Saturday, July 25, 2020

Christmas (Catalog) in July!

We're still doing the non-summer holidays here at AEET this July, and nothing speaks "holiday" more than Gay Ray's awesome 1961-1962 toy catalog for Kresser's Service Store which was located in Wayne OH back in the day. This one seriously has it all, and wow, this was a good year for popular TV cartoon characters too, in particular those from Hanna Barbara. Some of the more fun highlights include: injured dolls, target games, wonderfully off model Flintstones, creative kits, guns for boys and brooms for girls (boo), board games galore --and more! Get fancy, and get orderin' everything for your wishlist before it's too late... I mean, I know xmas is still 5 months away, but there's no time like the presents awaitin' you under the tree!

























I'll have more from this catalog closer to xmas time (if we all live to see it!) And up next we'll take a closer look at those Kenner Give-A-Show slides featured above!

10 comments:

Craftypants Carol said...

OMG I am the fancy lady!!!!

Damn this is awesome. I would seriously have wanted the vinyl Fred and Barney and all those board games just so I could get a closer look at them. And boy oh boy does that toy cleaning set look fun! (I'm kidding obv)

And I have to say I'm a little perplexed by the Perfect Patient doll. I guess I was never meant to be a doctor or a nurse.

Brian Barnes said...

"Hexed"? Is this some kind of subtle cross-over?

During the 60s/70s HB ruled American TV animation. It was just them and next to no one else. It was only broken when the toys as cartoons (he-man, transformers, GI Joe, etc) came out. So it's no surprise that HB merchandise fills the catalog.

Mr. Cavin said...

(Whoa, don't forget Filmation, Mr. Barnes.)

I love the Barney and Fred here, and I would really like to see the other figures in the run. The girl toys are a little bit of a bummer, but as a stately old man I'd sure love to have all my kitchen appliances in that dusty pink color. Sucks that the only option in our modern world seems to be brushed DeLorean gray. I would also like to have the box that Special Agent Dress-up set came in.

I can't wait to learn more about the Give-A-Show Projector!

Mr. Karswell said...

> don't forget Filmation, Mr. Barnes

And Jay Ward, and Terrytoons, and Art Clokey, and UPA, and Cambria, and DePatie-Freleng, and Rankin Bass, etc

Wendy said...

Great minds think alike! I just did my own Christmas Catalogue in July post a couple of days ago! There are few things I enjoy quite like a Christmas catalogue, and this one has me once again wishing that I could go back in time with a suitcase full of today's money, just long enough to buy a bunch of crap that I want and then come back to the present with it! *sighs* A girl can dream, right?

Mr. Karswell said...

@Mr C: it’s a-comin’!

@Wendy: Man, there are a ton of things in your catalog I want. Great post! :)

@Brian PS: Harveytoons, Hal Seeger, King Features etc...

Mr. Karswell said...

@Carol, aka “Fancy Lady”: you may also be the Sit and Ride Yogi kid, I haven’t decided

Craftypants Carol said...

I can do both

Brian Barnes said...

@karswell and @mr. Cavin I said HB "ruled" American cartoons, they at that time had 80% of the market and 2 out of 3 cartoons on Saturday morning were HB cartoons. I know about the other studios! They were far and apart the guys at the top, nobody else was close.

Mr. Karswell said...

No argument there, but you also said,

“ It was just them and next to no one else.”