The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-12-23
How Christmas Toys are Made,

industry, says writer in the New York
Herald. Every man, woman and child
IN them seems in some way 70 be occu-
pied with the manufacture Of miniaGul e
babies. Even al school. which The Ger
man child must Attend between the years
OF seven and twelve. The sewing lessons
are taken with dolls clothes for models
The work is done by the cottagsrs N
/ their own homes. ana every Saturday
night the weeks output is turned IN a.
the factory which is little more than a
receiving and shipping bureau.
One IS inclined 10 envy such a village
and imagine the Inhabitants TO De a joy
Gus, frolicsome set Of people, buC the
fact is that toy making is a most pro-
sale business. Besides, no one person
/ is allowed 10 make complete doll. In
one household The papier mache founda-
I ton for heads has besn the family occu-
patton for several generations. Year in
( and year out that family has done Moth
I ing from dawn until dark but mould
/ pasty heads. To others is gwen the task
I of cutting out and sewing up the mus
/ lin bodies. Suu others stuff and com
+ plete the bodies. paint The faces. fasten
on Their hair. set in the eyes and make
/ the clothes. The very expert are per
mitted to handle fine dolls, whose hair
/ and eyebrows are actually set IN the
wax
France and Switzerland also manufac-
4 ture dolls by the hundred thousands
and all really fine and expensive dolls
are imported from one OF the TWO coun-
tries. over here the industry is com
/ paratively new, but it has been growing
/ larger every year. until at the present
/ it is counted among the most profitable
/ of small manufacturing trades We
4 make rather cheap grade Of doll, IS
/ rule. the kind known 70 the trade as
/ indestructible Every child knows that
/ no toy is absolutely indestructible al
! though some are more difficult to de-
( stroy than others and require more en-
ergetic abuse.
/ The Christmas doll. like the Christmas
poem and the Christmas story. begins
1 its existence somewhat in advance Of
the season May. June, July and August
are the busy months in the factories,
and travelling statesmen start out with
their samples about the time when the
retail shops are selling hreerackers.
The "indestructible" doll is made Of a
composition which looks and smells
something like a cheap grade Of library
paste. Poured into the moulds. it har-
dens quickly. and when the mould is
broken energies a very MUCH sketch Of
dolls members, with hideous ridges along
the sides These must be polished off
with sand-paper and emery wheel before
the unblemished head is ready TO be
handed over to the oculist. 1t is mere
affair of glue to put in stationary eyes,
but the open and shut variety requires
some skill to adjust.
The task of putting on the dolls com
plexion is intrusted to girls. as rule,
the theory being that they have a hered-
itary talent in that direction. One girl
paints the general flesh tone, and an
other puts the roses of health on The
cheeks. Still another outlines the Gu
pid's bow Of the mouth, without which
a doll would be no doll at all There Is
some real artistic taste exercised in this
decorative process The shade Of the
cheeks must tone exactly with the flesh
color. The least deviation would be no
ticeabe Nothing remains TO complete
the head but to glue on the wig.
The arms and legs are built IN much
the same way, except that less care is
bestowed upon them Finally all the
members are turned over to the finishers.
Barrels and baskets Of dissected dolls.
suggesting heather massacres or surgi-
cal wards of hospital fill the finish
ers' rooms. Men and women work With
amazing rapidity fastening the dolls to
gether and laying them in baskets to
be sent to the dresser.
in this country as yet, but our tin and
wooden productions lead the market.
The rise in the price Of iron has given
the tin toy new lease Of life. Besides,
there is always a brisk demand for
twenty-five cent toys and the tin horse
and wagon, trolley car. engine and drum
are perenniaIly popular.
Tin animals are made In the simplest
possible manner. being first cut, then
stamped into :he proper relief and sol
dered together. Even the painting IS
done BY machinery. The useful and de-
Hghtful tin kitchen is built almost en-
tirely by machinery. First the fat sheet
of tin is run through a machine which
puts on a fat color. red or green or
magneta- whatever the prevailing tone
is 10 be- Then comes the enclosing
and afterward the sheet, still fiat, goes
through a third machine which paints
only the embossed places. The kitchens
are next cut out and shaped. and the
stove or range is put in place. This much
almost entirely by machinery. The next
stage Is the painting Of the range and
other details. This IS hand work and is
mostly done 10y girls and women.
Wagons and cars are made in much
the same way, EXCEPT that wheels have
to be put on by hand. Hundreds Of wo-
men and men 90 nothing else from eight
in the morning until six at night but
fasten small wheels On tin wagons and
locomotives others spend their daylight
hours in fastening little tin candlesticks
To their bases, the same candiesticks T. /
be used IN Christmas tree decorations. /
Americans are taking away that indus /
try. however. from the German and +
Swiss workmen these last few years.
Most Of the cotton wool angels. stars /.
of Bethlehem, c0lored glass balls and /
bright tinsels with which the trees are /
beautifed are made in The busy who g (
sale streets. Of New York, even Eff they /
do come in boxes labelled "8fade In Ger
manv."
Drums are easily made. all the work .
being done by machinery. except the +
stringing Of the cords which lace the +
sides This is done by the def hands (
Of girl workers. Girls are Entrusted also /
with the work OF dressing and painting 4
the clown dolls and mechanical puppets
The packers and distributors are mostly 4
men.
Toy making is not profession which
calls for a great amount Of gray matter
on the part af the worker Neither does
& In this country where expensive toys
are manufacture require any par,tc1-
lar sklll. Deft fingers and RAPID ex5-
ton are she ruain things The WurEerz
labor from seven or eight o'clock .u The
morning until six AZ night They eye
not paid weakly wages. but rT the piece
Their earnings average from 81 cents
o. $3.50 day. sccording to the eHlcEl-
ties ~ thelr several tasks THe CTR waa
paints the dolls cheeks makes cents
3 DAY. ard the man w6o does ths
Wheeling makes fEce that
strlnsi1E drums sass The Iaaorer about
% CENTS painting clowns p and nrt