The Argos Catalogue, Littlewoods And The Christmas Wishbook

Before you could look anything up, the catalogue was where things existed.

And the toy section at the back was the most-read publication in the country between September and December.

Cards drawn and printed by us

Funny, rude and warm greeting cards for every occasion, blank inside, printed in the UK with kraft envelopes. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.

Shop cards

Argos

  • The Laminated Book of Dreams, as one comedian put it, and the name stuck because it was exactly right.
  • Two catalogues a year, spring and autumn, with the autumn one being the Christmas one.
  • The little blue pen, chained to the counter, and the pad of order slips.
  • Writing the catalogue number down, queueing, paying, then waiting for your number on the board.
  • The plastic seats, the conveyor, and the moment your number came up.
  • The stock check - a yellow light meant they had it, and a red one ruined your afternoon.
  • The final printed catalogue was published in 2020, ending nearly fifty years.

The club books

  • Littlewoods, Kays, Grattan, Freemans and Empire Stores.
  • Sold through an agent, usually a neighbour or a relative, who collected the payments.
  • Twenty weeks interest free, which is how a great many households bought anything large.
  • Clothes, furniture, bedding and toys in one enormous book, several inches thick.
  • Commission for the agent, paid as a small percentage, which is why your auntie had one.
  • Returning something meant handing it back to the agent, who was also your neighbour, which was its own social event.

The toy section

  • Pages 700-and-something onwards, and everyone knew roughly where it started.
  • Circling things in biro, then being told to narrow it down.
  • Corners folded over. Then the whole book falling apart by December.
  • Comparing prices between the Argos book and the club book, which was the only price comparison available.
  • The photographs, which were the only way to see a toy that wasn't in an advert.
  • Wanting something enormously on the basis of one small photograph and a fifteen-word description.
  • The playsets at the back that nobody ever got.

Why it worked

  • It was the entire product range in one object, which nothing else offered.
  • It made wanting things a slow process rather than an instant one, and the wanting was half the pleasure.
  • There was a finite number of things in it. You could reach the end.
  • It was shared - the whole family used the same copy and argued over it.
  • Online shopping has more of everything and none of that, which is why people still talk about the book.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

  • The autumn edition was the Christmas one.
  • Yellow light good, red light disaster.
  • The wanting took weeks, and that was the point.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

When did the Argos catalogue stop?

The final printed Argos catalogue was published in 2020, after nearly fifty years. The last editions were significantly slimmer than the ones people remember.

What were Littlewoods and Kays catalogues?

Mail order club books sold through local agents - usually a neighbour or relative - who collected weekly payments. Twenty weeks interest free was the standard arrangement and it's how many families bought large items.

Why is the Argos catalogue remembered so fondly?

Because it was the whole range of available things in one object, shared by the family, with a finite end. Wanting something took weeks rather than seconds, and the wanting was most of the pleasure.

Do you sell catalogues or reprints?

No - we make greeting cards, prints and pin badges. Nothing on this page is for sale here.

Back to blog