The Johnson Smith Company (Johnson Smith & Co.) was a
mail-order company established in 1914 by
Alfred Johnson Smith in
Chicago, Illinois, USA that sold
novelty and
gag gift
A practical joke device is a prop or toy intended to confuse, frighten, or amuse individuals as a prank. Often, these objects are harmless facsimiles of disgusting or terrifying objects, such as vomit or spilled nail polish. In other instances, t ...
items such as
miniature cameras,
invisible ink,
x-ray goggles,
whoopee cushions,
fake vomit, and
joy buzzers. The company moved from Chicago to
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...
in 1923,
to
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
in the late 1930s, and from the Detroit area to
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698.
History
Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...
in 1986.
The company would put
ads in magazines devoted to children and young adults such as ''
Boys' Life
''Scout Life'' (formerly ''Boys' Life'') is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Its target readers are boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18. The magazine‘s headquarters are in Irving, Texas.
''Scout Life'' is pu ...
'', ''
Popular Mechanics
''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...
'' and ''
Science Digest
''Science Digest'' was a monthly American magazine published by the Hearst Corporation from 1937 through 1988.
History
''Science Digest'' was first published in January 1937 in an 8 x 5 inch digest size format of about 100 pages. ...
''. Their ads appeared on the back cover of many historically significant comic books, including ''
Action Comics'' #1, June 1938 (first appearance of the character
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
) and ''
Detective Comics
''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...
'' #27, May 1939 (first appearance of character
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
).
In 1970, humorist
Jean Shepherd wrote the
introduction
Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to:
General use
* Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music
* Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...
for the reprint of ''The 1929 Johnson Smith & Co. Catalogue'', writing
In 2014, the company marked its 100th anniversary. On December 31, 2019, the company's website announced that they had ceased operations and closed. Johnson Smith was acquired by Collections Etc in 2020.
Johnson Smith Timeline
* 1885 – Alfred Johnson Smith is born in
Halifax, Yorkshire, England.
* 1887 – Alfred and his family move to
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
. As a young man, Alfred began a small mail-order business selling a complete line of
rubber stamps
A rubber stamp is an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraving, laser engraved or Vulcanization, vulcanized onto a sheet of rubber. Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or ...
through ads in popular magazines and by mailing circulars.
* 1906–1907 – Marries Alice Elizabeth Evans. Moves to
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and starts a mail-order business selling rubber stamps and imported novelties of all kinds through a catalog.
* 1914 – Alfred Johnson Smith moves to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
to make his mark in America. He sells masks and whoopie cushions out of the trunk of his automobile, then through a 64-page catalogue of surprising novelties, puzzles, tricks, joke goods, and useful articles. Alice and their two young children (ages 6 and 1) follow in a few months. Johnson Smith Company still sold
whoopee cushions,
invisible ink,
joy buzzers, and x-ray glasses in the late 2010s.
* 1922 – ''Johnson Smith Catalog'' grows to 400 pages, employing more than 150 people. The company is moved to
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...
after Alfred fails at publishing a magazine that competed against ''
The Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
''.
* 1923 – The catalog grows to 576 pages, with 100,000 copies being printed.
* 1923–1935 – Throughout
the Depression, sales were minuscule. However, the catalog was still compiled and printed, providing a light-hearted diversion for thousands of families. Full-page ads showing new items were run in science, outdoor, detective, Western, and boys' magazines.
* 1935 – Alfred's son, Arthur, joins the business, followed by his other son Paul, the following year. Comic magazines become popular — Johnson Smith Co. becomes one of the first
advertisers. Cartoonist H.T. Webster regularly copies Johnson Smith Co. items and descriptions from the catalog into
The Katzenjammer Kids comics. Alfred moves the company to
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, hoping to market the catalog in Canada and British Colonies, but
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
ends that dream.
* 1941 – The last full-size catalog was published as the U.S. enters the war years. The company goes on a hiatus through 1946 due to lack of merchandise, personnel, paper, etc.
* 1948 – Alfred Johnson Smith dies at age 63.
* 1952 – Johnson Smith Co. publishes a 96-page catalog of 2,800 of its most popular items. Company sales and circulation increase, enabling the company to buy and sell merchandise for less.
