"Penny for the Guy" has always been a demand for cash.

Indeed! Though it always used to be a small amount of cash - sixpences in old money, probably no more than 20p these days. Maybe that's why you don't get many home-made guys now, what with the price of kid's toys.

Oh, and decent fireworks cost an arm and a leg, too.

There's good reason I belong to two Bonfire Societies.

(my best mate - a Scot, incidentally - refers to Bonfire Night as "Big Boy's Christmas" [grin])