Before there was an app for everything, there was a catalog: The Sears Catalog, to be exact. Encased in these rough-textured pages sat products galore; from ice cream makers to monkeys and automobiles to beauty treatments, the world was at the reader’s fingertips. But not everything sold in the Sears Catalog was free of contention (see aforementioned: “Monkeys”); some items certainly raised eyebrows and warranted side-eye. Eighteen of this catalog’s most controversial items include the following:
#1: Do-It-Yourself House Kits
During the early-to-mid 1900s, Sears sold do-it-yourself house kits composed of pre-cut materials. These kits allowed you to channel The Three Little Pigs, but they weren’t homes relegated to straw or sticks; they were advertised as modern homes, with kits that included lumber, wiring, bathtubs and sinks, windows, roofing, and more. Buyers could either build the houses themselves or hire someone else. Either way, all a home’s ingredients were delivered straight to the customer (typically via railroad). Top that, Amazon.
