Ouija Board

Ouija Board Interprets Messages From The Spirit World

The basic concept of a Ouija Board dates back to Pythagoras at around 540 BCE. He would basically interpret messages from the spirit world with his student Phlolaus. This concept was later refined by the French spiritualist, M Planchette, in 1853. The Ouija Board was a large sheet of paper and the wedge was heart-shaped with two wheels on each end, and the third end had a pencil attached. The idea was for one or more persons to place their fingers on it and the wedge would move around and draw pictures or form words. The modern version is now a board with letters and numbers right on it. The game is used by many to channel the spirits that speak their messages by spelling out messages on the board of the prearranged numbers and letters. It was invented in 1892 by Elija J. Bond and William Fuld in Baltimore. In 1966 Parker Brothers had purchased all rights to this classic board, and sales have been second only to the ever popular Monopoly Board Game.

The generic term for the Ouija Board is the "talking board". This classic board as well as other talking boards were very popular the 1900's to the 1950's. There was a time when every American household had one in their home. The popularity inspired Norman Rockwell to paint a cover for the May 1st 1920 edition of the Saturday evening post. Also created were a few popular songs that were written in the 1920's "Wee-Gee Wee-Gee Tell Me Do".

So can we really communicate with the spirits by using a Ouija Board? Well no one knows for sure and why the wedge piece (or planchette) moves across the board on its own even against the users wishes. One explanation is that the invisible subtle micro movements of the users' hand and arm muscles guide the planchette to spell out the message using their subconscious mind. Whatever the theories behind this mysterious board it has a place in history, but today the commercially produced version is seldom considered anything more than a toy.

If you are looking for some interesting Ouija Boards you can check out our excellent buyer's guide in the Board Game section of this site. Amazon, and KBtoys have just what you are looking for at great and reasonable prices. Some of the selections include:

Ouija Board Glow-In-The-Dark: excellent version by Parker Brothers. This board actually glows in the dark for about 30 minutes at a time. Also contains a classic style looking board similar to the original. The planchette is plastic and very durable.

Ouija Board by Milton Bradley: this board is offered by KBToys and also glows in the dark. It is a traditional style board with a plastic message indicator or planchette.

For more information on a Ouija Board or to choose from a variety of related products and services, select from the following:

About The Author:

David Sacco is a successful author and publisher of http://www.a1-in-toys.com. A great source of toys for children of all ages, from that early child to teens and hobbyists.