CHAPTER V

MATCH-BOX TOYS

Many simple and effective toys can be made from match-boxes. The great advantage of these toys is that the children can readily supply the materials themselves. In every case the toys explained here have been made by young children, whose ages vary from four to seven. The materials used are match-boxes, matches, paper of different kinds, white, brown, coloured, and cardboard, while in some toys corks and silver paper have been introduced. For sticking paper on to the boxes, gloy or vegetable glue is suitable, but when matches have to be fastened into or on to the boxes it is best to use liquid glue or seccotine. Some of the toys can be made more effective by colouring them with crayons.

=A Canoe.= To make the canoe (Fig. 74) the inside portion of the match-box is gummed to a piece of stiff paper or cardboard pointed at each end. Strips of paper gummed to the sides of the box form the seats. The paddle (Fig. 75) is made of a match, to the ends of which paper discs are gummed. To get these circles the children can use farthings and draw round them. The paddle and the seats can be coloured with brown crayons.

=A Kayak.= For the kayak (Fig. 76) a piece of paper is measured to fit over the box; it is doubled in half and a small hole cut in it, then gummed to the sides of the box.

=A Motor-car= (Fig. 77). The car consists of a match-box without the cover. The seats are of white paper. The following them measure and cut a piece of paper, A B C D, that will just cover the box from side to side, making bends _a c_ and _b d_ where the edges of the box come. Fold paper into four as in Fig. 78. Cut along _e f_, and cut off the shaded portions and fold as in Fig. 79. Gum the parts G and M to the side of the box.

Wheels for all match-box toys are made from stiff paper or cardboard, the circle being drawn from a farthing, or, where larger wheels are necessary, from a halfpenny. The spokes are drawn on the wheels. These can either be gummed to the sides of the match-box, or, if holes are made in the wheels, they can be fastened to each end of a match, which is then glued to the bottom of the box.

=A House or Barn.= From the covers that are left, after making the canoe and the motor-car, a house or barn can be made (Fig. 80). One cover is cut open and the top bent back as in Fig. 81. A portion of the second cover is cut off (Fig. 82).

Side A is then gummed to B, and C D is fastened to E F by means of a piece of folded paper covering the whole of the roof. This paper is double the size of C D H G (Fig. 82), is coloured grey or blue to represent slates, and folded along the middle.

=A Sentry-box.= This is an easy toy to make. The children will notice that one end of a match-box is double--that is, one piece of wood overlaps the other. If they unfasten these and bend them out they form the roof of the sentry box (Fig. 83). A piece of paper can be pasted behind to fill up the hollow. The toy looks more effective if covered entirely with brown paper. A soldier can be cut out of paper, coloured and gummed to the bottom of the box.

=A Castle.= A castle can be made from the cover. A piece of paper is cut to fit round it, doors and windows are marked on it with pencil or crayon, and one edge is cut to represent battlements (Fig. 84). The flagstaff is a match glued inside. A larger castle can be made by fastening two or more covers together.

=A Jack-in-the-box.= These toys are so simple that the diagrams almost explain themselves. In the case of the Jack-in-the-box the children like to decorate the half-opened match-box with coloured paper. The little figure is made of bits of wool, a piece of cotton is tied round the neck and put through a hole in the top, a match is tied to the cotton to prevent it slipping back; another piece of cotton tied to the waist of the doll pulls it down (Fig. 85).

=A Belfry.= In the belfry the back of the box at A has been cut out, the bell is made of paper or cardboard, covered with silver paper (Fig. 86). A match stick is passed through a hole in the bell, and gummed to each side of the box. Another match is gummed to the bell, and a piece of cotton attached for ringing.

=A Van= (Fig. 87). The van is made from the inside of a match-box; the cover is of brown paper gummed inside the sides of the box. The seat is also of brown paper, while one end is bent back for the flap of the waggon. The shafts are made of matches.

=A Milk-cart= (Fig. 88). The can is a cork covered with silver paper, which is used to cover chocolates, etc. The paper can be screwed into a little knob at the top. In Fig. 88 the wheels are the same size. Two are fastened to a match for the axle, which is then glued underneath the box; the third wheel is glued between two matches, which are fastened underneath the box. In Fig. 89 the side wheels are larger and a cardboard set of shafts is made for the small front wheel.

Fig. 90 shows the shape of these shafts. The shaded portion is bent at right angles to the shaft and glued under the box. The small wheel can be gummed between these shafts, or, if the shafts are fastened on with a space between them, and holes made in each end, a piece of match stick, on which the small wheel is mounted, can be passed through the holes. A match is glued across the back of the box (Fig. 88) to form the bar by means of which the cart is pushed along.

