So happy to see electric football. I had a friend who was really into it and ran a whole league. He had all the teams and even did painting on his own. I at least participated in one whole season and it was a ball.
I remember always being a bit let down by electric football games. They just never seemed to be as much fun as they were supposed to be. But it is entirely possible Santa wasn't bringing me the top-of-the-line sets...
It also reminds me of the tragedy that happened to Sears. Like you state, their catalog had significant cultural power. And they had a nationwide shipping/customer infrastructure. Sears could've been Amazon, but their leadership didn't understand how powerful website ordering (and Wal-Mart) was gonna get in the 21st century. They clung to brick & mortar department stores, and became obsolete.
If you haven't seen it, there's a good history on how Sears built their catalog business, and how critical it was to America (especially isolated areas), 'Sears, Roebuck, USA'. It was published around 1977/78, so it doesn't get to Sears' demise, but is cool because it was authored during Sears' prime. Thanks again for this look back.
Yeah, I'm always looking at your page. We have a shared, nostalgic interest in this sports' art.
Something that caught my eye in your article.. the NHL page. I don't think we ever got that in my childhood catalog. Think there were mild regional variations in the Sears catalog? Where consumers in '70s/'80s South & West may have not had NHL gear, and northeastern/Midwest customers did. If I remember right, the mailing label on the catalogs had different numerical codes for each regional version.. but I could be remembering this wrong.
To be honest, I'm not real sure. I do recall there being localized stickers on the catalog but I don't know if regional versions were made. I distinctly remember seeing ice skates in the catalog and being a bit dumbfounded (I grew up in SC, we rarely got measurable snow so ice skating was foreign to me)
One of my favorite posts in a while… Brought me back to that day each fall when we received the Sears catalog in the mail and couldn’t wait to flip through it. Thank you
Great piece - I was instantly transported back to my ‘70s childhood, being transfixed by the Sears catalog every year. I had an electric football set that came with the default yellow and red teams but quickly amassed a small collection of NFL teams and even got the collectors set of quarterbacks. I also had one of the NFL action figures (Rams, naturally) - I remember the little peg on the ball that fit into the hole in his palm so he could hold it. Oh, and one year I got a Raiders uniform: helmet, black jersey with numbers and letters to sew on, gray pants. Wow, I hadn’t thought about that stuff in years! Thanks again.
Thanks Matt! That’s what I feel is the great thing about those old catalogs, they can definitely conjure up old memories we hadn’t thought about in years. Thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah, those were the 'Action Teammates' (something like that). They were like the forerunners to the (better) Starting Lineup figures. Remember, those Teammate figures would always have a famous player's number, but no name on the back. So you had to use your imagination some.
Did you catch in this article, the NHL page? It was interesting to me how the Penguins had a beanie with their earlier blue colors, with a shirt in their Steeler color scheme. It must've been the season the Penguins switched to black & yellow, but Sears still had some blue beanies to unload (chuckle). peace
I listed every piece of a 1972 Sears catalog 14 piece drum set in a letter to Santa and my parents (in copy) with a detailed explanation on why I needed every single piece when I had no formal training on drums... I just knew I needed to Rock and Roll and Sears, Santa and my parents could make that happen.
Thanks for the memories! Child of the late 60s early 70s and man.... Tudor electric football was epic! Every Christmas I would ask for a couple of teams. By the time I hit Junior High I had about 14 teams. Plus I saw the Electric MLB Baseball game also, I got that for my birthday one year. Good stuff, thanks for including the pictures. The NFL sure blew up in the mid to late 60s and the merch push was incredible!
Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it! When I started researching this, I was amazed at just how much NFL merch was in those catalogs. Pages and pages of stuff. It was glorious.
So happy to see electric football. I had a friend who was really into it and ran a whole league. He had all the teams and even did painting on his own. I at least participated in one whole season and it was a ball.
