Let’s Visit Christmas 1969

I want to take you on a journey to a place where the Sears Wishbook was what you waited for all year. 

Sears sold ANYTHING.  Dad wanted a pipe – Sears catalog.  Mom wanted a leopard skin rug?  Sears catalog.  Dentures?  Yup.  They even sold wrapping paper and bows to wrap your ordered gifts in.  Diapers.  Cleansers.  Mink coats. Enemas.

Truly, Sears had it all.  So, let’s go back to when I was eight years old and see what was there.

Here’s the cover.

You could buy the door and the ornaments.

1969 sears cover

I STILL want a nightgown like this…(hey baby, why don’t you come up and see me some time?)

nightgown

The gravel art we covet now were just craft kits back then…and you printed cards by hand, not computer.  Check out the Mod Podge kit!

crafts

Let’s decorate the yard too…

outdoor xmas

Now, onto stuff a kid of eight would have enjoyed then…

Exercise with your Hoppity Hop or your Tip-Rok… (our parents used to send us to a place called “outside”)…

hippetyhop

I personally know four ladies that would have sold their brothers for this kitchen set…in avocado!

kitchen

How about some clothes to stimulate your imagination?  (Gender specific of course; this IS 1969)

costume

And who could live without Barbie and her pals? I had a case like that!!

barbie

Dear Sears CEO:  Bring this stuff back!!!

So here’s the deal.  I want you to go to WishbookWeb.com and find the year closest to your eighth birthday.  What was in that catalog that you really, really wanted??  Leave your fondest Sears (or equivalent in your world) memories here.

all pictures courtesy of WishbookWeb.com

Comments

Oh this sure brings back memories....kinda. I was not born until '72 but we had the Sears book, JC Penny, and for the biggest dream of all....at some point in my past, we had Neiman Marcus book(not sure that anyone but my Grandmother got a gift from there back then). We would pour thru those books and circle and star all the cool things we wanted. At one point, when we were older, we would even write in comments and say stuff like "definatly NOT" by things we did not want. And I an advocado green metal kitchen set...might have been a second hand get-up by then? I loved it. Happy Holidays.
just call me jo said…
I was in college by '69, but I remember the earlier Sears/Robuck Catalogs that were wonderful collections of dreams and desires...Though we never had much money, the pages were dog eared and wrinkled from many visits. Those were special times that young people now would never understand. Just go on line now and you've got the whole world at your fingertips. Thanks for allowing me to remember when.
I showed your post to my human. They asked "What is a 1969"?

I think they are kidding, they have recently gone to a class reunion that predated that. They are so old fashioned that the computer I have to use has a hand crank on the side of it.

Mogley G. Retriever
Bocci said…
Cool idea for a blog-we love the 60's around our house:-)
We're here to tell you that you just won the Premier Toy Giveaway on Bocci's Beefs-congrats!

Please choose the size toys that you would prefer and send that info along with your snail mail address to me.
Thanks!
Joan
Sears even sold HOUSES at one time.
Oh my word mom had a bouncy thingy
Benny & Lily
houndstooth said…
I remember pouring over those catalogs at Christmas time, even when I was in high school!

I remember wanting Monchichi dolls, Glamour Gals, and my sister and I just loved Ginny dolls! Oh, the memories!
Unknown said…
Holy Moly that's good stuff! I swear I looked through these catalogs for hours whilst mom and dad watched All in the Family and Maude. Soooooo miss them.
24 Paws of Love said…
Ahhh, the good old days. I'd have sold my brother and my sister for the olive green oven!! And I dig that nightgown, that is a classic! Paper, pencil and ouside...what happen to all of that???

Thanks for the trip!
3 doxies said…
Yep, mum rememebrs circling da stuffs her wanted too...hers was da '81 edition...hehehe!
Gosh, look how cheap da stuffs was back then.
Oh and her wouldn't mind havin' dat Tip Rock NOWS, her says it looks fun. I am giving away a free mum if anybuddy wants her.

Puddles
Anonymous said…
Wow so cool. I love Ken standing behind Barbie with his red outfit. He looks really spiffy. Thanks for the memories. cindy
We made all of our Christmas lists to Santa via the Sears Wish book! But gee, they sure fetch high prices on greedbay these days =/

One day I'll have one around the year when I was a kid. =D
Oh wow! What fun this is. The closest for me was 1964 when I was 10. That may have been the Xmas I got my Tammy doll (not Barbie). I got Tammy & 3 outfits for her plus a Suzy Goose canopy bed and wardrobe. They got played to death and passed down to 2 other sisters.

