10 super '70s items from the 1976 JCPenney Christmas catalog

Did you own or gift any of these super '70s items straight out of JCPenney's 1976 Christmas Catalog?

It's the time of the year where both kids and adults are making a list, checking it twice and spending their days out holiday shopping. As many start to make that holiday shopping list, or maybe already have, it's important to look back and remember the gifts of years past. Wonder where these old pieces are at now?

Today, we are focusing on the year 1976. Here are 10 of the greatest gifts we found in the 1976 JCPenney Christmas catalog. Did you ever want or own any of these items below? Let us know! (You can add these to your current shopping list, but you may have to add a time machine too!)

1. Sueded Leather Jacket

Image credit: wishbookweb.com

Everything suede! This and five more pages of it are featured in the JCPenney Christmas catalog. Did you join the suede craze of '76?

2. Star Trek toys

Image credit: wishbookweb.com

Star Trek has long made its impact on the world. But Star Trek in the '70s just hit different.

3. Sesame Street Styled Everything

Image credit: wishbookweb.com

Sesame Street was everywhere in the '70s. You could even have a collection of your favorite Sesame Street tunes. 

4. Coordinate your coordinates!

Image credit: wishbookweb.com

Time to coordinate! 

5. All kinds of electronics

Image credit: wishbookweb.com

Today, these pages would be filled with Apple, Samsung and other hot products. These electronics may not look like much today, but in '76? They were top-notch.

6. Hot Wheels, the hottest toys around!

Image credit: wishbookweb.com

Hot Wheels are still one of the hottest gifts of the holiday season. R.I.P. to all the little lost car toys from years past.

7. Go Western!

Image credit: wishbookweb.com

Western fashion items were all the rage in the '70s. Even Lucas McCain would take a second to look at the JCPenney Christmas catalog. 

8. Superheroes, bad guys and ... Fonzie?

Image credit: wishbookweb.com

Sure, you could have Shazam or Batman, but Fonzie was the real superhero of '76. Batman might be inspiring kids to reach greatness, but Fonzie's teaching them how to be cool.

9. Adventures with your favorite TV heroes

Image credit: wishbookweb.com

 In '76 you could adventure with your favorite TV teams! Did you own any TV toys?

10. Covered head to toe in Sesame Street

Image credit: wishbookweb.com

If it didn't have Ernie or Oscar's face on it, kids didn't want it. Head to toe Sesame Street? Sign us up like it's the mid-'70s!

Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Close

55 Comments

PattyHerbst 16 months ago
I don't remember the JC Penney catalog itself, because we received the Montgomery Ward one instead (my Grandma worked in the catalog department at the St.Paul Midway distribution center and store on University Avenue in the 60s and 70s). But I do remember poring over the toy section in the Wards catalogs, as well as receiving gifts from my Aunt Cindy, who worked for K Mart for years at the same time.
Randall 16 months ago
I turned 8 in 76 and remember all of that, was surprised no bicentennial merchandise and don't forget the holy grail, the banana seat bike!!!!
PattyHerbst Randall 16 months ago
My two sisters and I all received brand-new bicycles in 1976; a banana seat type for me and the younger sister, and a 3-speed for the older one). It was the biggest gift we ever got, but the only disappointment was that we had to wait until the snow outside melted enough to take them outside.
RobertK Randall 15 months ago
Oh Yeah, My folks couldn't afford the Schwinn "Orange Krate" or "Apple Krate" type Sting Rays, but I had a Huffy "plain jane" banana seat bike and I loved it! Motorcycle choppers were big back then so I thought it would be cool to extend the front fork with parts from a 20" junk bike from the scrap yard. It didn't end well. The fork pieces I added weren't too secure, fell off and I took a trip over the high handlebars! Nothing serious but a little "gravel rash" and torn jeans. Evel Knievel was big at the time, so I was sort of a hero to my buddies!! Good Times!!
Charlotte 16 months ago
My grandsons would go crazy over the Star Trek toys, Bring them back!
MichaelVegas 16 months ago
I want to have and play what ever is the Star Trek game the kid is playing
bumples 16 months ago
60's & 70's holiday catalogs (especially SEARS) get big bucks on ebay...I'm still a HOT WHEELS fan of the early years
MichaelVegas bumples 16 months ago
I have the last Sears catalog ever made, and it cracks me up everytime I look at it around this time of year
Mustang68 16 months ago
i got hotwheels stuff,i had Star Trek figures ,i still have my hotwheels in the attic,i wish i still had some of my stuff when i was a kid .
RobertK 16 months ago
#5, the cassette players and recorders. In the mid '70s, I saved from my newspaper route earnings to buy a Craig cassette recorder. I still have a box of old cassettes in my attic that I recorded from the radio and family gatherings. When I bring them down, it will be neat to hear the old radio songs and jingles. The bittersweet part, (picture Clark Griswold in the attic watching old home movies), will be hearing family members who have passed and my own 12 year old voice! Maybe this Christmas, I'll sit back with a little glass of Cabin Still and listen to them... Merry Christmas!!
tootsieg 16 months ago
Sesame Street was so popular.
Jersey 16 months ago
I'm setting up my Hot wheels this year. Gotta love being 60!
bumples Jersey 16 months ago
I have the Supercharger Grand Prix & Rally & Freeway track sets + enough of accessories to build almost all the sets - I just wish I had the room to set one up!
Runeshaper 16 months ago
These all look pretty GREAT! (-:
AnnaRentzVandenhazel 16 months ago
Remember most, got none of these. My parents didn't believe in buying expensive trendy stuff. A neighbor gave my brothers a Hot Wheels track their older boys didn't want anymore, but it wasn't at Christmas.
MOT1970 16 months ago
Oh, I remember looking at the superhero toys and wanting all of them. Didn't get any, lol.
JHP 16 months ago
#5 and #6 - so golden:)

