Magic Eye pictures
Magic Eye pictures are a form of autostereograms that create the illusion of three-dimensional images from two-dimensional patterns of dots. This technique, first developed by neuroscientist Béla Julesz in the late 1950s, allows viewers to perceive depth without the need for special glasses or equipment by focusing their eyes beyond the surface of the image. The modern popularity of Magic Eye images surged in the early 1990s thanks to entrepreneur Tom Baccei, who recognized their marketing potential and established a company to produce and promote them. Baccei's efforts included a series of best-selling books and licensed merchandise featuring iconic characters, contributing to the widespread appeal of these images.
Magic Eye became a cultural phenomenon in the mid-1990s, fostering community engagement as people often gathered to help one another see the hidden images. Although the peak of their popularity has passed, the Magic Eye brand continues to thrive, with ongoing innovations and custom creations catering to various markets, demonstrating that the appeal of these visual puzzles endures well beyond their initial craze.
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Subject Terms
Magic Eye pictures
Computer-generated optical illusions that hide three-dimensional images in seemingly random patterns
Manufacturer N. E. Thing Enterprises (renamed Magic Eye Inc. in 1996)
A fad that became a multimillion-dollar worldwide industry in a few short years, Magic Eye pictures swept the globe in the early 1990’s, gracing posters, newspapers, greeting cards, advertisements, and books.
Although three-dimensional (3-D) images had been around since the 1830’s, early incarnations required mechanical devices, such as View-Masters or 3-D glasses, in order to be viewed. In the late 1950’s, a neuroscientist named Béla Julesz generated a random dot stereogram, which used two sets of slightly offset dots to produce a 3-D image that did not require a viewing device. Instead, the viewer could focus his or her eyes beyond the surface of the image, tricking the mind into perceiving depth and thus revealing a hidden 3-D image.
In 1990, an entrepreneur named Tom Baccei saw an example of a random dot stereogram in Stereo World, a magazine about 3-D images. Baccei quickly realized the endless marketing possibilities for the technology and created a company called N. E. Thing Enterprises in response. With the help of an artist and a computer programmer, Baccei refined the technique and contracted out the production of posters and a calendar utilizing the hidden images. He then began giving away samples and running advertisements, hoping that the gimmick would catch on.
Before long, other entrepreneurs noticed what Baccei was doing and decided to exploit the images as well. A company named Nvision set up kiosks and carts in shopping malls across the United States to sell posters, which turned out to be the best possible advertising for the fledgling enterprise. Because not everybody could immediately see the 3-D images, people gathered to coach each other, creating a congenial atmosphere and a willing customer base.
Baccei wisely allowed Nvision to concentrate on the posters and, in the meantime, coined the phrase “Magic Eye” to market a series of books from publisher Andrews and McMeel. The books quickly topped various best-seller lists in the United States and elsewhere, leading to licensing deals featuring Disney, Looney Tunes, Garfield the cat, and Star Wars characters in books and on greeting cards, cereal boxes, and lunch boxes. N. E. Thing Enterprises even began running a syndicated newspaper feature, with a different hidden image each week. In 1996, Baccei renamed the company Magic Eye, Inc. in order to capitalize on the brand name recognition that he had worked so hard to achieve.
Impact
The Magic Eye pictures became one of the most widespread, lucrative, and enduring popular culture phenomena of the twentieth century. Although the peak of the pictures’ popularity occurred in the mid-1990’s, Baccei’s company and its competitors continue to seek out or invent new niches for this technology, including custom-made images for companies or individuals, neckties, and puzzles, proving that this multimillion-dollar industry was not merely a simple fad that would quickly run its course and fade away.
Bibliography
Grossman, John. “In the Eye of the Beholder.” Inc. 16, no. 10 (October, 1994): 60-67.
N. E. Thing Enterprises. Magic Eye: A New Way of Looking at the World: 3D Illusions. Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews and McMeel, 1993.