Oh, the glorious Viewmaster! I hadn't looked into one in years, but I could still remember the beauteous claymation fairy tale scenes, the edifying scenes from American history, and, who could forget the wondrous national park series. Occasionally finding myself in toy stores I would look for Viewmaster reels only to find that claymation and kodachrome had been replaced by computer animation and Disney film tie-ins. But the internet is every girl's friend and I've found some wonderful sites online devoted to the Viewmaster and I am happy to report that though few, if any, of the vintage children's reels are being reproduced, they can be had used, pardon me collectible, for a reasonable price. What is being reproduced, however, are the reels originally marketed to adults. If you are a devotee of mid-century modern, for instance, you can buy a series of reels by Charles and Ray Eames or of houses by Bruce Goff and Russel Wright. There are plenty of reels that look pretty enticing. A 3D tour of the solar system, perhaps, or a claymation Story of Easter? Though I just received my shipment of classic tales reels as well as a new black viewmaster, I can hardly restrain myself on that last one. Claymation Jesus rising from the dead? It doesn't get any better than that!All things viewmaster and stereovision can be had at amazon and 3dstereo
Wikipedia has an interesting History of the Viewmaster page
The Viewmaster Ultimate Reel List details every darned reel they ever made anywhere anytime
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