I got the org silhouette - it is green with a clear plastic bubble top
Barry22 16 months ago
Loved Hot Wheels. Now I give them to my grandsons.
tadlem Barry22 16 months ago
Some of them are worth some big bucks!
Maverick66 16 months ago
Those clothes! I look at what we all wore in the '70s & even I can't help but laugh and wonder how we all thought we were so fashionable.
Barry22 Maverick66 16 months ago
The 70's were a fashion nightmare. I look back at old pictures and cringe. 80's were much cooler.
The really "weird" stuff was never purchased by my parents, so I can be grateful there are no pictures of me in 70's-exclusive clothing.
My mother thought my wardrobe was too drab in the early 70s, so she took me around to several stores to "brighten me up". She later admitted it hadn't made a difference other than to give me the "best dressed closet in town", cause that's where every bit of it stayed.
tadlem CaptainDunsel 16 months ago
My mom was like that. She was always buying me loud outfits. I used to tell her that SHE was the hippy and wanted to live vicariously through me. I still think I was right about that. lol
She bought me a hot pink turtle neck and a bright, lime green skirt and jacket that had hot pink flowers on it, and demanded I wear it to school all the time. I was always much more conservative than she was.....when it came to MY clothing. lol
Michael tadlem 16 months ago
So sorry to hear of your embarrassment.
Michael 16 months ago
My cousins sent me Hot Wheels the first Christmas they were out. A car or two plus some track. I can't remember if I bought more track later, but I did get a curve. And I bought more cars, seeking the exotic rather than regular cars.

About thirty years ago, I gave it all to the daughter of a friend.
Moody Michael 16 months ago
My brothers and I started collecting Hot Wheel cars when they came out. We also had a pretty good collection of Matchbox vehicles. My sons had them also & had quite a collection. My youngest still has most of them I think. I don't know if he still plays with them though.
JHP Michael 16 months ago
did you ever get the turbo-charger?
Michael Moody 16 months ago
I still have my Lady Penelope car, and Thunderbird 2. And three Captain Scarlet vehicles, and Joe 90's car. I definitely had some smaller cars, like the Batmobile (but I had the larger one too). I remember James Bond's car, but not sure if I had it or simply examined someone else's carefully
Michael JHP 16 months ago
Some years later the cousins sent me one, I can't remember what car. But I never had a charger so never used it. I was nevrr sure if they bought it by mistake, or figured I'd have a charger.

Oddly, Hot Wheels were more fun than the cheap slot car set I had before that.
JHP Michael 16 months ago
yeah the supercharger was a battery operated garage like thing that track would be on entrance and exit sides and a car would roll in there and then the foam wheels would shoot it out the other side
JHP Michael 16 months ago
be patient with the stupid ads

but here ya go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQJM9OkRFsI
KJExpress 16 months ago
Those clothing styles are something else! 😝 We did have some cassette tape recorders that were pretty cool...at the time. I also had some Sesame Street 45's. I started watching in its first year, when I was six. Ages ago!
Load previous comments
MrsPhilHarris KJExpress 16 months ago
I had a pair of patchwork pants but the “patches” were different colours of “suede”. Really cool back in the day. 🤭
Michael KJExpress 16 months ago
But didn't "fashion" seeped down to.kids? I remember a shirt with a longish collar.
JHP MrsPhilHarris 16 months ago
aaaaaaaamen x100
KJExpress Michael 16 months ago
I remember shirts with pointy collars. I probably wore some of them. 😆
zoodad 16 months ago
The year my world changed, my mom died in June. My dad seemed shocked that I took the time to put up the Christmas tree, the catalogs quit coming because we no longer ordered from them. Fortunately we recaptured most of the magic of Christmas when we had kids but I still miss the wish books.
Load previous comments
MrsPhilHarris LoveMETV22 16 months ago
Thanks so muchLoveMETV! I’ll check to to see if there are any Canadian catalogues. 😁
Michael MrsPhilHarris 16 months ago
Eatons and Simpsons and Consumer Distributors.
MrsPhilHarris Michael 16 months ago
I remember a Consumers Distributors store vaguely. We only got the Simpson Sears catalogue. One of or neighbours got Eatons. Seemed rather mysterious and not fun like the SS catalogue. The only thing I remember about it was Eatons sold Viking appliances.
Piglet LoveMETV22 15 months ago
Thank you for the link to all the catalogs! Love looking at the older ones!
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?