First introduced at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and an immediate hit, the view-master, a ubiquitous red toy that entertained with its magical 3-Dness, is coming to an end. Except for a few titles, such as Shrek and Dora the Explorer, Fisher Price has discontinued production of the accompanying scenic discs. It leaves behind quite a varied legacy.
During the second world war the armed forces produced training reels for identifying enemy and friendly aircraft and ships. After the war View-Masters became household items, as common as frozen food. Thousands of businesses promoted themselves using custom-made View-Master reels. Recently the University of Missouri football programme promoted its candidate for the Heisman trophy by giving away viewers moulded in the college colours and a reel of highlights from the season. Medical students used View-Master to study a 3D atlas of human anatomy. In all, more than 1.5 billion reels have been produced, every one of them to the same size and format, and usable in every model of viewer ever made.
In related news: If you haven't seen Coraline in 3D, GO SEE IT!