Ouija Board

There are many theories and stories concerning the Ouija board history and how it began. Some say it dates back to ancient Greece, others say China. Well, after a little research I found some interesting things.

    A man by the name of Adolphus Theodore Wagner received the first patent for the "talking board" in London, England in 1854. It was then called a "psychograph" and was supposed to read the minds of people with "nervous energy." The planchette (the piece touched with both hands on the board while using it) was named after a French medium by the name of M. Planchette and there were many planchette designs, including one with a pencil.

  The Ouija board was first introduced in the United States in 1890 as a parlor game sold in novelty shops for $1.25. E.C. Reiche, Elijah Bond, and Charles Kennard created a new design and it fast became popular because of the Occult trends of late 19th century America. Modern Ouija boards were developed by inventor William Huld. Huld took his design and sold his patent to Parker Brothers in 1966. The Ouija boards, as we recognize them today, look nothing like the original prototypes. Older versions were made out of wood and metal planchettes and are often sought after by collectors. The 25 million Ouija boards sold by Parker Brothers since its release were unfortunately made out of cardboard and have a plastic planchette. In early 1999 Parker Brothers stopped manufacturing the Fuld version and switched to a smaller less detailed glow in the dark version.

 Because of its popularity and mysterious origins, the Ouija board has taken on many myths and lengends. In fact, I have some friends that will have nothing to do with them. I have used it with other more adventurous friends and have never been fully convinced. Seems the Ouija board will always have a mysterious power surrounding it as long as people remain interested in the occult and have active imaginations. However, as the Parker Brother's slogan says, "It's only a game right?" What do you believe??

Bon Voyage for now..

More info:

http://www.museumoftalkingboards.com/history.html

http://www.allabouttheoccult.org/ouija-board.htm

http://www.damnedgames.com/cf_ouijahistory.html

http://www.hauntedbay.com/history/ouija.shtml

http://www.mostparanormal.co.uk/the-planchette.html