My very first sewing machine was a toy, but it worked. It was smaller than a featherweight, made of metal, and it folded down into a nice carrying case. I so wish I still had it. It would probably be worth a lot of money. I've never seen one like it. My first "big girl" machine was a refurbished Singer. My mother gave it to me for a wedding gift. I sewed on it for decades. It finally gave up the ghost after my mother had died. When I traded it in for a new, basic Janome, I cried as I left the shop. I felt as if I had lost a piece of my mother all over again. (and I hated that Janome. It was never as reliable as my refurbished Singer.)