More than a greeting card, an Oh Wow!
card is a startlingly realistic little 3D world--a unique gift (or
souvenir) all its own.
An
Oh Wow! card can be mailed flat, like
a normal card.
It measures
5 3/4" x 6 3/8", and comes with a paper envelope.
There is a space for writing messages on the back.
The card easily
pops open to form a box, with a pair of lenses embedded on one side.
Often, extra images elaborating on the
card's theme enhance the side panels connecting the front and back
of the box.
An old but still powerful technique, stereo
photography offers a startling sense of "presence."
Through
the lenses, each eye sees a slightly different image:
the same subject, viewed from slightly different angles.
On this website
we simulate the 3D effect with two-frame Flash animations, using
a technique we call Time-for-Space Wiggle.
Multiple-Image and Single-Image Cards
They show multiple views of a central subject, or tell a story.
A little nub at the bottom of the card
fits into a convenient slot on the bottom, to hold the card in place.
Some
Oh Wow!
cards contain multiple extra cards, designed to be inserted through
an opening on top of the card.
Even single-image cards contain at least
one insertable extra. It shows, on both sides, multiple small
3D views drawn from other cards.
Why
do we call them Oh Wow! cards?
Because that's what
you named them!
The first thing 9 out of 10 Americans say when they first look in
an Oh Wow! card is...
Oh, wow!