8. Sears introduced the Christmas catalog in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression
Until 1933 the Sears catalog, known as the Big Book, was released early in the year, with seasonal editions following, and contained all of the products and services in Sears vast inventory. That year the company released its first annual Christmas catalog, which by the 1960s was officially labeled the Wish Book. The smaller Wish Book was specifically aimed at the Christmas gift market, preparations for the holiday and the winter, and of course children. The toy section and game section aimed at children took up a sizable portion of the catalog, and the Wish Book did not include all of the products aimed at farmers and homeowners which Sears sold throughout the year.
In the 1970 Wish Book Sears offered, among the chemistry sets and microscope slides, both of which were popular playthings for children once upon a time, specimens preserved in “harmless, non-toxic fluid” for dissection by the child receiving them as a gift. Grasshoppers, crayfish, and frogs were all offered in jars, ready for an eager anatomy buff to cut into them. For practice before cutting into the real thing, a plastic replica frog with complete anatomy was offered separately, which also presented the advantage of being able to dissect it over and over again as the mood struck. Sears of course also offered the necessary dissecting tools to stimulate the curiosity of future surgeons and embalmers everywhere.