Penneys Toyland – 1965

Ad from the Journal, November 25, 1965

Do you have to do any Christmas shopping for kids these days?

I'm glad I don't. I wouldn't have the slightest idea as to what kids want for Christmas. I'm guessing it would be some kind of high-tech toy or gaming system.

But things were a lot simpler when it came to shopping for us Baby Boomers in the 1960s. There were plenty of TV commercials with the latest and trendiest toys; the Sears catalogue could be counted on to have an incredible selection; and lastly, there were lots of gift ideas right in the newspaper ads, since everyone read the paper each night back then.

And above you see what Penneys was offering, toy-wise, at Christmas time in 1965.

It's an interesting selection. 

Secret agents were very much in vogue back then, with James Bond on the big screen and Get Smart and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on the little TV screen. So we have the Secret Sam Spy Outfit.

Talking dolls were still big, even though it had been five years since Mattel introduced its first talking doll (Chatty Cathy) in 1960. For 1965, we had Chester O' Chimp – an "animal yacker" that makes "11 different smart remarks." (As someone of Irish heritage, I'm not sure whether I should be a wee bit offended or not.)

Ideal Toys gave us Tigeroo, to make a bike sound like a tiger, I guess. 

I like how the ad copy slightly appropriates the Humble "Put a Tiger in Your Tank" slogan.

Of course there were the usual toys geared specifically to boys or girls. Boys were expected to be interested in cars and trucks, so there was Duffy's Daredevils and the Johnny Express tractor-trailer (and its various accessories).

For girls, of course, there was.. Baby First Step! Over the years she had various 'do's and eventually became as gabby as that yackin' simian, Chester O' Chimp.

Lastly, the most boring game hands down being pitched by Penneys had to be, er, Hands Down!

All toy photos courtesy of eBay. 

Penneys Catalog Ad – Feb. 24, 1965

Seeing this ad for the 1965 Spring-Summer Penneys Catalog really reminded me how much shopping has changed in the last sixty years. Or has it?

The ad, which ran in the Journal on Feb. 24, 1965 advertises tens of thousands of items 'at your finger tips.' You merely phoned in your order from the comfort of your home, and the sales personnel did all the paper work to process it. Your items were then shipped to the local catalog center; you just had to go pick it up.

Here's a color version of the Penneys catalog in the ad, along with that of its greatest competitor: Sears. 

Today, online shopping has largely replaced most catalogs. It's still all about convenience. The difference is now you pay for shipping, but your order is delivered to your home.

What I don't like is that most brick-and-mortar stores like Walmart just don't bother having a lot of stock on their shelves anymore. Their website probably has what you want, but gone are the days when you can just go there and buy it.

Sooner or later, Amazon will be the only place where you can find what you want. For instance, last year I attempted to jump in my car and go buy a pair of sunglasses. I went to my old standby – Drug Mart – and came away empty-handed. I went to a lot of other stores and discovered that unless I wanted to buy a really goofy looking pair, I was out of luck. I ended up buying a pair on Amazon.

Also last year, I dropped my watch (which I had for over 20 years) and broke the band. The watch itself wasn't in great shape either (the crown liked to fall out) but it still worked. Do you think I could buy a replacement band or a new watch in a store in Lorain County? Forget it. I found a new Timex on Amazon (the ones on the Timex website were more than I paid for some of my furniture).

Anyway, it's nice to think back to the days when Mom had all her catalogs – Sears, Penneys, Esco – on a shelf in the hall closet. We bought a lot of clothes, towels, toys, etc. from those books. It was a simpler time.

Barbie & Ken & Babs & Bill

Everybody has heard of Barbie and Ken – the iconic girlfriend/boyfriend dolls manufactured by Mattel that have been played with by young girls since 1959. But have you ever heard of Babs and Bill?

I haven't either. But they were more or less clones of Barbie and her boyfriend, manufactured and marketed by a Mattel competitor. And here they are, in this Penneys ad from the Lorain Journal of Dec. 13, 1963.

It's interesting that the name 'Babs' is short for 'Barbara' – which is almost Barbie! The Penneys ad even includes Barbie's Dream House!

The whole Barbie and Babs thing reminds me of Stony Smith and G.I. Joe. Both were action figures that were soldiers (my brothers and I had both). But one (G. I. Joe) was the original and the other (Stony) was the less well-done rip-off. But we enjoyed and played with both of them – although Stony did all his soldiering standing up (his legs didn't bend). 