I remember always being a bit let down by electric football games. They just never seemed to be as much fun as they were supposed to be. But it is entirely possible Santa wasn't bringing me the top-of-the-line sets...
Its a lotta luck, but a good set and a good player knows how to get an advantage. I could never properly manage that.
Great research, and cool nostalgia.
It also reminds me of the tragedy that happened to Sears. Like you state, their catalog had significant cultural power. And they had a nationwide shipping/customer infrastructure. Sears could've been Amazon, but their leadership didn't understand how powerful website ordering (and Wal-Mart) was gonna get in the 21st century. They clung to brick & mortar department stores, and became obsolete.
If you haven't seen it, there's a good history on how Sears built their catalog business, and how critical it was to America (especially isolated areas), 'Sears, Roebuck, USA'. It was published around 1977/78, so it doesn't get to Sears' demise, but is cool because it was authored during Sears' prime. Thanks again for this look back.
Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it! It was lots of fun to research.
I was not familiar with that book, but I may have to try and dig up a copy. Ironically, there are copies on Amazon.
Yeah, I'm always looking at your page. We have a shared, nostalgic interest in this sports' art.
Something that caught my eye in your article.. the NHL page. I don't think we ever got that in my childhood catalog. Think there were mild regional variations in the Sears catalog? Where consumers in '70s/'80s South & West may have not had NHL gear, and northeastern/Midwest customers did. If I remember right, the mailing label on the catalogs had different numerical codes for each regional version.. but I could be remembering this wrong.
To be honest, I'm not real sure. I do recall there being localized stickers on the catalog but I don't know if regional versions were made. I distinctly remember seeing ice skates in the catalog and being a bit dumbfounded (I grew up in SC, we rarely got measurable snow so ice skating was foreign to me)
One of my favorite posts in a while… Brought me back to that day each fall when we received the Sears catalog in the mail and couldn’t wait to flip through it. Thank you
Thanks Ray! Glad you enjoyed it and it brought back fond memories.
Great piece - I was instantly transported back to my ‘70s childhood, being transfixed by the Sears catalog every year. I had an electric football set that came with the default yellow and red teams but quickly amassed a small collection of NFL teams and even got the collectors set of quarterbacks. I also had one of the NFL action figures (Rams, naturally) - I remember the little peg on the ball that fit into the hole in his palm so he could hold it. Oh, and one year I got a Raiders uniform: helmet, black jersey with numbers and letters to sew on, gray pants. Wow, I hadn’t thought about that stuff in years! Thanks again.
Thanks Matt! That’s what I feel is the great thing about those old catalogs, they can definitely conjure up old memories we hadn’t thought about in years. Thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah, those were the 'Action Teammates' (something like that). They were like the forerunners to the (better) Starting Lineup figures. Remember, those Teammate figures would always have a famous player's number, but no name on the back. So you had to use your imagination some.
Did you catch in this article, the NHL page? It was interesting to me how the Penguins had a beanie with their earlier blue colors, with a shirt in their Steeler color scheme. It must've been the season the Penguins switched to black & yellow, but Sears still had some blue beanies to unload (chuckle). peace
I listed every piece of a 1972 Sears catalog 14 piece drum set in a letter to Santa and my parents (in copy) with a detailed explanation on why I needed every single piece when I had no formal training on drums... I just knew I needed to Rock and Roll and Sears, Santa and my parents could make that happen.
Still have my electric football from the 70’s up in the attic. Need to break it out for the grandkids!
Thanks for the memories! Child of the late 60s early 70s and man.... Tudor electric football was epic! Every Christmas I would ask for a couple of teams. By the time I hit Junior High I had about 14 teams. Plus I saw the Electric MLB Baseball game also, I got that for my birthday one year. Good stuff, thanks for including the pictures. The NFL sure blew up in the mid to late 60s and the merch push was incredible!
Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it! When I started researching this, I was amazed at just how much NFL merch was in those catalogs. Pages and pages of stuff. It was glorious.