In the 1960s, Colgate leveraged this unique toy’s popularity to help dentists educate patients in eye-popping 3D—while also promoting its Dental Cream with Gardol.

COLGATE GAVE DENTISTS these handy gadgets “to help provide increased motivation for patients,” according to the box. Back when most TVs were black-and-white and the internet was unfathomable, View-Masters were the closest thing to a virtual reality headset. Each interchangeable reel held seven images, and stores sold hundreds of titles, from nature scenes to hit movie stills. In this case, Colgate created reels dramatizing the benefits of treating decay, malocclusion, periodontal disease . . . and, of course, brushing with Colgate. View-Masters are still sold today, though their popularity waned in the 1980s with the emergence of home video. Meanwhile, Colgate discontinued the Dental Cream brand in the ’60s, though “Gardol” (a.k.a. sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, a foaming agent) is still used in some toothpastes. As freebies go, Colgate’s View-Master was both memorable and genuinely useful.

Moving in Stereo
View-Masters create the illusion of depth by stereoscopically combining two photos taken at slightly different angles, similar to 3D motion picture technology but without any need for 3D glasses.