Gear: Backwards Compatible

Product name: View-Master

You had one as a kid. You maybe still have one kicking around the house in some forgotten box of childhood memories. Viewmaster’s have been on the scene since 1939 and have remained essentially the same since then. The real beauty of the Viewmaster system, is its lack of ambition. It does one thing rather well, and it has no desire to be anything else. The Viewmasters that you find on store shelves today are essentially the same as the ones form the 40’s. Which means that any reels that you find from years past can be popped into a new viewer and enjoyed.

There were reels of every possible subject from Cartoons to Sate Capitals. The Travel Series was by far most popular, making old reels some of the easiest to find today. Sets of Cities, States, and Countries helped to transport viewers to (then) exotic places and lesser-known locations. While a bit dated in the titles of locations, a Viewmaster tour of the world does wonders to bring back a bit of magic into travel.

Vintage Reels are relatively easy to come by and many antique stores have a handful of loose reels mixed in with various toys or photo collections. More difficult to find are complete sets (three reels, story booklet and envelope) as the years tend to have taken a toll on the paper parts. New reels can be had at many toy stores, but my personal favorites are the reels found in National Parks and Museum gift shops. These are often reproductions of the same reels that would have been available in the 50’s, and have a certain nostalgia about them.