Chaplin and the Toy-makers

At this time I came to know an old man and his son who worked in a mews at the back of Kennington Road. They were traveling toy-makers who came from Glassgow, making toys and selling them as they wandered from town to town. They were free and unencumbered and I envied them. Their profession needed little capital. With as small an investment as a shilling they could start in business. They would collect shoe-boxes, which every shoe shop was only too pleased to give them, and cork sawdust in which grapes were packed which they also got gratis Their initial outlay consisted only in the purchase of a penny-worth of glue, a penny-worth of wood, two pence-worth of twine, a penny-worth of Christmas colored paper and three two-penny balls of colored tinsel. For a shilling they could make seven dozen boats and sell them for a penny apiece. The sides were cut from shoe-boxes and were sewn on to a cardboard base; the smooth surface was covered with glue, and then poured over with cork sawdust. The masts were rigged with colored tinsel and blue, yellow and red flags were stuck on the top-mast and on the booms, fore and aft. A hundred or more of these little toy boats, with their colored tinsel and flags, was a gay and festive sight that attracted customers, and they were easy to sell.

As a result of our acquaintance, I began helping them to make boats and very soon I was familiar with their craft. When they left our neighborhood, I went into business for myself. With a limited capital of sixpence and at the cost of blistered hands through cutting up cardboard, I was able to turn out three dozen boats within a week.