IT has been a national staple since its launch in 1973, with excited children poring over its pages at Christmas.
Now Argos is putting every catalogue online for customers to reminisce – and The Sun has been given an exclusive early look.
From its first release to this year’s festive edition – called The Book Of Dreams in honour of its nickname, they give a fascinating insight into how technology and shopping habits have changed.
Here, we take a look at the evolution of some of Argos’s big products over the past five decades.
Personal Computers
In the 1970s, the Smith Corona Courier typewriter came with a type-writing course on cassette, £44.95.
But in the 1980s, the £189.95 Olympia Carrera typewriter came with an automatic correction function – the earliest form of spellcheck.
The 90s saw PCs enter our homes, but at a hefty price – this Opus was £1,098.
In the 2000s, computer towers and monitors are sold separately, like this £159.99 LG screen.
One of the must-haves for Christmas 2019 is a tablet, like this £99 Lenovo model.
Music systems
In the 1970s, you could play LPs and record on casette tapes with GEC’s £193 Music Centre.
Sony’s Walkman personal stereo led the way but this Ferguson cassette player, £28.95, was a cool(ish) alternative in then 80s.
A radio, CD, and cassette player came together in the Philips stereo, £99.99 in the 1990s.
iPods arrives with a bang in 2001, costing just uner £300, but prices fell and cost from £178.97.
Today, who needs a music player when it can all be done on your iPhone? The 64GB X model is yours for £899.
Watching the box
In the 1970s, this mini handheld Sharp telly had a 12in screen and manual controls, costing £69.95.
But in the 1980s, remotes were commonplace but viewers forked out £249 for the function on this Fidelity model.
Before the internet in the 1990s, there was Teletext – and it was a big selling point for this £239 Bush TV.
In the 200s, most TVs were HD ready and Freeview compatible, like the £299 one from Bush.
Now, we can get online videos, apps and more on smart TVs like this 43in LG, costing £299.
Gaming consoles
In the 1970s, you could plug the £31.99 Binatone into your TV to play tennis, squash and football, or buy toy hand guns separately for target games.
With Atari’s £69.99 video game console you could plug in various cartridges to play such 1980s delights such as Space Invaders or Pac-Man.
Sonic The Hedgehog was the cult game on the Sega console in the 1990s, costing £49.50.
The Xbox 360, £279, was hailed as the future with its high-definition images in the 200s.
Now, disc-free gaming is here – now you can go digital with an Xbox One console, £199.99.