The other day I read something in a post by one of my favorite Nashville bloggers that caused such a flood of memories in me that I spent the next two hours Googling and snagging photos off of the internet while curled up in a big comfy chair and alternately laughing my head off in delight and shouting out the names of almost-forgotten relics of my childhood. (Yes, I DID scare the dogs, thanks for asking.) What prompted this avalanche of nostalgia, you ask? Three words: Sears Wish Book!!
If you are ‘of a certain age’ and grew up in the good ol’ U.S. of A., you have got to remember the wonderful catalog that arrived in the mail right around this time of year. It always had a beautifully photographed holiday-themed cover, but who knew, because I usually blew right past it on my way to the object of my longing– the gloriously decadent, every-kid’s-fantasy TOY SECTION at the back of the catalog. Page after colorful page was crammed full of everything my acquisitive little heart could desire. There were the usual suspects, like Barbies, bikes, games and stuffed animals, but there would also be a big spread on whatever the hot toy of the season happened to be– you know, the one that was heavily and diabolically promoted in between all of the cartoon shows on Saturday morning, to the point that you could sing the jingle in your sleep and dreamed of nothing else except how very much you wanted that MouseTrap game… or a Super Ball… or Little Kiddles Lucky Lockets… or Lite-Brite… or a Cootie game… or a View Master… or Popeye the Weatherman Colorforms... or Gaylord the Basset Hound… or one of my all-time favorites, Incredible Edibles. That was a bizarre little offering from Mattel which consisted of a Super Gooper oven (on which I regularly burned the ever-loving crap out of my hand), eight metal molds in the shape of insects and flowers and little people, and six foil packets of some unholy slimy concoction called Gobble-Degoop in horrific flavors like Cherry, Mint, Root Beer, Butterscotch and Licorice. * shudders at the memory* First you’d plug in the fire-hazard of an oven, and when it was dangerously hot you would squirt some of the flavored Gobble-DeSnot into some bug-shaped mold and pop it in. Soon the noxious fumes of something that smelled like burning plastic would singe the hairs in your nostrils and signal that your “Absolutely Delicious!” Incredible Edibles were ready. Then you’d incur a few more third-degree burns as you tried to pry the rubbery mess out of the metal mold and choke it down. Honestly, they were ghastly– which of course never stopped me from making them incessantly and trying to convince the rest of the family to eat ‘em!
But the toy I remember lusting after the most, the one that the Wish Book would automatically open to because I spent so much time staring at it, was the wondrous Suzy Smart doll. Oh dear lord, how I wanted that doll. I have no idea what it was that intrigued me so much– it was just basically a plastic doll that came with a school desk and a little chalkboard and an easel. I wasn’t all that enamored with school and I already had my own blackboard anyway, but something about that blonde ponytail and that plaid jumper and that jaunty little tam o’shanter with the pompom on top… *sigh* Oh, and she talked too! (OK, maybe I’m starting to understand the attraction.) She had a built-in record player that said things like “2 + 2 = 4!” and “D-O-G spells dog!” Freakin’ genius, that doll. Anyway, it was ALL I could think about and I prayed every night that I could get her. Then on Christmas morning, there she was in all of her glory…
…and my faith in the power of prayer and the Sears Wish Book was cemented.
Here are some of toys I came across during my Googling marathon– I remember these all so clearly! Do any of you?
*****Let’s see… They always had several pages devoted to Barbie and all of her friends. I had that skier version down there at the bottom, and also the Midge doll. Midge was kind of like Barbie’s much-less-attractive friend, but I did love her red hair and especially that hot dog bun-looking weenie roll at the bottom of her hairdo. My friend Melinda Sellers in the 4th grade could actually make her hair do that and I was terribly jealous. Speaking of hair, I wonder who the Mattel marketing genius was that came up with the idea of packaging these things together– a “bendable ‘Miss Barbie’ “who came with “three wigs, a lawn swing and a planter”??? That just doesn’t seem like a natural grouping to me.
******Putting wigs on dolls must have been the thing to do during the mid-60’s. I can understand the benefits of early cosmetology training for your kid, but what mother in her right mind would allow her child to plunk one of those horrors on her own innocent little head? That first one looks like the love child of Kate Gosselin and Carol Brady.
********* A lot of the toys for girls had to do with housework, ‘cos you know, who doesn’t want to grow up and spend all your time cleaning?! This kitchen set was kinda cool though– when you pushed the button the whole thing would revolve. I would totally buy a kitchen island that did that.
*******I remember drooling over all of these doll houses, but the price was crazy expensive to me– $18.77 for a toy house??? Isn’t that about what a real one costs??? I was fascinated by all of those miniature versions of real stuff, like those cunning little furniture sets and swimming pool and cars. Look at that playground set– it comes with it’s own “big family”!
*****I TOTALLY got one of these bikes for Christmas one year; it was a metal-flake Stingray with a banana seat and those cool ape-hanger handlebars. I think my seat was white, but I would have been all over that leopard one! Not interested in the hot-rod motor sound, though.
*******I always wanted one of those honkin’ huge stuffed Lassie dogs. I loved that show– “What are you trying to tell me, Lassie? Little Timmy’s down the well?” My friend Duddy Swann had that exact Woody the Woodpecker talking toy, and I think every kid I knew had one of those Ziggy the Chimps with the plastic banana in it’s hand. His face used to creep me out.
******The clothes in the Wish Book always seemed like the height of sophistication to me. Our local Sears store used to have this special section for ‘tweens, a ’boutique’ they called The Lemon Frog. I just knew if Mom would buy me some of these outfits I would be the coolest kid in the 6th grade. I could SO rock those white lace-up boots. Check out the pre-Princess Leia honeybun hairstyle on that one model!
***** I was always fascinated by the concept of matching holiday pajamas. They used to have like, three pages of them in every Wish Book, in all different kinds of motifs. I mean, I could understand dressing your kids alike for those Christmas morning pictures, but the whole dang family? Were there actually dads and brothers somewhere in the world that would agree to that? I had a better chance of getting them to eat some of those toxic Incredible Edibles!
OK, that’s MY trip down memory lane! So tell me– do you guys remember the Wish Book, too? What did you wish for out of it?
