Jack B. Yeats wrote a series of toy theatre (also called paper theatre) plays. In "My Miniature Theater" (The Collected Plays of Jack B. Yeats), he explains performing his plays each year during Christmastime to entertain the children of the valley where he lived. His plays were birthed from the influence of Robert Louis Stevenson and from a nostalgia for a time when successful plays for actors were then adapted to toy theater. The sets, the characters, and an adaptation of the script were sold for one penny (in black and white) or two pence (in colour) so that children could recreate the play at home. Nevertheless, certain scenes from traditional theatre were difficult to adapt to toy theatre. Therefore, Yeats, who created his own stories, chose to limit characters that did ‘almost nothing besides talking and walking majestically.’ He highlighted the importance of voice since each character had to be distinguishable by their tone and way of speaking. Regarding the creation of the set and the characters, Yeats glued his scenery to cardboard, using watercolors and Christmas garland as well as candles to provide lighting.

A policeman must arrest two criminals. Clown proposes to Pantaloon to accompany him fishing and boasts that they will need a large pan to cook all the fish he will catch. He thinks he caught a great prize but reels in only a cast iron pan. While Pantaloon mocks him, he insists that he did it on purpose. Pantaloon learns that Old Buffer is looking for a parrot and tries to sell him a talking parrot. When Old Buffer expresses his wish to eat it, Clown threatens to eat Old Buffer. The latter calls the police officer, who promises to help and hides to catch the scoundrels.

Dude, a passerby, wants to know the time. Pantaloon advises him to not address the police officer since he is not himself. He shows him the time on a watch upon which the arrows are turning very rapidly. Harlequin and Columbine dance, and the police officer chases them since dancing is forbidden in the streets.

A man hides in a letterbox, which troubles the mailman. This man is none other than Clown. The police officer notices Pantaloon and Clown, but he forgot his club at home; his family uses it to whisk the batter for birthday cakes. He decides to hide and to listen to them.

All of the characters enter the scene to capture Pantaloon and Clown, who reveal themselves to be the two criminals being searched for.