Sunday, November 30, 2008

Christmas Time Is Here Again - Vintage Sears Wishbook Catalog Style

Once again its time to put together my wish list after going through the Christmas catalogs. I haven't been going through the catalogs that came in the mail though, I've been putting together my wishlist after reading WishbookWeb's treasure trove of vintage Christmas catalogs:


One of my most popular posts was the post I did right after Christmas last year featuring a number of NFL (and a few MLB) items from Sears Wishbooks and JC Penny's catalogs from the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's which I found on WishbookWeb.

Lets see what goodies I'd like to find under the tree this year:

I could use a jersey or two:






Of course the jerseys are much better when you've got the matching pants and the helmet:

Since its getting cold, a sweatshirt would be great:


Speaking of cold weather, I could use a jacket and a cap and some gloves:




or maybe a vest:

and definitely a parka for those really cold days:


Some new pajamas with a matching robe would be nice:

I'm not really big on sweaters, but if it had my favorite team I would probably wear one:



Of course if I could look as good as Sweetness in Da' Bears sweater, I'd wear one all the time:


I could use some new shirts for work:


as well as a new pair of jeans:


Since my gym clothes are pretty worn, I'd like to get some new workout clothes:




Some new socks and shoes would be good:



I might as well get some boots too:


The house could use a little redecorating. Perhaps a new bedspread and a nice door mat:


and some new lamps:


and a new trash can:


Come to think of it, I need a new bike:


as well as a new sleeping bag or two:


Since I need to be better about bringing my lunch to work, an NFL Lunchbox might just do the trick:


And finally, it would be fun to have the "Beyond Thunderdome" version of electric football under the tree:


If there is still room in Santa's sleigh, I would like a baseball jersey and some basketball gear as well:


What amazes me in looking at these old catalogs is how NFL Properties saturated the market with their "brand", and put their logo on just about anything a kid (or an adult) could need.

The NFL was (and still is) heads and shoulders above the other leagues in marketing their product. The MLB and NBA pictures above are the only 2 pages I found in my searches, compared with a ton of NFL items.

If you have some spare time and want to take a trip back in time, I highly recommend taking a look at WishbookWeb. Just make sure you've got some time as once you start going through the old catalogs you'll find it hard to pull yourself away.

5 comments:

Mark said...

Great post. My brother and I had the NFL bedding and matching curtains in our bedroom as kids. In fact, those things remained in that bedroom for a good 15 or 20 years. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

As silly as this sounds,I got a little choked up remembering all those awesome Christmas's.Great work.Now I want to buy.

Anonymous said...

holy smokes you made my day with that 1985 ad of the nfl football uniforms!!! i had the Rams one...so awesome

lovestreet said...

This is one of the greatest posts ever!! My Brother and I lived for those catalogs at Christmas time!! I would love to find a place where I could buy these products now!! Does anyone know where and how that would be possible???

Anonymous said...

I found in a thrift store today.a.pair of NFL slipper socks from the 1970s they are brand new with the old nfl approved apparel tag. If there is a way I could send you a picture I would like to have some verification on the year and store. Still has a union made apparel tag on them thanks Dave
darnold0308@gmail.com