The Wayback Files: Service Merchandise

 Today I thought I'd do something different for a blog post.  For the last year or so I've been looking on sites like Newspapers.com finding all kinds of things that most people aren't searching newspaper archives for.  I look for advertisements, comics, wrestling articles, sometimes trading cards that newspapers would include in their pages, and at Christmas I created a Christmas newspaper from my family and few friends.  It consisted of all Christmas related items found in newspapers from years past, like news stories, comics, advertisements and other items.  My plan was maybe 4-6 pages and it ended up being 16 or so pages.  I had a lot of fun compiling it and I got rave reviews from those that read it.  The idea was it would be a one and done deal because first and foremost I only had a subscription for 6 months and I had other projects I wanted to do.  Also because after you do one issue directly related to Christmas, most of the articles are redundant and the comics and ads are pretty much the same.  However getting a little bit of positive feedback I have been working on maybe a smaller issue for this year.  When my subscription ran out though I had to find other avenues.  I was hoping to get the free weekend that newspapers runs on Mother's Day weekend but they didn't do it this year.  I hope those aren't done.  If it is I might be able to get a free week once in a while, but otherwise I might pony up 20 bucks for a month.  The good news is they did just release a bunch of newspapers from my area and I hope a few more are added before my next trial/month.  In the meantime the State Historical Society of Missouri partners with Newspapers and they have some on their site as well and its free access so I have found stuff on there.

Another avenue I've explored (I've used it many times but never for this reason) was the Internet Archive.  For many years I've used the Wayback Machine to look up old websites, and sometimes even explore the Archive itself for items ranging from old wrestling magazines, music, or even films.  However I decided to look up newspapers and found a few results.  Not enough to impress me, but since I was on the site I explored more and found more magazines.  Then I decided to search for catalogs.  I mean I love the old through the mail catalogs from the 80s and 90s, so maybe somebody preserved them.  Turns out, a lot did.

So in a new feature (at least until I forget about it or run out of material) I'm going to thumb through the Internet Archives and feature and old catalog and show a few items from it.  At the end I will link you to the page if you want to explore more.  The first one will take us back to the Summer of 1976 thanks to the Service Merchandise catalog.

Two things I want to note before I begin.  I have never shopped at Service Merchandise, and I wasn't even born in 1976.  That said I am aware of Service Merchandise only because in the early years of Wheel of Fortune (the good years), you could shop for prizes on the show and the prizes were supplied by Service Merchandise.  I always assumed they went out of business in the early 90's, but they stuck around long enough to actually have a website and possibly allowed you to order from the site.  I'm not sure what the closest store was to me, but I was in my teens when they died out so I can't tell of any experiences.  However it doesn't prevent me from going down the rabbit hole of seeing stuff I would have wanted at some point in my life, or items crazy enough that I hope I never see in person.  So before we dig in, lets look at what they sell.

I did't really read this, I'm a pictures guy!  Just kidding, well, sort of.  No need to look for the page number when I'm browsing through the entire thing and there is no way of actually ordering them.  However if anything is of interest and I don't show it, again at the end I'll share a link to the page to browse it yourself.

Now we begin.

While never having that brand of "garden cart" we did have a similar one when growing up, and I really liked it.  It held a lot more than a normal wheelbarrow, but then again I'm not sure what exactly I used it for.  Maybe to pick up sticks a few times.

Now I'm a lawn mower guy.  A garden tractor, a yard tractor.... whatever you wanted to call it.  With my parents I remember mowing many summers.  Not just yards, I mowed lawns at a nursing home, a few churches, and even a cemetery (I remember even hitting a few tombstones and feeling real bad about it).  The go to mower in our family was Craftsman.  Later on my dad joined a garden tractor group and they would pull them (think Tractor pulls but smaller).  I never got into it, but he pulled mowers like Cub Cadet, Dynamark, and an old Wizard (the kind sold at Western Auto).  He also had a Case or two he would sometimes use.  Saying all of this, I know of a lot of brands of mowers, probably up to the current kinds that use handles instead of a steering wheel I guess zero turn is the name of them.  Even still I know of brands like Bad Boy.  Toro also makes a kind you can stand on and I watch a Youtuber called The Boring Channel and that is what he uses to mow lawns (lawn mowing youtube videos are actually soothing).  The reason I bring all this up is because Until a couple weeks ago, I was never aware that Service Merchandise made their own brand of mowers.  I have never seen or heard of one.  I just assumed they'd sell Homelite or Dynamark or some other brand that may seem like lower quality but still suitable to use.  Looking at this mower, this would possibly be perfect as a pulling mower, and even if it wasn't it looks pretty cool. I miss the days of mowing because it allowed me to clear my head and actually got me outside.  I don't miss the hot summer days though so maybe I'm better off not having a yard or at least one I need to tend to.

I don't know why but I still enjoy box fans.  They always seemed to provide a good amount of air and never seemed too loud.  I never had one on a stand though, so this would be pretty cool to have.  Though I would like an updated version of a box fan.  Maybe its not nostalgia but more because my fan conked out on me a few weeks ago.  Though luckily I did have a smaller fan that works fin for now.

