When I’m as Rich as Uncle Claus
When I’m as rich as Uncle Claus,
With whiskers on my chin,
I’m going to have a great big house
To put my people in.
I’ll never let them wander out
Or ride with me to town;
They’ll come a-running when I shout
And tremble when I frown.
I’ll have some men in soldier tents,
A pirate and his mate,
And wildcats all around the fence,
And mad dogs on the gate.
First published in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918).
This rhyme catches that small but powerful moment in childhood when imagination tips into authority — when a child builds a whole world from toys and decides to rule it. The “people” here are likely dolls and toy soldiers, but to the narrator, they’re loyal subjects in a private kingdom.
Blanche Fisher Wright’s illustration shows the scene exactly that way — a little ruler on the nursery floor, surrounded by a toy house, an elephant on wheels, and a Jack-in-the-box that looks ready to take orders. It’s funny, but there’s a trace of seriousness too — a glimpse of how play lets children try on power, mimic adults, and safely test what it feels like to be in charge.