Over the past 4 years, I've been able to replace my Tammy with clothes and furniture via Ebay. It's wonderful to see her again.

Thanks for such wonderful memories and for the great link.
Eartha Kitsch said…
Wowee! 1969 was a great year! I love that gown too - and that avocado kitchen - holy man alive! And that Christmas decor for the yard...I'd knock someone down to get that stuff today.

I perused the catalog from my childhood and I saw an amazing kitchen set that had tiny little plastic Pyrex! That's what I want. Now.
Well, since I'm usually the oldest of the old farts, I got to go waaaaaay back to 1958, but it sure did bring back some memories. At the time, I would've given ANYTHING for the following: Roy Rogers guitar, Zorro guitar (I think these were for boys but I was such a tomboy), Roy Rogers Crayon by Number set, Tiny Town Medical Center, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, etc. etc. But the actual BEST thing EVER--and I honestly managed to get this from Santa one year--was the Toy Coca Cola Dispenser! You inserted a bottle of Coke, pulled the handle, and served your guests in the 4 included little plastic Coke glasses. Heaven on earth!
Jacki said…
So cool! Thanks for posting this link! I would have turned 9 on December 18, 1979, so the 1979 catalogue is pretty close for me. It took a bit to figure out what I actually did want back then, and I'm pretty sure that Christmas it would have been the "Electronic Detective" game. I still remember the commercials with Don Adams from Get Smart. This game isn't in the catalogue, but there is another electronic game called "Stop Thief" which triggered the memory. I know I had a Holly Hobbie lunchbox in Grade 4 ('79-'80), so perhaps I would have hankered after the Holly Hobbie pajamas as well. But as an adult, I gotta love the Shaun Cassidy pajamas! :-) His face, with stars floating around it, and the words "Shaun's Kind of Girl." lol
Alien said…
Dawn recalls the Strawberry Shortcake doll craze at that age. And Mr. Blueberry, the evil pie guy, who messed with Strawberry and her friends and smelled like blueberry pie.

And humans think I'm strange...

Yours,
Anonymous said…
Okay this is way too far back for me but Mom on the other hand...

Hoppity Hop! Yay! She absolutely loved her Hoppity Hop :D Bounced all over the yard and her brother ;)

Thanks for the memories!

Waggin at ya,
Roo and Mom
Lidian said…
Thank you for reminding me about Wishbook Web - what a great site! I went to the 1964 catalogue, since they don't have the one for my birth year (I admit it! 1962!). No question: I wanted a doll with a trunk and wardrobe. Not at age 2, but through my older childhood years. Never had one, had a lot of dolls but I really, really, really wanted one who came with her own trunk and wardrobe.
The Luke said…
I don't know about all that... but my the Mom has a HUGE SMILE on her face! She remembers this well and recognizes many of the toys! She say she used to make her Christmas list by goin frew the catalog page by page... and she listed each item wif the letter and page! Those must have been the days!

wif love from the Luke
Anonymous said…
what a great trip back... great to see things like this
Golden Samantha said…
Holy Moly - I love the ads! (You won't believe this, but we'd never heard of this...) - well, until I was old and friends spoke of this book nostalgically! Would have loved to have paged through a book that thick! Thanks for bringing it to your blog!
xoxoxoox
Sammie and Ava's Mom!
Bobbie said…
I LOVE THIS POST> Ok, I did exactly what you told me to do. Here it is: Baby Chatty Cathy :) Oh, how I loved that doll. And I remember her outfit like it was yesterday.
Dolores said…
Oh Barbara.... I love this post and the website you posted..... it was so much fun looking at the toys during my time... a big baby doll.... I loved dolls!
1966 - I was 7 years old - and I can tell you without a doubt that my brother and I would have been sprawled out on the Living Room floor looking at the Sears Christmas catalog and drooling over all the slot car sets you could buy. $25 (of course, that was a fortune back then) could buy an incredible set! We also loved the Matchbox Gas Station Case, and the water-powered Gemini Rocket - we were in the midst of the Apollo Program!

I blogged about this very thing last year. The magic of thumbing through those pages and seeing all the cool stuff you could order - it was almost more than a kid could fathom. I don't know that we ever got much of the stuff we looked at, although I think we did eventually get a race car set, but it was our eras equivalent of surfing the web.

Thanks for the great post, Barbara!
Sue said…
I wanted the donkey. Wouldn't you know it? Santa never brought it and although I saved my pennies, I never had enough.

I'd still like that nightgown.
Sue

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