CIJ 2023 Christmas Through the Decades -1960’s

[Myron's Mom]

Part 2

Gifts
Catalogs: One of the major highlights of being a kid in the 1960’s was waiting on the Christmas catalogs to arrive. All the majors had catalogs: Penney’s, Sears, Montgomery Wards, and Aldens. Kids would page through them, dreaming of Christmas morning.

https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalog/1964-Montgomery-Ward-Christmas-Book

https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalog/1965-JCPenney-Christmas-Book

https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalog/1968-Sears-Christmas-

Top selling Toys for Christmas:
Mattel's Chatty Cathy talking doll (‘60) pull string talking doll, second in sales behind Barbie.

Ohio Art Co.'s “Magic Screen” Etch-a-Sketch ('60) Name one of the 100 memorable toys of the 20th century.

Mattel's Ken doll ('61) Developed as Barbie’s companion, named after the creators (Ruth Handler) son.

Chatter Phone (‘62) Designed by Ernest Thornell, who’s daughter would drag around an old phone while playing.

Kenner's Easy Bake Oven ('63) The idea came from the pretzel machines on the NYC subway which used light bulbs to heat the pretzels.

Hasbro's G.I. Joe (‘64) GI Joe was developed to compete with Barbie. The term “action figure” was coined to eliminate the term “doll”.

Wham-O's Super Ball ('65) Supposedly if the average adult throws the ball on a hard surface it will bounce over a 3 story building!

Hasbro's Lite Brite ('67) Using a standard light bulb, Lite Brite created pictures by punching translucent colored pegs through a opaque black paper.

Suzy Homemaker Toy Appliances ('67) The Suzy Homemaker doll along with her stove, refrigerator and other household items was very popular in the 60’s. As the women’s liberation movement marched on, Suzy’s sales declined and she was off the market by the 70’s.

Mattel's Hot Wheels ('68) Another toy for the boys market to be like Barbie is to girls.

Ideal Toy Co.'s Flatsy dolls (‘69) Marketed for little girls. The commercial featured a theme song “She’s flat and all that!”

Another You Tube video!
What 1960s POPULAR toys REALLY was In America!

Games were popular gifts and were enjoyed by the entire family. Many of the games we wanted for Christmas are still popular today.



Gifts for adults:
Singer, not just for Mom!


Cameras for everyone! (I got one from Mom and Dad!) Remember the flash cubes?


Cigarettes, a very popular gift in the 60’s!


“Plug in gifts” were very popular for wives and mothers.


Can’t forget Dad!


Tomorrow Christmas food.

 

[halimer]

I remember playing so many of those games! What a trip down memory lane!

 

[Lori K]

Lots of good memories here. Just curious ... did a stack of catalogs ever serve as a booster seat at the holiday table in anyone else's home? At my GMa and GPa's house, the youngest got the high chair seat (with the tray table removed, the next youngest got a stack of catalogs -- height as required, and the 3rd youngest got the telephone books as a booster seat.

 

[Myron's Mom]

We didn’t. If you needed a boost you sat in your moms lap. We didn’t use very many chairs, mostly benches at grandmas. We ate in shifts because so many of us and grandma had a very tiny house.

 

[jampss]

So many of those games we played! And I loved my light bright! The fashion and hairdos in the catalogues were fun to look over. We used to dress our brother’s GI Joe doll in a Barbie dress and he would get so mad at us! LOL Oy … cigarettes for a present … back in the day, my dad did smoke.

 

[GrammaDeb]

Santa brought me a Chatty Cathy one year - I almost fainted, I was that surprised and excited. Of course an Easy Bake Oven, and always the most current Barbie and accessories (can’t forget Ken). So excited to get the Mystery Date game. Every year I bought my parents each a pack of cigarettes (I still remember the jingle…”Winston tastes good like a cigarette should) and a small bottle of Evening in Paris cologne for mother and Skin Bracer after shave for my dad, and they always acted surprised and happy to get them.

That’s too funny about the GI Joe in Barbie clothes.

 

[Miss JoDee]

I did not get a Barbie doll. I got a Tammy doll and her sister Pepper. I had a Barbie like car that my older brothers sat my baby brother in and scooted around. DM was not happy. We laugh now but...

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Oh my goodness... I love this! I can't believe that the Sears Catalog is online. What a find.

My grandparents used the phonebooks for the youngest at the table.

 

[missjane]

What fun! Large Dutch ovens turned upside down in a chair was our booster seat!

 

[Myron's Mom]

I did not get a Barbie doll. I got a Tammy doll and her sister Pepper.

Oh my gosh! I had a Tammy and Pepper too! Forgotten about them until you mentioned them. I actually liked them better then my barbie.

I always got my grandma the old fashion cotton stockings as her gift. She wore them everyday, even in the blazing heat of summer.

 

[missjane]

Did anyone have a "Flatsy Patsy?" She was probably about 10 inches tall, plastic, and flat? She must have been 1970s, though.

 

[MinnieCo]

This makes me look at the games and think....wow games were easy back in the "old days". My kids tease me becuase I always complain about the games being so COMPLICATED now days. They know they need to buy me the easy ones, because the strategy games they play these days make my brain hurt. I'm always down for a good game of Sorry, Monopoly and Clue!!! Oh...and Uno...I love Uno!
So I was born in 69, so this is a tad before my time, BUT even as a kid in the 70's and probably early 80's I'd just flip through my grandparents Sears catalog and Service Merchandise Catalog and daydream about what I could buy if I had a job. And like many young girls, I always wanted a canopy bed. Not sure what color, but I probably would of chose Pink or Purple back in the day.

 

[AuntJamelle]

I love Uno too, @MinnieCo ! My son (13 now) will still play with me if I insist, LOL

Love the catalog links! I remember spending a lot of time perusing the Sears and Pennys catalogs in my early teens- that was in the 90s - it was so exciting! I would "decorate" several different imaginary vacation houses out of the home decor sections. Then plan my travel outfits, etc. Oh and the Barbie things!!! It was fun!

It's funny how many of those vintage board games are still around and popular today! We love Monopoly and Clue!