=A Field Gun.= Fig. 91 shows how the match-box is cut. The gun is made from a roll of brown paper. A piece 4 or 5 inches square is large enough. Yellow bands can be chalked round the cannon. The wheels are made of circular discs, the size of a penny. Shots can be made from silver paper, or from plasticine. [Illustration: FIG. 92]

=A Field Gun and Limber.= The gun in Fig. 92 is mounted somewhat differently. A is one-third of a match-box cover, with one narrow side cut away, covered with dark grey paper; two holes are made in it opposite each other; the gun has a match or piece of cane passed through it, and the ends of the match or cane pass through the holes in A.

B is a piece of cardboard or stiff paper shaped as in diagram: the shaded portion is gummed underneath A.

=The Limber= (Fig. 93). This is made from a match-box (C), covered with dark grey paper and fitted with a cardboard cover E, similarly coloured. Match sticks, coloured black, form the shots. The handle consists of two match sticks, or two strips of cardboard, glued together. The wheels must be the same size as those for the gun.

=A Porter's Truck.= This is made from a box of which three sides have been cut away (Fig. 94). It can be covered with brown paper, and matches can be glued across it. The handles are of matches, the legs of stiff paper fastened to the bottom. The children can make little paper parcels and boxes to put on the truck.

=A Sweep's Barrow.= The figure (95) shows how the match-box is used. A bundle of matches tied together represents part of the sweep's outfit. The broom is made from a roll of paper, the ends of which have been cut into a fringe. The broom and matches can be darkened with crayons or ink.

=A Windmill= (Fig. 96). Prepare the inside of a match-box as described in the case of the sentry-box, and place it inside its cover, securing it with a little gum. Paste a piece of paper in front to hide the hollow. The sails of the windmill are made of brown paper, cut as in Fig. 97, and gummed to strips of cardboard which form the framework of the sails. The whole can then be fastened to the box by a paper-clip.

=To make the Sails turn.= Bore two holes through the windmill; round a match stick by rubbing it with sand-paper; glue the sails to one end of it, pass it through the holes and glue a circle of cardboard to the other end to prevent it slipping back. Fig. 98 shows a more complicated but very effective way of making the sails. The paper is cut along the dark lines and bent back along the dotted lines.

=A Tram-car= (Fig. 99). For this toy two insides of match-boxes are needed. The children could cut and gum to one box a piece of cardboard A B. Then into this box are gummed six matches of the same length. While these are drying the wheels can be made and the top prepared. The top is a box turned over with a piece of paper gummed round the edge. The paper should be coloured yellow. The projecting paper forms the rail round the top of the car. When the matches are quite firm the inverted box is placed over them.

=A Church= (Fig. 100). This is made from a combination of the barn or house and the castle. A strip of paper can be gummed along both sides to keep the two parts together.

=A Match-box Train= (Fig. 101). The engine is a match-box turned upside down, to which is gummed a cork covered with red or green paper. The broad end of the cork has been sand-papered to make it more equal to the other end. The funnel is a piece of cardboard blackened and inserted into a slit in the cork. Half a match-box glued to the cork forms the cab. The coal tender is a match-box on wheels; a piece of brown paper can be pasted round one end to form the back and the sides. The simplest way of making a carriage is to fold a piece of paper into three, mark on it the door and the windows and gum it to the inside of the box. For this piece of paper the children can get the measurements from the match-box.

In order to make a long carriage like a real train a child suggested gumming two match-boxes together, end to end.

When a long train was complete the children at once wanted to make a station (Fig. 102).

For this purpose two or three match-box covers can be fastened together by covering them with white paper (marked to represent the boards of a platform) and gumming them to a piece of cardboard, A B C D. The paper must be left long enough at each end to be gummed to the cardboard and form the slopes of the platform. The waiting-room or shelter is a match-box gummed to platform as in diagram, with a triangular piece of paper pasted behind to form a roof. A seat can be pasted inside. The name of the station, signals, and a signal-box (a half-opened match-box standing on end) can be added. [Illustration: FIG. 103]

=A Railway Bridge.= Gum two sets of four match-box covers together as A and B in Fig. 103. Next, take a half-opened match-box (C in Fig. 104), gum cover securely to box, turn it upside down and to it gum cover D, and to this, half a cover E. Fasten this to A by strips of paper gummed on each side (see shaded part in Fig. 105). B has a similar arrangement fastened to it. These portions form the two sides of the bridge, but the steps so obtained are too high and extra paper steps must be made. For each of these take a piece of stiff paper L M N O (Fig. 106). L M equals width of match-box; M O equals three times thickness of box. Fold in three along T U and R S; fold L U and T S in halves and bend paper to form steps. L Q is gummed to A and R O to E. Repeat for each intermediate step.

Next cut a piece of cardboard the width of the match-box and long enough to leave a suitable distance between the two ends of the bridge to allow the match-box train to pass through, or two trains to pass each other. Gum this to the top of A and B (Fig. 107).

Next cut a piece of paper F G H J to fit across both parts of the bridge and to project to form railings or a wall, cut out the archway, colour to represent stones or bricks, and gum to bridge; cut and colour a similar piece for the other side (Fig. 108).