Are you someone who likes to know what your options are? I know I am. Especially when it comes to fantasy RPGs, books, games, accessories, and magazines.
Back in 1988, there was no public internet to research the latest products and compare prices. There were no email lists or push notifications you could “subscribe to” to get alerts. There was no secondary market like eBay to find this stuff . . . gently used or otherwise. This merch was bleeding edge, and it was for all intents and purposes, underground.
That’s the reason fantasy catalogs, ads, and flyers were so special back then. They collected together badass stuff from cool creators you would NEVER know existed, aside from going to progressive gaming/book shops or subscribing to postal mailing lists (the kind with stamps) of specific companies.
In short, these catalogs were exciting, awe-inspiring, and fun.
Spending time poring over the listings, reading the descriptions, trying to discern and make out the small, often black & white and horribly contrasted pictures - and most of all, imagining what it would be like to own these glorious items was a favorite past time of mine, my friends, and of thousands like us.
The Mail Order Hobby Shop, by TSR, was one such catalog of craving. Even though they had been around for a while before that, changing eventually from “The Dungeon Hobby Shop”, the 1988 edition was and still is my baby.
The Dungeon Hobby Shop (L:1978, R:1982) - photos courtesy of dmmagazine.blogspot.com
Fun Fact: The Dungeon Hobby Shop was a physical retail game shop at TSR’s original headquarters in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and is now the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum.
Funny, for forever I never knew the 1988 cover was an homage to the original AD&D Players Handbook. I just thought it was a bunch of cuddly adventurer bears plundering a temple!
Those eye-socket gems belong in a museum, you say? Well, Indy and I agree!
Staring at the covers side-by-side, though, shows what a nice job the artist did. I couldn’t find out who they were - the initials look like “DEM”, or possibly, “DEHL”. I have a question out to famous TSR artist alum, Jeff Butler, to see if he can get me the 411
To learn more about Jeff Butler and his amazing art, check this out:
It was really cool that even though this was a TSR catalog, they included so many other companies’ products.
Non-TSR fantasy products abound!
Just check out this table of contents:
1988 was such a pop-culture melting pot: D&D, Middle Earth, Marvel, Ghostbusters, Star Trek, Dr. Who, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dragonlance, Star Wars, James Bond . . .
I guess, come to think of it, ALL of these are popular still in 2023!
Who ya gonna call?
There were also a lot of historical period simulation games: World War II wargames, Boot Hill (Wild West), Gangbusters (Maffia), Napoleonic warfare, Civil War, etc.
And beyond fantasy, there were themes of: sci-fi (Gamma World), espionage (Top Secret), and horror (Cthulhu), super heroes (Marvel), and more.
There were RPG games, books, gamebooks, miniatures, fancy dice (ever-rolling d100!), and even boardgames.
Playboy and Dr. Ruth? “Arousal points”? Kind of misplaced in this catalog I have to admit!
Oh, and how about one of THE coolest toys from the 80s that started the recreational shooting sport phenomenon?
Personal computers were definitely becoming mainstream by now, and the perfect vehicle to start translating RPGs into. Not sure why all the other super-amazing fantasy computer games of the time didn’t get a slot here (Bard’s Tale, Might and Magic, Ultima - to name a few), but it’s still cool to see SSI’s early titles.
SSI actually released the first AD&D licensed title, “Pool of Radiance” in 1988, but it must have missed the cutoff date for this catalog.
If you like Tolkien AND cool old computer games, you need to check this out:
Oh, and for those haven’t heard, Joe Manganiello is potentially in the works to create a live-action Dragonlance television series! Margaret Weiss sounds like she is onboard, and Joe even met with Tracy Hickman recently to discuss it. Here’s to hoping that WoTC’s licensing allows this to happen!
Of course, a great deal of my time was spent looking at the AD&D stuff because my friends, brother and I were primarily playing it as our game of choice.
And lo, the beloved Dragon Magazine!
What would you do if a Dragon (magazine) arrived at your door?
That about wraps up our journey through TSR’s 1988 Mail Order Hobby Shop catalog. I did my best, but hear that you would like even more choices than the ones I provided in this newsletter so far? Well in that case, here are 2 of these marvelous TSR catalogs you can peruse to your adventurous heart's content:
