pecial Lilliland Craftsmanship

ome time ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

Craft fairs were annual events that everyone looked forward to attending in Lilliland. They especially liked the hand carved wooden toys for children. The toys were sold after they passed a specific inspection for safety and durability.

A team of craftsmen supervised themselves under the guidance of Professor Hamblin, the Baron’s chief advisor. The Baron remembered that some of his childhood toys lasted a long time and were very safe. They did not have any sharp points or splinters. The paint that was used was safe if a child put the toy in his mouth. The string on a toy easily broke to avoid a problem if it got twisted around the child’s neck. The buttons on the toys were of a size that prevented the child from biting it loose and choking himself. The Baron realized that accidents do happen but the safer the toy is made the happier for everyone concerned.

One of the nice things about the toys was that they were made so well that they were passed down from one child to another and one generation to another.

Lady Angela of Alpine Castle, the Baron’s fiancée, had her hobbyhorse in her living room because it now was an art treasure. It reminded her of her own horse, Daisy.

The Baron had a dancing stickman that he had as a child and kept in his office. He often thought the dancing stickman danced better than he did.

One year a newcomer to the craft fair tried to sell crafts that were made in other countries and not Lilliland. Those items did not pass the approval test because they wanted the craft fair to advertise that all the items were made exclusively by the craftsmen in Lilliland.

One wood carver wanted to show and sell decoy ducks to duck hunters. But since Lilliland allowed no guns and no hunting of ducks, permission would be granted to the duck carver if they were sold exclusively as art forms for decoration and nothing else.

The people of Lilliland were very proud of their craftsmanship.