A Board by Any Other Name
 
The Kennard Novelty Company produced the first commercial line of talking boards in 1891 and named it the Ouija (wE-ja). Soon the history of the Ouija became as controversial as the board itself.
 
In 1892, capitalist Washington Bowie assumed control, forcing out some original investors. Now known as the Ouija Novelty Company, Bowie named William Fuld company manager. Other talking board companies didn’t stand a chance as trademarks and patents were on Fuld’s side. A family feud even ensued.
 
Parker Brothers eventually bought the rights to produce the Fuld Ouija board and sold out to Hasbro in the late 1980s. The Ouija still mystifies today.
​"It's only a game—isn't it?"
 
Talking Boards first emerged in America around 1880 as an improvement over table tipping. Previously, spirits “tipped” an entire table to spell messages as mediums called out letters.
The new talking boards used message indicators, also called planchettes. Spirits merely had to move a planchette across the board from letter to letter. Best of all, the boards were touted as a “channel” for spirits to speak to the living. Therefore, they required absolutely no understanding, skill or mediumistic training. Skeptics claimed people unconsciously moved the planchette themselves.
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​What’s in a Name
 
According to legend, the Ouija board repeatedly spelled out its own name to Charles Kennard. The board also claimed its name meant good luck in Egyptian. More likely, the name came from the Moroccan city Oujda, also spelled Oujida and Oudjda.
 
A new legend was born after William Fuld took over manufacturing the Ouija. In a public relations gimmick, Fuld claimed he invented the board and the name was a fusion of the French word "oui" and the German "ja," both meaning yes.

“Ouijastitions”

  • Never play alone!
  • Never let the spirits count down through the numbers or go through the alphabet as they can get out of the board this way.
  • If the planchette falls from a Ouija board, a spirit will get loose.
  • If the planchette repeatedly makes a figure eight, it means that an evil spirit is in control of the board.
  • Never use the Ouija in an ill or weakened condition, as this may lead to possession.
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