# Where did this joke \[about Sears in TV shows\] come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919 "2017-10-26T20:14:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/41 "2017-10-27T02:40:56Z")
> [@](#): > > And when you were done, the catalog became toilet paper. Sears invented recycling. You’re not kidding. We always had a copy, hanging from a nail in he outhouse. I learned a lot about women from the girdle section of the catalog. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/42 "2017-10-27T02:50:23Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > The story I heard was that a Seersucker suit was names so because it came from Sears and looked really spiffy (gadzooks!) until the first time it was cleaned and it pretty much fell apart. Seersucker is a kind of fabric: > **[Seersucker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seersucker)** > > Seersucker or railroad stripe is a thin, puckered, usually cotton fabric, commonly but not necessarily striped or chequered, used to make clothing for hot weather. The word originates from the Persian words شیر shîr and شکر shakar, literally meaning "milk and sugar", from the gritty texture ("sugar") on the otherwise smooth ("milk") cloth. Seersucker is woven in such a way that some threads bunch together, giving the fabric a wrinkled or puckered appearance. This effect is often achieved durin ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/43 "2017-10-27T02:52:02Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Not just house plans, [entire do-it-yourself houses.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears_Catalog_Home) > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I wonder if I can still order [this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1d/Sears_Magnolia_Catalog_Image.jpg) one at list price? Yes, but only as an accessory to the $6,000.000 lot to assemble it on… ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/44 "2017-10-27T02:53:41Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Sears also used to have a fantastic toy department. I ordered a lot of my GI Joe collection from their catalog, which had all kinds of accessories from companies other than Hasbro (up to and including an appropriately scaled armored car and F9F), along with full sets of figures and equipment. The favorite item on every kid’s back-to-school reading list was the Wish Book. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/45 "2017-10-27T02:58:05Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Back in the day, you could actually buy live animals from Sears. There always these little burros for sale. I think they were $49.99, I wanted one of those burros so bad, I put it on my Christmas list every year. Never got that cute little thing. I didn’t care we lived in the suburbs, **or our mean old neighbor lady complained if I dropped a gum wrapper on the street,** I just didn’t care. The heart wants what the heart wants! I think I’ll ask for one this year, hmmmm! Shoulda asked for a goat… ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/46 "2017-10-27T03:09:56Z")
BTW, can someone explain the “poncho” joke to me? I’m not picking up on it. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/47 "2017-10-27T03:17:25Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > BTW, can someone explain the “poncho” joke to me? I’m not picking up on it. Presumably, a real poncho would be from Mexico or the US Southwest, hand-woven from wool by some genuine senorita, and a real piece of folk art. A Sears poncho, on the other hand, would be a cheap knockoff, nowadays probably made of polyester and imported from China.\* At least, that’s how I understand it. \*“Imported” was always the last thing mentioned in describing a catalog item. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/48 "2017-10-27T03:24:24Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Presumably, a real poncho would be from Mexico or the US Southwest, hand-woven from wool by some genuine senorita, and a real piece of folk art. > > A Sears poncho, on the other hand, would be a cheap knockoff, nowadays probably made of polyester and imported from China.\* > > At least, that’s how I understand it. > > \*“Imported” was always the last thing mentioned in describing a catalog item. … And back when I was growing up, “Imported” meant “From Japan,” and the quality usually sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/49 "2017-10-27T04:05:50Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > BTW, can someone explain the “poncho” joke to me? I’m not picking up on it. It’s a line from the Frank Zappa song [_Camarillo Brillo_](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+zappa/camarillo+brillo_20056794.html) As **terentii** says, a poncho bought at Sears would certainly not be a real Mexican poncho but some kind of imitation. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/50 "2017-10-27T05:47:13Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > You’re not kidding. We always had a copy, hanging from a nail in he outhouse. I learned a lot about women from the girdle section of the catalog. You weren’t looking at the plus size bras, were you? Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Enlightening\_Meditation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@Enlightening\_Meditation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enlightening_Meditation)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/51 "2017-10-27T13:01:23Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > Many guitarists “of a certain age” learned on Sears Silvertone guitars. The coolest one, an electric, had the amplifier built into the case! The [Silvertone-badged Danelectro Amp-in-case](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=silvertone+amp+in+case+guitar&qpvt=silvertone+amp+in+case+guitar&FORM=IGRE) There were at least 2 versions of the guitar: the black body single pickup and orange burst body dual pickup. I bought a mid-60s single pickup Amp-in-case in 2015. It still works! The amp has 2 pre-amp tubes and a rectifier tube driving 5 watts into an 8 inch speaker. The guitar is good for slide technique but not much else. The neck is not conducive to bending strings. My other guitars sound better through the amp but none of them fit inside the case much to my disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/52 "2017-10-27T14:30:30Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It’s a line from the Frank Zappa song [_Camarillo Brillo_](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+zappa/camarillo+brillo_20056794.html) > > As **terentii** says, a poncho bought at Sears would certainly not be a real Mexican poncho but some kind of imitation. Thank you. I was able to discern that there was a sly crack about authenticity; I just couldn’t figure out why people were responding to it as though it was from an obscure Monty Python sketch. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/53 "2017-10-27T14:51:32Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > The favorite item on every kid’s back-to-school reading list was the Wish Book. When I was a kid we would go over the Sears Wish Books for days, trying to decide what we wanted Santa to bring us. Many of those catalogs have been archived on [Wishbook Web](http://www.wishbookweb.com/the-catalogs/). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/54 "2017-10-27T14:53:59Z")
Am I too big a nerd because I used to do the same thing with the Radio Shack catalog? ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/55 "2017-10-27T15:08:20Z")
When I lived in Texas, the Sears catalog was a vital part of my cockroach murders: Step one: soak the cockroach in anything that sprayed out of a can or bottle. Bug spray, hair spray, Windex, cooking spray - anything to slow it down. Step two: drop the Sears catalog on it. Step three: jump up and down on the catalog. Those big wood roaches that came in from the outdoors were hard to kill. A day or two later I would steel myself, lift the catalog and gingerly peel off the last page that contained the dried up squashed cockroach and dispose of it. Then I put the catalogue back on the shelf for the next battle. My friends were used to seeing the Sears catalog lying on the floor in odd places every so often, and knew not to touch it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/56 "2017-10-27T15:11:12Z")
^ Fiend! ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/57 "2017-10-27T15:43:25Z")
^^ It also works on those disgusting Palmetto bugs you have in your state. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/58 "2017-10-27T21:09:25Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Am I too big a nerd because I used to do the same thing with the Radio Shack catalog? Not at all, especially because back in the Allied-Radio Shack days, you could get just about anything there that you could get at Sears, except for clothes. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/59 "2017-10-27T22:26:07Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Not just house plans, [entire do-it-yourself houses.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears_Catalog_Home) I used to know people who lived in some of those houses. Once you’ve seen a few, you begin recognizing some of the design features. The show “Home Improvement” used to make Sears jokes a lot. But that was because the main character liked tools and Sears was (at the time) a good place to get power tools. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919/60 "2017-10-27T22:38:57Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Am I too big a nerd because I used to do the same thing with the Radio Shack catalog? I used to drool over the Science Fair “N-in-1” electronic project kits in the catalog. My dad got me started with the wimpy little 20-in-1 kit, so I lusted over the 65-in-1 and 100-in-1 for the first year. Then they got rid of those two, and replaced them with the 75-in-1 and 150-in-1 – **both** of which I eventually got. The 100-in-1 had an _integrated circuit_ in it! Sure, it was just a capacitor and a resistor (in its color-coded sleeve, no less!) that someone had soldered to a little white circuit board, but darn it, it was “I.C. technology”, man! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-joke-about-sears-in-tv-shows-come-from/799919.md?page=4)