The Sears Wish Book
Instructions: 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.
- 1.
What was the popular nickname children used for the Sears Christmas catalog that arrived each fall?
AThe Dream BookBThe Wish BookCThe Holiday CatalogDThe Gift Guide - 2.
In what decade did Sears publish its very first mail-order catalog?
A1870sB1880sC1890sD1900s - 3.
Which company was Sears' biggest rival in the mail-order catalog business for most of the 20th century?
ASpiegelBJ.C. PenneyCMontgomery WardDWoolworth - 4.
What beloved children's Christmas character was actually created by Montgomery Ward in 1939 as a giveaway booklet?
AFrosty the SnowmanBRudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerCHermey the ElfDJack Frost - 5.
How thick could a typical Sears Christmas Wish Book catalog get at its peak popularity in the 1960s and 1970s?
AAbout 100 pagesBAbout 200 pagesCAbout 400 pagesDOver 600 pages - 6.
What was the name of the ordering method most families used before telephone and internet orders became common?
APhone-in orderBMail-in order formCTelegram orderDStore pickup slip - 7.
Sears once famously sold entire houses through its catalog. What were these catalog homes called?
ASears Ready-Built HomesBSears Honor Bilt HomesCSears Modern HomesDSears Kit Cottages - 8.
Which section of the Wish Book did most children head to first?
AThe appliance pagesBThe toy sectionCThe clothing pagesDThe sporting goods pages - 9.
Sears catalog customers in the early 1900s could buy which of these surprising items through the mail?
AA complete automobileBA ready-to-assemble house kitCA live farm animalDA working telephone system - 10.
What year did Sears publish its final traditional Christmas Wish Book before discontinuing the big catalog?
A1989B1993C1997D2001 - 11.
The Spiegel catalog, another beloved mail-order book, was based in which American city?
ANew York CityBCincinnatiCChicagoDDetroit - 12.
What did families in rural areas particularly value about shopping through the Sears catalog in the early 1900s?
AFaster delivery than city storesBAccess to goods they had no local store to buyCLower prices than any department storeDThe ability to return items easily - 13.
Which wildly popular 1970s toy brand filled many Wish Book pages with dolls, playsets, and accessories for girls?
AKennerBMattelCHasbroDFisher-Price - 14.
What nickname did shoppers give the giant twice-yearly Sears general merchandise catalog?
AThe Big BookBThe Sears AnnualCThe Master CatalogDThe Grand Index - 15.
What tradition did many children practice when the Wish Book arrived each fall, to communicate their holiday wishes to parents?
AWriting a letter to copy the page numbersBCircling or dog-earing the pages of wanted itemsCCutting out pictures to make a collageDMemorizing item numbers to recite to Santa
Answer Key
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sears sold complete house kits through the catalog — over 70,000 homes were ordered this way between 1908 and 1940. These 'kit homes' arrived by rail car with pre-cut lumber and full instructions.
Sears published its last traditional Christmas Wish Book in 1993, ending a tradition that had delighted families for generations. The rise of specialty retailers and changing consumer habits made the big catalog less necessary.
Spiegel was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and was known for its fashionable women's clothing and home furnishings. At its height it was one of the largest catalog retailers in the country.
For families living far from any town or city, the Sears catalog was a lifeline that brought the variety of a big-city department store right to their mailbox. It truly democratized shopping for rural America.
Mattel, maker of Barbie and a huge range of girls' toys, was a catalog staple throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Barbie pages were among the most circled sections in the Wish Book.
The huge Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter Sears general catalogs were known as the 'Big Book.' Hundreds of pages thick, they sold everything from clothing to tools, and their 1993 closing made national news.
Circling or dog-earing pages was the classic Wish Book ritual — kids would mark everything they wanted, and parents would quietly study those dog-eared pages to build their holiday shopping list.