The bottom fan reminds me of one my dad used to have next to his bed.  It was right by his clock radio (just like the one I showed in my last post).  I would love to find a similar one to this to display next to it.

Don't get me wrong, I love air conditioning, but I think I could survive off a fan if I needed to.  In fact until the temperature hits 90 or above and the heat index is over 100, I prefer to keep the windows open.  I have had to use the AC the last week because of such events, but I'm hoping it will cool off for a few days to get some fresh air circulating.

For a lot of these I tried to include the write up and the price, but I didn't want a bunch of other write ups and pictures to delude what I was showcasing.  I had a few Tonka trucks growing up, and may have had a very similar dump truck.  $8.97 sounds like a good price for it.  Having said that, I didn't pay a lot of attention to pricing but did include it to get a glimpse on how prices were now compared to then.  I think 9 bucks would be a steal, but then again, I'm not sure I'd really need a Tonka truck today.

Another drawback of not having a yard is not being able to play outdoor games.  Sure I could go to the park but I'd then need to drag all the stuff there and back.  I really would love to have a croquet set and play again.  It's been probably 20 years since I last played, and it would be so fun.  I'd even settle for horseshoes as well.  I was never a big fan of tetherball, but it would be fun to play again.  I think it would be fun to one day organize a weekend Olympics of sorts of lawn games.  Have like 8-10 events ranging from Croquet, Horseshoes, Washers, Cornhole, and more.  Have two divisions, one where you pay to enter and can win money, and another where you just play for fun.  If I ever got a yard again, I would buy a croquet set for me, and my mom seems to think she'd enjoy cornhole, so I'd get that too.  I also have a set or two of the original Lawn Darts (Jarts) and would play that when nobody is around or around people I would trust not to poke other people's eyes out.

I liked those old coolers, the kind that weren't plastic.  These days I don't have much use for them, but I still miss them.

Something else I would probably/maybe partake in if I had a yard or at least a good pasture would be archery.  I remember a couple weeks in high school we learned about it and it was pretty fun.  I don't think I could use a compound bow or anything, but just doing it as a hobby would be a bit fun.  I would never be at the level of Olympians, but they were quite fun to watch.

If I'm being honest, I don't miss old cameras.  Anything before digital I have zero interest in.  Even instant cameras which were cool at the time, I just don't miss.  I like knowing what I took a picture of immediately so I know if I got a good shot.  While I was hesitant to using a camera on a phone (and still am a bit), I do enjoy not carrying around a bulky camera.  I included these because these look different than the Polaroid's I remember and thought it would be fun to show off.  If I found these today at a garage sale I would probably pass over them without much thought though.

I realized there isn't a lot of toys and games in this catalog or this post, but if this catches on I have a few future posts that might be a bit more fun.

SPEAKING OF FUN!!!!!  These clock's are a HOOT!  Seriously, I just thought of my grandma when I saw these even though I have no memory of her having anything remotely similar to these clocks.  I do remember she had like decorative cast iron spoons and forks or something.  Though these were different and I thought I would include them.

The toasters made me think of a fire hazard waiting to happen.  They just look so.....old.  Though I am curious if the Toastmaster one on the left was made in Boonville, MO where they had a plant and is the next town over.  One day maybe I'll get a 4 slice toaster, but it won't look like these.

Ahh, ye olde dinnerware sets.  I never cared for designs on my plates, though I remember having a similar one to the letter C on the top right.  In fact we might still have some of the set.  These days I just prefer using a plastic plate I replace every few months, or on special occasions, much nicer ones but nothing that stands out like these.

For someone who rarely travels, I have a strange fascination with luggage.  Samsonite always reminds me of Dumb & Dumber for a scene where Jim Carrey tries to remember a person's name and realizes it might be on the briefcase.  "SAMSONITE.... I WAS WAY OFF".

My mom did have a very similar Beauty Case like the letter L, and she might still have it.  It was in blue also.  I look at luggage these days, but usually I'm more interested in getting it just to use it for storage.  Then again, I've never had a real nice luggace set.  Maybe one day.

I thought I had more to show, but that appears to be it.  I admit it was a bit of a lackluster debut, but if I do more of these, they will be more interesting.  I know I have another one I might do soon somewhat also related to summer, then a couple for Halloween and a few Christmas ones, so at the least I should have some to last until the end of the year.  As for these items, I'm not sure which item I'd want the most.  Maybe the fan so I could display it next to the clock radio, and also use it if I need to. 

If you would like to see the entire catalog here is the link- Service Merchandise Summer 1976.

So that will wrap things up for today thanks for reading and I hope you have a great weekend.  I'm not sure what my plans are beside staying cool, but I have a few projects I'm working on and I have even completed a few.  I'm proud of the progress I've made on a few things.  So if I can keep that up, I'll be happy.  Hopefully I'll have a another post in the next week, but if not, have a fun and safe Independence Day (if you live in the U.S.), or have a fun and safe month of July for those Worldwide.  Thanks again for reading.