Which common oral hygiene tool did Charles Forster successfully mass-produce and sell?

Toothpicks have been around in one form or another for centuries. Evidence shows that Vikings, ancient Romans, and even Neanderthals used them. Initially they were created from any available material: twigs, wood, metal, bone, ivory, porcupine quills, and even walrus whiskers, to name just a few.

However, the man who gave us the modern version of a toothpick was American inventor Charles Forster (1828 - ?). In 1869, while working on a family farm in Brazil, he took notice of the toothpicks that were used by local workmen. Their toothpicks were hand-crafted, but Forster realized that if he could mass-produce them, he could make a fortune. Upon his return to the United States, he devised a way to machine-manufacture toothpicks, secured the patent rights, set up a factory in Strong, Maine, and began trying to sell his product. (Photo shows the factory.)

By 1870, his operation was capable of producing millions of toothpicks per day, but Forster had trouble finding a market for them. Americans were accustomed to whittling their own toothpicks; doling out cash for something they could easily make themself made no sense.

Forster came up with ingenious marketing schemes, including flavored toothpicks. When he could not sell his product store-to-store, he hired students to go to restaurants and stores, asking for wooden toothpicks. Naturally, the retailers hated to turn away “potential customers”. Later, Forster returned to the stores and easily sold his wares.