* 1955 - ''
Mad Magazine
Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to:
Geography
* Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia
* Mád, a village in Hungary
* Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code
* Mad River (disambiguation), several r ...
'' runs a zany
lampoon of Johnson Smith ads on the cover of its March issue #21 that creates even more business.
* 1966 – Paul Hoenle joins the company. Arthur Smith decides to retire as his health declines. Approximately 400 mail-order companies in the U.S. at this time.
* 1967 – Additional space is purchased in Detroit; the company resumes effort to find new merchandise, and comic and science magazine advertising resumes in earnest; the business begins to grow again; professional personnel are hired.
* 1967–1970 – 300,000 to 500,000 copies of the 96-page digest-size, black-and-white catalog are printed annually during this period. New technology and machinery is added to handle the increased number of orders. An
IBM accounting computer is installed, updated versions of a
coin sorter and paper-money counter are added, a new
letter-opening machine mechanizes opening of customer orders, including equipment to expedite shipping and handling. Mailing lists are placed on magnetic tape.
* 1970 –
Jean Shepherd writes an introduction about the 1929 ''Johnson Smith Catalog'', and suggests that the catalog "might well be the
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is a stele composed of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a Rosetta Stone decree, decree issued in Memphis, Egypt, in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle te ...
of American Culture."
* 1971 – Johnson Smith Co. moves into a major new facility in
Mt. Clemens, Michigan
Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,314 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat, seat of government of Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County.
History
Mount Clemens was first s ...
. The company begins accepting telephone orders and honors most credit cards.
* 1971–1985 – ''Things You Never Knew Existed'' slogan is coined to describe the ''Johnson Smith Catalog''. The company continues to advertise in ''
Boys' Life
''Scout Life'' (formerly ''Boys' Life'') is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Its target readers are boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18. The magazine‘s headquarters are in Irving, Texas.
''Scout Life'' is pu ...
'', but other magazine advertisements are halted due to poor response. By 1980, ''Johnson Smith Catalog'' is published in
four-color. Hot-selling items during this period include
Star Trek Phaser Model Kits, The Mystery Top, Put-Put Boat, X-Ray Specs,
Pink Panther
''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film ''The Pink ...
Mug, and the
M*A*S*H
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker.
The ...
T-shirt. More than one million Midget Bibles are sold in 1979, purchased by carnivals and handed out as an incentive for making a charitable donation.
* 1979 – Company launches ''The Lighter Side''.
* 1986 – Company moves to facility in
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698.
History
Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...
, where it remains today. A management information specialist is hired to guide the installation and utilization of a "state of the art"
mainframe computer
A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterpris ...
system.
* 1997 –
E-commerce
E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling of products on online services or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain manageme ...
sites are launched for ''Things You Never Knew Existed'' (formerly known as the ''Johnson Smith Catalog'') and ''The Lighter Side''.
* 1998 – ''Betty's Attic'', featuring
nostalgic items is launched, along with its e-commerce website.
* 2000 – ''Clever Gear'' is launched, along with its e-commerce site. Ralph Hoenle is named President upon Paul's retirement. Paul remains chairman.
* 2003 – ''Full Of Life'' is launched, offering gear for the aging
baby boomers. www.HalloweenOnly.com is launched as a result of strong
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
merchandise sales experienced by the company. Additional of space is rented.
* 2004 – A proactive
public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...
campaign, The Art of Having Fun, is launched to build consumer awareness of key brands.
* 2005 – 40 Below, the company's first
outlet store, is opened in Bradenton.
*2019 – Johnson Smith shuts its doors after 105 years in business.
Catalogs
* ''Johnson Smith Catalog'' (1907)
* ''Things You Never Knew Existed'' (1979)
* ''The Lighter Side'' (1979)
* ''Betty's Attic'' (1998)
* ''Clever Gear & Other Smart Innovations'' (2000) (As of late 2005, Clever Gear catalog is no longer printed. It is strictly online.)
* ''Full of Life'' (2002)
* ''HalloweenOnly.com'' (2003)
See also
*
Archie McPhee, a similar
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
-based novelty company that began as a mail-order business.
References
External links
Johnson Smith Companyon Retroland
{{Authority control
Mail-order retailers
Retail companies established in 1914
1914 establishments in Illinois
Novelty items