Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Johnson Smith's Catalog

I can remember as a kid looking forward to getting the Johnson Smith's Catalog in the mail. Tons of neat things like practical jokes of gum that turns your mouth black, mustard bottles with a yellow string that squirts out five inches faking a mustard attack, faux vomit and dog poo, tiny cameras that actually worked....and rubber butchered off hands. The hand was probably my first major purchase in my life. I'd love to have heard how I asked my mother if I could buy it, and her reply. But she let me and I remember waiting forever for it to arrive. This is the weird part - I can remember seeing the mailman walking up to the front door with a small brown package. This totally means I was watching him like a dog from the window. I heard the screendoor open and close so it was absolutely a package for our address.


It was my rubber butchered off hand. Wrapped in a BROWN PAPER BAG. That was actually how it was shipped. In a lunch bag. A small paper lunch bag.

This morning, someone dropped a catalog on my desk because it had Halloween items on the cover. Yep, Johnson Smith's catalog is still around.

Here's their site.

4 comments:

crudedoodle.com said...

this is so funny. I remember ordering from that as a kid. I ordered a small spy camera and it came with little rolls of film. I remember making fake footprints of Bigfoot in the mud and then taking pics of the "proof."

fun time.

Grim said...

I remember how disappointed I was when I found out that those x-ray vision glasses didn't work.

Anonymous said...

That was my Bible for many years growing up. One year I ordered many of the practical jokes throughout the year. That Halloween I dressed in missed matched clothes kinda like a 70's car salesman and went as a practical joker. Did anyone get it? I dont know but I sure had fun the all the fun stuff.

Unknown said...

I ordered all sorts of things from that catalog as a kid... Halloween items, magic tricks, you name it. I LOVED that catalog back then!