KOOKS!

It's possibly unintentional, but maybe, juuuust maybe Montgomery Ward had a more playful model and photography edge than most other catalogs of decades gone by. This 1980 xmas catalog I've been highlighting so far all month is a perfect example of "cute", everyday looking kids modeling merchandise and obviously having tons of fun doing it, or sometimes very little fun (see the bummed girl with the juicer), and in some cases even acting like a flat-out obnoxious KOOK! In fact, as you are about to see-- the kookier looking / acting the better! To other larger and less adventurous rival department store catalogs, many of these photos would have most certainly been considered unusable outtakes and wound up on the cutting room floor. Some of these pictures might even seem downright creepy to you ridiculous over reactive types that get easily scared by non-scary things like clowns or tuna aspics. While scanning this post, I could almost hear the catalog editor's ghost still screaming from beyond the dead (retail) grave of no return, "Is this REALLY the best photo we have of this girl with the toy juicer??!! ARGHHH!!!"

UPDATED!!!

"Clowning Around"
by Mr. Cavin