The latest addition to TVTA’s toy room is this superb 1983 View-Master MOTU gift set.
I must have been about nine the first time I looked through a View-Master – Planet of the Apes and Disney images are what I remember seeing, all in wonderful 3-D colour. It was like staring through two keyholes that promised magical lands, heroes and creatures… a whole new dimension to the wide-open eyes of the nine-year old me. If kaleidoscopes were the Stickle Bricks of the optical toy world, then View-Master was the Lego 🙂
So, onto the MOTU gift set, and fabulous secret powers were revealed to TVTA when we attempted to photograph a few sample images of He-Man and his pals direct from the View-Master. No easy task. Here are our (2D) results …
Onto the box, which hasn’t fared too badly over the years, and some attractive artwork along with a very pleasing overall design …
Front
Reverse – note the cut-out window through which light could enter, enabling you to view the images of a reel before purchasing the gift set.
Sides
Ends
And finally, a French ad featuring the gift set …
France. Pif Gadget. 1984.
Thank you for inserting “up for viewer” with us 🙂 Please check out our main View-Master page which has tons of stereoscopic delights for your eyes!
The Vintage Toy Advertiser 
YES! I remember this. What an advancement in the toy industry this was. Give this to a child of this generation and it’d be over within a few seconds.
LikeLike
I love He-Man when I was a girl… I played with my brother with his He-Man Toys…. I also had Barbies of course…. BUT anything like He-Man and her sister. By the way: I have recently watched a mini-series (documentary type) on Netflix called “the toys that made us”. It features He-Man, G-Joe and Barbie, among others. I recommend it to you… All the very best! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Aquileana, He-man and Barbie are both excellent toys. My daughter had Barbie and I always enjoyed playing along.
Yes, I recently watched “The Toys That Made Us” – Barbie, G.I. Joe, He-Man and Star Wars. A brilliant series and I was definitely in toy paradise watching it. Big thanks and best to you 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing! I had one of these things (and most certainly a He-Man set! I recall it getting lost during a school trip of some sort (possibly safari park or zoo).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cheers J. That’s cool you had a He-Man set 🙂
LikeLike
If I remember correctly, my first view master discs were Twenty thousands leagues under the sea , Tarzan, and some Disney ones.
It will take some digging but if I recover them I can let you know of them and if there is something that interests you I’ll be happy to send it to add it to your collection. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Spira that’s really cool of you, thanks 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved my viewmaster viewer when I was a child. I had a bunch of cool Batman discs. Imagine Julie Newmar in 3D.
Later on, I learned that in the 50’s these were popular for showing off parts of the world that people couldn’t travel to. That means there must be a whole bunch of amazing tourism discs–amazing for the sites that are now overrun by tourists or irreparably changed through tourism, and amazing for the window into the fashion of the time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m tempted to try and pick up a set of the Batman reels. They pop up on auction sites from time to time though not so cheap. Yes, you’re right, the original reels were popular for their scenic and city locations of the world. I saw one showing locations near to where I live, and while the buildings, hills and coastline didn’t look much different to now, seeing all the old fashions – and especially the motor vehicles was striking.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello TVTA, I think I mentioned before I had a View-Master too and my prized set of discs were a Dr Who story titled Castrovalva! To think these were originally designed as training aids for the military! Thanks again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi FT. Would love to get hold of some Doctor Who TV reels. Yes, you’re right, Wikipedia states the US military purchased 100,000 viewers and nearly six million reels for training purposes during WWII. That’s a staggering amount! I wonder if there are any left over in military museums or archives.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am sure if you scoured the Army Surplus stores and collectors you may find one of the Stereoscopic Viewers. There are quite a few collectors that buy photo-reconnaissance cameras and equipment from the wars.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahhh. Classic View-Master sets will always have a warm place in my heart.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too. It was fun, and very nostalgic, to look through one again.
LikeLike