The Sears Wish Book

About The Sears Wish Book

Remember thumbing through the thick Christmas catalog circling everything you wanted? Test your memory of the great mail-order catalogs that brought the store right to your door. The Sears Wish Book packs 15 multiple-choice questions with a mix of 6 easy, 5 medium, 4 hard questions into a relaxed session of roughly 7 minutes — no sign-up, no timer pressure. An explanation appears after every answer, and finishing once a day keeps your streak alive.

A few sample questions

1. 1. What was the popular nickname children used for the Sears Christmas catalog that arrived each fall?

   Answer: The Wish Book

   The Sears Christmas catalog was affectionately called 'The Wish Book,' a name Sears eventually made official. Children across America would circle their favorite toys in its pages every holiday season.

2. 2. In what decade did Sears publish its very first mail-order catalog?

   Answer: 1880s

   Richard Sears published his first catalog in 1888, initially selling watches and jewelry. It quickly expanded into a general merchandise catalog that rural Americans relied on for nearly everything.

3. 3. Which company was Sears' biggest rival in the mail-order catalog business for most of the 20th century?

   Answer: Montgomery Ward

   Montgomery Ward was Sears' primary catalog rival for decades. Ward's actually published the first major general merchandise mail-order catalog back in 1872, predating Sears by over a decade.

4. 4. What beloved children's Christmas character was actually created by Montgomery Ward in 1939 as a giveaway booklet?

   Answer: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

   Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by Montgomery Ward copywriter Robert L. May in 1939 as a free illustrated booklet for children. The store gave away 2.4 million copies that first year.

5. 5. How thick could a typical Sears Christmas Wish Book catalog get at its peak popularity in the 1960s and 1970s?

   Answer: Over 600 pages

   At its peak, the Sears Wish Book could run over 600 pages and weigh several pounds. It was truly a doorstop of a catalog, packed with toys, clothing, appliances, and everything imaginable.

Things you'll learn along the way

• ✓Customers would fill out a paper order form included in the catalog and mail it in along with payment. This 'mail-order' method gave the entire catalog shopping industry its famous name.
• ✓Sears sold 'Modern Homes' through its catalog from 1908 to 1940 — complete kit houses shipped by rail. Buyers received all the lumber, nails, shingles, and instructions needed to build their own home.
• ✓The toy section was every child's first stop when the Wish Book arrived. Kids would spend hours circling their wish list items, often dog-earing the pages so parents could find them easily.