Christmas Toy Catalog - Boy How Things Have Changed!
Post-WWII kids of the fifties and sixties can well remember the Christmas toy catalogs that arrived in late fall. During those days there were no toy stores in most places and the department stores did not carry aisles of toys all year round.
So as young’uns we cherished the toy catalog and would spend hours thumbing through it with our siblings. One game I remember playing was going through it page by page with my brother or sister and pretending that we could select any toy from each page; only you couldn’t pick the same toy. We may well have had as much fun with the catalog as we did with the actual toy.
Under the Christmas tree we could expect one “big” item, one that we had hinted at to Mom (but we knew the limits.) Then maybe there would be a couple of smaller toys and, of course, clothes for the new year. One of my favorite gifts was a small tape recorder when I was fourteen. This was the reel-to-reel type; not the expensive one - it probably cost about $20. We had so much fun with it. Seems tame now but we thought it was really something to be able to listen to ourselves. We made up goofy skits on the fly and sometimes we would sneak the recorder in a room to clandestinely tape a conversation.
The toy catalogs did their job by getting us excited about their products along with the toy commercials that aired on TV. Of course, many times the actual items did not live up to expectations presented by the commercials. Sometimes they did; but, regardless, those Christmas seasons were always full of anticipation and excitement, shared by family and friends.
So take a peak at this old catalog and relive some memories. It may even make you feel sorry for the kids of today who find commonplace the myriads of toys, gadgets and games that are piled up at their local WalMart.
Don
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