G.I. Joe Astronaut's "Spacewalk" Outfit
1969 Sears Christmas Wish Book

I bought a 1969 edition of the Sears, Roebuck & Co.'s Christmas Wish Book on eBay. It was the year I turned 11 years old, and was also the year of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Remembering how I eagerly awaited those pages filled with advertisements for model airplanes, boats, guns, Erector sets, and countless other things, I figured it might be nice to look through one again. Here is the 1967 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalog, the 1969 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalog and the 1969 Sears Christmas Wish Book. Enjoy!

Here on page 496 of the Sears 1969 Christmas Wish Book are a G.I. Joe outfits. It being the first Christmas after the historic flight of Apollo 11, just about every boy's toy was available with some sort of flight theme, be it aircraft or rocket. I was thoroughly wrapped up in the whole Moon shot thing, and even went out and launched my Estes Alpha rocket the day that Apollo 11 launched (July 16, 1969). Doing so earned me a certificate of support from Estes. The certificate disappeared a long time ago.

Use the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator to see what items cost in today's dollars. That $6.99 G.I. Joe Astronaut's "Spacewalk" Outfit would cost $41.53 in 2010 money.

Posted January 15, 2011