Here's one on eBay right now. (I gave mine to my nephews when they were tykes.)

I remember we even used a black Sharpie magic marker to make Stony look like Adolf Hitler (!) so we could bash, shoot and destroy/kill him! I guess that's what happens when your father fought in WWII.

If you'd like to learn more about Babs and Bill, visit this link on a very interesting website called "The Vintage Toy Advertiser."

Easter Parade of Ads – 1953

Well, Easter is only a few days away, so I'd better serve up this final helping of warmed-over holiday fare, circa 1953.

Easter used to mean (and still does, I guess) lots of flowers and corsages, so it's not surprising to see that the local florists sponsored this nearly full-page ad. It appeared in the Journal back on March 31, 1953.

It's good to see that at least one business – Zelek's – is still around. I remember going to Marge's and Carek's for flowers for my date for the music formals and the Prom at Admiral King High School.

I like that wheelbarrow wabbit, er, rabbit clip art.

At least one jewelry store decided to offer an Easter promotion. Seymour's at 633 Broadway offered this large, 24 inch Easter Bunny available on a layaway plan. "Hmm.. should we spend the money on a ham or a stuffed bunny this year?" some families may have had to decide. The "big, huggable" bunny doesn't have a name; but since he's almost as big as Big Georgi in the Marshall's ad, we'll just call him Big Guido.

Journal ad from March 25, 1953

And speaking of ham (and its affordability), here's an ad for a grocery store that I'd never heard of: Henry's Food Center, located at 22nd and Reid. The ad ran in the Journal on April 2, 1953.

And lastly, while some stores today feature a live-action costumed Easter Bunny for kids to have their photo taken with, back in 1953 apparently that idea hadn't quite caught on yet. Instead, Penney's in Downtown Lorain offered up Peter Cottontail.

Like many of you, I remember the little song about Peter Cottontail. Here's the hit version by Gene Autry.

I assumed it was the same character as Peter Rabbit in the stories written by Beatrix Potter.

Not so. According to this Wiki entry, the name 'Peter Cottontail" was a name "temporarily assumed by a fictional rabbit named Peter Rabbit in the works of Thornton Burgess."  

But Gene Autry's song version came out in 1950 and designates Peter Cottontail as the Easter Bunny, so he became the de facto holiday hare, for at least a little while.

Christmas Ads – 1970

Well, the Christmas Cavalcade of newspaper ads and articles continues – we’re up to 1970 now.

It’s a real mixed bag of old fashioned ads, and “hip” ones that reflected the (ugh) changes in fashion that were taking place.

This nearly full-page ad for Hills Dept. Store seems to symbolize that the times were a-changing. It ran in the Journal on December 24, 1970. The unappealing characters look like they’re right out of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine cartoon.

This Dec. 14, 1970 ad for Sam Klein Co. can’t seem to decide what decade it is. Although the man looks like he belongs in a 1950s beer ad, the woman has those now-classic 1970s ‘big eyes.’

Making his annual appearance in Penneys ads (after being introduced in 1967) is that famous holiday meece, Santa Mouse. This ad ran in the Journal on December 13, 1970. 

(I’ve had several recent dealings with mouse traps and ‘miserable meeces,' so I have to confess that I’m not a fan of Santa Mouse. He looks a little too realistic to me, and a little too hungry.

At least the next few ads are old-fashioned. First Federal Savings of Lorain (now the only local bank with ‘Lorain’ still in its name) had some nice vintage art in its Dec. 24, 1970 Journal ad. I like the dog-like reindeer.

 This Dec. 13, 1970 ad for Llewellyn Motor Company had a nice Santa illustration as well.

Santa’s also in this Lorain Creamery ad of Dec. 21, 1970 featuring ‘Flaming Ice Cream Snow Balls.” Sounds like a weapon! 

I wonder if competitor Home Dairy was not amused by the Creamery’s ad tagline: “LORAIN’S FINEST HOME DAIRY?”

Lastly, what would the holiday be without our old pal Reddy Kilowatt? His appearances in Journal ads were getting pretty rare by 1970, but here he is in one that ran Dec. 15, 1970, inviting us in for a free cup of coffee, and serving up an electrifying holiday meal. And unlike the Lorain Creamery Snow Balls – no flames!

Christmas Ads – 1969

I featured some 1959 Christmas ads from the Journal a few days ago here on the blog; today we jump up to 1969 for a look at what was being advertised 50 years ago.

