Waldo isn’t the only ’90s craze celebrating a birthday.
On Wednesday, Magic Eye, those tricky 2D patterns with the 3D images hidden inside, turns 15.
And we couldn’t in good conscience throw Waldo a party without at least mentioning Magic Eye.
Here’s to a decade and a half of sore eyes and sweet revelations.
The beginning
These images, called autosterograms, were first created in the late ’70s. But when the first Magic Eye book, “Magic Eye: A New Way of Looking at the World,” was released on Oct. 1, 1993, the images became a craze.
“Magic Eye I,” “II” and “III” appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List for a combined 73 weeks, according to the publisher’s Web site. Since the first entry, more than 20 million copies of Magic Eye books have been sold in more than 25 languages.
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Magic Eye today
Well, they’re still showing up on wall calendars, but the most recent book, “Magic Eye Beyond 3D,” was published in 2004.
How to see them
It’s just recently become apparent to me that not everyone has been able to see the 3D image trapped in the 2D pattern. How unbearably sad you people must feel. Having never seen the secret shape in a Magic Eye image is equal to having never been kissed.
As someone who’s felt the rush of finally spotting a pack of howling wolves in a googly blue pattern, I insist you keep trying. I want to help your virgin eyes.
A few techniques have been touted for seeing Magic Eye images (crossing your eyes, for instance). But the most effective way of seeing the hidden image is parallel viewing. How you do it:
1. Put your nose up against the image. Notice how your eyes feel when you’re looking (but not looking) at the image up close. It should all seem blurry.
2. Slowly move away from the image, but try to keep your focus the same with your eyes still diverged. This will allow you to not focus right on the surface of the image but to see through the surface. Keep repeating this. Allow the image to remain fuzzy.
3. Move back even farther, keeping your eyes relaxed and NOT staring at the surface of the image. The image should (hopefully) gradually begin to appear.
4. Don’t focus your eyes or you’ll lose the image. Keep looking into the background of the image until your brain can fully perceive the depth of the image. The longer you look to the background, the more vivid the hidden image will appear.
5. Go brag to all your friends.
Reach Micah Mertes at 473-7395 or mmertes@journalstar.com.