OK, it’s really Christmas …. My Mack catalog is here

Every morning I get mail, email, phone calls by the armload. It’s part of the job. But last week – in my daily mail, there it was … my favorite catalog, Mack’s Bulldog Basics – Official Licensed Merchandise wish book.

Not only does it have everything needed to smartly outfit the Mack truck owner, driver and enthusiast, not to mention what you need for your Mack truck to be totally lunked out – it’s pages and pages of official bling and fun stuff for truck editors.

Mack mountain bikes, die cast collectibles, Ride-On toy trucks ... it’s a catalog for all sexes, shapes and age. T-shirts, caps and little red infant creepers with an “intake” arrow on the front pointing up and an “exhaust” arrow on the back, pointing down.

The toy pages always slow me down, but the real show stopper for me is the retro pages. Vintage Mack posters from the early to mid-1900s are printed on heavy stock and suitable for framing. I like the black and white ones best, but the showroom posters are tough looking, too. I want one of those big B-model era metal thermometers, in case I ever get my dream garage.

And I also want the Bulldog oil can bank, a new item that looks just like a vintage oil can but smaller. Another item for my dream garage-mahal – maybe even my office here at OOIDA headquarters – is the 15-inch neon clock with chrome bezel. OK, it’s $70, but (hey, Mark Reddig) it has a green NEON light.

On through the pages, you can find Christmas ornaments, Mack golfballs, golf clubs, Mack backpacks, mugs and even a signature chrome ashtray with an authentic polished chrome bulldog hood ornament mounted above the cigar clips. I don’t smoke cigars, but I would like to have one of these on my corner table in my office with a big Havana there, half smoked. People might think someone really important has been visiting me. It might be a good conversation piece.

You don’t have to be driving a Mack to sport Mack stuff. There are plenty of cool automotive accessories, a Mack mountain bike and even a Mack snow sled.

Man’s best friend has its own section in the Mack catalog – leashes, pet beds, pet chews and even a leather collar with metal studs. My favorite in this section is the stainless steel dog dish with a pewter insignia of the Mack bulldog in the Mack script. If I was a Mack owner, I would have one of these, pet or no pet. It could be an ice cream bowl for my husband.

Our senior editor Jami Jones’ favorite part of the catalog is the hood ornament page. Of course, there’s the famous chrome dog – but there’s the outfits. You can outfit your dog with a black cowboy hat, a fireman outfit, a construction helmet, a Super Hero with flowing cape, a soldier outfit with USA medallion, a pink vinyl Ginger Mack outfit (smokin’ hot!) and, wow – a Santa outfit that will have ‘em talkin’.

You don’t need to have a catalog to shop for the cool Mack stuff, which is good, since I won’t be loaning mine out. You can call 800-570-4820 or go to mackshop.com.