First up is an ad for the late, great Lorain National Bank and its newfangled BankAmericard. The ad  – which ran in the Journal on December 1, 1969 – helpfully explains how it works (use it “just like cash”).

(I had to Google BankAmericard to see if they were still out there. They are.)

Next up is an ad that ran on December 4, 1969 for Penneys at Midway Mall, promoting its Santa Mouse tie-in. It looks like Santa Mouse was expected to be the next big thing, with a book, record, stuffed toys, sleepers, night caps (hmmm, that’s kinda Dickensian for 1969) and other items.

But I don’t think there was a Santa Mouse animated TV special, so maybe that’s why the red-clad rodent is not well-known today. Santa Mouse books are easily found on Ebay, though.

This ad (below) for Mister S Family Restaurant ran on December 12, 1969 promotes not only its “Maxi” Burger but also “the world’s largest Christmas stocking,” which was going to be given away to a lucky winner. Anyone know who the cute little girl is posing with the 8-foot tall gigantic stocking? 

And lastly, here’s a clever ad for Lorain’s iconic Faroh’s Candies that ran in the Journal on December 15, 1969.

I noticed in the ad that Faroh’s suggested candy as a gift for the “newsboy, mailman or neighbors kid etc.” It reminded me of the days when the Journal was an afternoon newspaper, and when we had a regular “paper boy” who brought it each day. 

The “paper boy" was usually a slightly older kid who lived in the neighborhood. He would come to “collect" on a certain day, and he would punch a card that corresponded with our family’s subscription. If he had provided good service, then he was tipped right there while payment was being made.

Now the local papers are all morning editions, and are delivered under the predawn cover of darkness. You never see the person delivering it (or flinging it from their car, as the case may be) although you might hear them if they have a bad muffler.

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As my old Masson schoolmate Mike noted in a comment left on this post, there was a popular Santa Mouse song sung by Burl Ives. Here it is, courtesy of YouTube.

Penneys Architect Sketch – February 1966

Midway Mall is in the news again – with the usual concerns about its future. (Here's the latest story, courtesy of the Chronicle-Telegram, about a possible sale of the aging shopping center.)

Thus, it's not a bad time to take a look back at the time when the Mall was new.

The above photo – an architect's sketch of the proposed J. C. Penney Co. store then under construction at Midway Mall – appeared in the Journal on February 3, 1966 – 49 years ago this month. An article accompanying the photo made reference to the Penney Co., the Higbee Co. and Sears, Roebuck & Co. as the Mall's principal occupants. It also stated that approximately 200 men and women would be employed in the new store, which would occupy about 175,000 square feet.

Of course, the Higbee Co. is long gone, but J. C. Penney and Sears are still hanging in there. (I still think of it as Penneys – never J. C. Penney.)

Here's a vintage shot of the store from an earlier post.

I gotta confess, I haven't driven around to the back of the J. C. Penney store in years – so I had wrongly assumed that the view in the architect's sketch was lost to the Mall's expansions and additions over the years. Then I saw this Bing Maps view (below) and realized there still was a back entrance to the store.

So I drove over to Midway Mall this past overcast Sunday afternoon to grab a quick shot. (Of course when I got there, a person was loitering outside the store, leaning against one of the supports. Fortunately, they began pacing back and forth – enabling me to get my photo (below).

1968 Lorain Part 7

Here's yet another photo from the 1968 Greater Lorain Chamber of Commerce booklet – of course, it's the JCPenney store at Midway Mall, sometime in the 1960's. And the corresponding "now" view is at right. (Click on each so you see a jumbo size and pretend "You Are There!")

JCPenney (or just Penneys as it was known back then) was one of the three original anchor stores at Midway Mall when it opened back in 1966, along with Higbee's and Sears.

The concept of a covered shopping mall was still relatively new in 1968, having transitioned from the 1950's open air shopping malls (such as the O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center a few miles from Midway Mall). I'll be doing more on Midway Mall and the O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center as well in some future blog series.

It wasn't easy getting the "now" picture. Several times I framed my shot, only to have shoppers wander into the shot at the last minute. Then, I realized that a gentleman was seated in the right side of the shot and looking right at me the whole time! After I explained what I was doing, he was quite friendly and enjoyed looking at the 1968 photo.

Unfortunately, I also drew the attention of a security guard, who literally ran over to see what I was doing. "I thought you were secretly photographing shoppers," he explained.

That's all I need – to get arrested and end up on the front page of the newspaper. Actually, it might be good publicity for this blog!