Tag Archives: Shop at Home

History

25 Days of Holiday “Trainvertising” #25 (on day 26): What’s in the Box?

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This 1984 U.S. Mail Order Service (Shop-at-Home) brochure isn’t necessarily a holiday brochure, but I do think it sums up the feelings of anticipation and wonder that are characteristic of this time of year.

The rear cover features the classic battery-operated train set # 7720, as well as three sets of rails. As for what’s inside the packages being delivered by the mail carrier? We’d like to think there’s some LEGO train goodness inside them.

We here at BMR hope you and your family had a wonderful and happy holiday. We also hope that great things will be in store for you in the coming year!

History

25 Days of Holiday “Trainvertising” #22: Better late than never!

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Day 22 has come a day late, so you will receive two advertising gifts today. It is a good thing I’m not Santa!

This piece is the cover of the Holiday 2004 Shop-at-Home catalog. This cover features the LEGO Legends re-release of Main Street (set # 10041). The cover was nostalgic back then but evokes feelings of nostalgia today, too. It features the wonderful BNSF GP-38 (set # 10133) and the train engine shed (set # 10027).

Unfortunately, I do not have this one in my collection, so I had to cheat a bit. The image comes from BrickLink!

History

25 Days of Holiday “Trainvertising” #21: An action-packed Trainmas!

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Another holiday Shop-at-Home catalog without snow? You better believe it, and there is a lot to love here. Set 4552 (Cargo Crane) is in the middle of building a bridge, while the LEGOLAND California truck ignores the realities of gravity to jump across. It makes like Evil Knieval, hopping across set 3225 (Classic Train). I had every set featured on this cover, with the exception of the construction sets in the background.

Fun fact, the LEGOLAND truck’s trailer wasn’t an actual set, and the stickers for the trailer were available as Shop-at-Home exclusives and, as a result, are quite rare.

History

25 Days of Holiday “Trainvertising” #19: No Snow? No Problem!

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The 1997 Holiday Shop-at-Home catalog doesn’t have any snow, but it more than makes up for this with the emphasis on trains. This one features set 4559, Cargo Railway. This is one that people tend to either love or hate. I have a soft spot for 4559 because it was my first official train set.

History

25 Days of Holiday “Trainvertising” #17: A Super Chief under the tree

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Today’s piece of trainvertising comes to us from the cover of a 2002 Holiday Shop-at-Home catalog. There are several classics here, including the UCS Naboo Starfighter, Fort LEGOredo, and Red Baron triplane. We can’t forget the Santa Fe Super Chief either! This one is pulling some of the cars, which were designed by AFOL, James Mathis.

History

25 Days of Holiday “Trainvertising” #13: The polar bear who ate Steven Spielberg

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You may recall the post featuring Steven Spielberg (shared on December 4th). I later discovered that the UK Winter 2000 Shop-at-Home catalog had a similar holiday cover illustration…but with slightly different artwork.

The UK catalog replaces Steven Spielberg and his crewman for a football (soccer) player and polar bear. Given the popularity of football in the UK, the design change makes sense. As for the polar bear, I smell a conspiracy involving a Spielberg snack.

The UK catalog image (top) comes from BrickLink’s image library, as I do not personally own this variation myself.

History

25 Days of Holiday “Trainvertising” #11: Dinosaurs, Elephants and Bears…Oh My!

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Today’s piece of advertising comes from the front cover of a 1998 preschool Shop-at-Home catalog. It features a Duplo steam engine pulling a load of classic ’90s Duplo animals, including a bear, giraffe, elephants and even a dinosaur! Due to the target market, this is not an easy catalog to track down and does not even appear in BrickLink’s catalog. Sadly, someone took some “artistic license” with the cover, drawing dashes through the title lettering, sketching over some bits of snow and drawings spots on the cat (to match the dog, of course).

The cover art for this is truly unique and fun to look at.

History

25 Days of Holiday “Trainvertising” #10: I Spyrius Set 4525

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Yesterday, we shared the cover of a 1994 holiday catalog with you. This time we’re bringing you the cover of a 1994 U.S. Shop at Home catalog. Spyrius and Islanders are back, but the style of the artwork is completely different. Set number 4525 (Road and Rail Repair) makes an appearance. It can be seen trying to free the tracks from snow (it appears to be a losing battle). Set 4525 debuted in 1994.

History

25 Days of Holiday “Trainvertising” #8: Making a Wishlist and Checking it Twice

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How many of you remember looking through LEGO catalogs as a kid, checking off all the sets you wanted Santa to deliver. If so, the cover of this 1992 U.S. Holiday Shop at Home catalog is sure to rekindle many fond memories!

The boy is looking through an earlier Shop at Home catalog, which prominently features the Metroliner and Metro Station sets on the front cover. I’ve included the cover of that catalog for you to take a closer look.