ following complaints from adults in the Vladimir region of Russia.

State investigator Irina Mirina warned that ‘it could be some kind of suicide game’ – adding that they are now searching for the people behind it.

However the Russian Investigative Committee, the equivalent of the FBI, believes it may really be intended to spark panic among parents.

Police are investigating the disturbing ‘game’ (Picture: East2West)

One mother said: ‘I woke up in the night and felt a strong smell of gas. My seven-year-old daughter had just left the kitchen and gone into her room.

‘It turned out that she had read on the internet that to become a fairy of fire you need to go to the kitchen when everyone is asleep and turn the gas oven on.

‘If I had not gone to check, our family of eight would not have woken up in the morning. I talked to her and she promised not to hide her plans from me and to tell me everything.’

Rainbow, which is behind the Winx Club brand, is urging Russian police to investigate the dangerous games.

CEO Iginio Straffi said: ‘Rainbow deeply regrets the distribution of material, which apparently contains instructions for committing suicide and uses Winx Club characters.

‘Rainbow, whose products are aimed at promoting the values of kindness in children, is shocked by such cynical materials apparently aimed at causing harm to children.’