A TikTok clip by user reddnea has amassed over 3.2 million views by demonstrating how a clear glass dish and a sheet of plastic can make a phone screen appear as a floating hologram.. The method, rooted in the historic Pepper’s Ghost illusion, requires no special equipment and works with any hologram‑style video found online.

TikTok creator reddnea's 3.2 million‑view hologram demo

According to the viral post, reddnea walks viewers through the entire build in under a minute, emphasizing that the only supplies needed are a household glass dish, a clear plastic cover sheet, and a smartphone.. the video’s rapid spread highlights a growing appetite for low‑tech science tricks that feel futuristic.

In the clip, reddnea places the phone face‑down on the dish’s flat bottom, then secures a plastic rectangle at a 45‑degree angle with a strip of tape. When a YouTube hologram video—such as one by Mrwhosetheboss—is played at full brightness in a dark room, the angled plastic reflects the image toward the viewer, creating the illusion of a three‑dimensional object hovering inside the dish.

Step‑by‑step glass‑dish setup explained

The first step is to turn a clear glass dish upside down so the bottom becomes the viewing surface. Next, cut a piece of clear plastic (often taken from a report cover) to fit snugly inside the dish and tape it at the top and bottom, forming a sloping “mirror.” Finally, flip the dish back over, position the phone screen down on the dish, and play a hologram video at maximum brightness.

As the report says, the angled plastic acts simultaneously as a reflector and a window: it bounces the phone’s light toward the observer while letting ambient light pass through, allowing the brain to merge the two images into a single floating scene. The entire construction can be assembled in five minutes with items most households already own.

Pepper’s Ghost roots in 19th‑century theater

The technique dates back to the 1860s, when stage designers used angled glass to project ghostly apparitions onto a darkened backdrop—a trick famously called Pepper’s Ghost after John Henry Pepper popularized it. Over the decades the illusion migrated to haunted houses, theme‑park rides such as Disney’s Haunted Mansion, and even concert productions.

Today’s DIY version is a direct reinterpretation of that heritage, offering a hands‑on way for science enthusiasts to experience the same visual magic without costly equipment. As the source notes, the effect “reminds us that sometimes the most captivating experiences come from combining everyday objects with a dash of scientific curiosity.”

Limitations : why this isn’t a true hologram

Although the result looks three‑dimensional, it is not a genuine hologram, which relies on laser interference patterns to render images viewable from any angle.. The TikTok hack produces a single‑view illusion that only works when the observer looks from the front of the angled plastic.

Nevertheless, the simplicity of the setup has spurred countless variations—different dish shapes, multiple screens, and even educational deemonstrations—showing that the line between illusion and technology remains a fertile playground for creators.

Who’s still missing from the story?

The original TikTok post does not identify the source of the clear plastic sheet, nor does it verify whether the suggested YouTube videos are free of copyright restrictions. Additionally, there is no data on how many viewers have successfully replicated the trick beyond the comment section.