WOODSTOCK — The Whitman Memorial Library will host Hugh Swan of Locke Mills to speak about his homemade wooden toys at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 8.

Swan said he has been crafting wooden replicas of cartoon characters “off and on for quite awhile.” The idea for the designs first came from his father.

“My father designed these wooden toys in the form of Popeye, Olive Oil, the Three Little Pigs and all sorts of other cartoon characters,” Swan said Thursday afternoon. “He passed away when I was 2 years old, and when I was growing up, all me and my sister had were the toys he had left us.

“As I got older, I wanted to see if I could replicate similar ideas,” he said. “I’ve got all sorts of wood-turning equipment, band saws, jigsaws and other items.”

Swan said he never sold any of his toys.

“I’ve always done this for fun,” Swan said. “I’ve never thought about making a career out of this, or trying to make money.”

mdaigle@sunjournal.com