I would like to try compiling for TinyCoreLinux but I don't think it is as simple as Puppy.
I think that's to be expected with something as minimal as TC. Nearly everything you build from source is going to require headers beyond the basics, and the more complex the project, the more headers are going to be needed.
Personally I've been considering creating a persistent directory simply for development files (built from source), building from source all the apps I want to regularly use into another persistent directory, and then cramming that second directory into a single extension. As I see it, that would be a lot more convenient than dealing with a huge pile of small extensions, although I have to spend some time experimenting with the extensions before deciding whether or not that logic is flawed.