Entrepreneur’s Unique 3D “Vision” Sheds New Light on the Big Apple

MEMPHIS, TN, January 21, 1999 – American Paper Optics announces the unveiling of City Lights 3D Glasses at the American International Toy Fair hosted by the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, Feb. 12 through Feb. 15, 1999.

City Lights 3D Glasses are activated while the wearer is viewing city lights, fireworks, streetlights, or holiday lights—especially at night. The patented holographic lenses create the words “ New York” which encircle each bright point of light.

John Jerit, owner of American Paper Optics and 3D aficionado, is the mastermind behind the innovative new product designed exclusively for New York City. The entrepreneur has targeted a diverse retail market for the New York glasses that include souvenir, novelty, toy, and gift shops.

In 1995, Jerit introduced a retail phenomenon into the mainstream marketplace with Holiday Specs, 3D Christmas Glasses. These special paper eyeglasses allow the wearer to see holiday messages surrounding bright points of light. The line has sold over 3 million pairs to a variety of retail stores ranging from gift and greeting card shops to floral and seasonal specialty stores.

Jerit’s 3D “vision” has changed the way millions of people view the world–one pair of 3D glasses at a time. Since 1990, American Paper Optics has become the world’s leading supplier of paper 3D glasses. Jerit, named “Small Business Executive of the Year” in 1998 by the Memphis Business Journal, transformed a disposable, paper novelty business into a 3D-eyeglass empire with revenues jumping from 125 thousand dollars in 1990 to sales in excess of five million dollars last year.

Thirty-six-year-old Jerit and his staff have produced over 250 million paper eyeglasses for 3D-oriented promotions, children’s events and retail sale. These glasses are sold all over the world—shipped directly from a 9600 sq. ft. manufacturing facility just outside of Memphis, TN.

American Paper Optics received national notoriety in 1991 as manufacturer of 11 million 3D glasses for the Nightmare on Elm Street sequel, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare. Jerit soon followed up by producing 8 million glasses for a television promotion of Fox’s Married with Children and Revenge of the Nerds IV.

More recently, American Paper Optics provided the U.S. Postal Service with over 2 million 3D glasses for its successful “Hollywood Monsters” promotion in Stampers magazine. In 1998, Jerit and American Paper Optics produced over 20 million 3D glasses for international distribution in National Geographic magazine which featured Mars Pathfinder and Titanic 3D images.