History of the Ouija

In the year 1848, something unusual happened in Hydesville, New York. Two sisters, Kate and Margaret Fox, contacted the spirit of a dead peddler, became instant celebrities and started a national obsession that spread all across the United States and Europe. It was the birth of modern Spiritualism. The whole world it seemed, was ripe for communication with the dead. Spiritualist churches sprang up everywhere, and persons with the special gift or "pipeline" to the "other side" were in great demand. These unique individuals, designated "mediums" because they acted as intermediaries between spirits and humans, invented a variety of interesting ways to communicate with the spirit world. Table turning (rapping) was one of these. The medium and attending sitters would rest their fingers lightly on a table and wait for spiritual contact. Soon the table would tilt and move and knock on the floor in a code to represent the different letters of the alphabet. Entire messages from the spirits could be spelled out in this way.

Another, less noisy method, was a form of spirit writing employing a small basket with a pencil attached to one end. The medium simply had to rest a hand on the basket, establish contact, and the spirit would take over, writing the message from the Great Beyond. The pencil basket quickly evolved into a more sophisticated tool, the planchette. This was a small heart shaped table (see pictures) with two rotating casters underneath. A pencil at the apex formed the third leg. Legend has it that the inventor of this device was M. Planchette a French medium, but no information on such a person exists and the fact that the word "planchette" in French means "little plank" suggests a translation error rather than an actual person.

The problem with table turning was that it took far too long to spell out messages. Sitters became bored when the novelty of a rocking table wore off and the job of interpreting knocks began. Planchette writing was often difficult if not impossible to read. Just keeping the thing centered on the paper long enough to get a decipherable message, was often a challenge. Many mediums simply dispensed with the spiritual apparatus altogether, preferring instead, to transmit from the spirit world mentally in an altered state of consciousness called trance. Others eliminated the planchette but kept the pencil, finding the hand a more precise and less troublesome instrument. But there were also those who felt that utilizing the right equipment was of paramount importance if they were going to contact the spirit world properly. They experimented with rotating planchettes and alphanumeric tables and came up with the first "talking board." Léon-Dénizarth-Hippolyte Rivail (Allan Kardec), the founder of French Spiritism, described two of these devices in his 1861 book, Le Livre des Mediums (translated by Anna Blackwell):

In order to render spirit-communications independent of the medium's mind, various instruments have been devised. One of these is a sort of dial-plate, on which the letters of the alphabet are ranged like those on the dial of the electric telegraph; a moveable needle, set in motion through the medium's influence, with the aid of a conducting thread and pulley, points out the letters. A more simple contrivance, is the one devised by Madame Emile de Girardin, and by which she obtained numerous and interesting communications. The instrument alluded to, consists of a little table with a moveable top, eighteen inches in diameter, turning freely on an axle, like a wheel. On its edge are traced, as upon a dial-plate, the letters of the alphabet, the numerals, and the words "yes" and "no." In the centre is a fixed needle. The medium places his fingers on this table, which turns and stops when the desired letter is brought under the needle. The letters thus indicated being written down one after the other words and phrases are obtained, often with great rapidity. It is to be remarked that the top of the little table does not turn round under the fingers, but that the fingers remain in their place and follow the movement of the table.

These dial plate talking boards (see picture) were marketed under a number of names and transmutations in Europe well into the 1900's.

In the United States, by the 1880's, the planchette was a popular parlor game actively marketed by many toy companies. The dial plate talking board was virtually ignored. This may be because planchettes were easier to make and could be sold inexpensively as novelties. Anyway, an interesting compromise was just around the corner. Three enterprising Americans: E.C. Reiche, Elijah Bond, and Charles Kennard came up with a concept that would bring it all together. Borrowing from the archetype of the earlier dial plate talking boards, they created a new alphanumeric design. They spread the letters of the alphabet in twin arcs across the middle of the board. Below the letters were the numbers one to ten. In the corners were "YES" and "NO." They used a planchette like table (shaped more like a paddle) but instead of casters, used padded wooden pegs to permit a smooth glide over the surface of the board. All you had to do was connect to the spirit world and let the planchette move from letter to letter and spell out a message. According to some sources, Charles Kennard called the new board Ouija (pronounced 'wE-ja) after the Egyptian word for good luck. Ouija is not really Egyptian for good luck, but since the board reportedly told him it was during a session, the name stuck. He subsequently founded Kennard Novelty Company with borrowed money and in 1890 began producing the first ever commercial line of Ouija boards. His advertisements in local periodicals read:

OUIJA
A WONDERFUL TALKING BOARD

Interesting and mysterious; surpasses in its results second sight, mind reading, clairvoyance; will give intelligent answer to any question. Proven at patent office before patent was allowed. Price $1.50. All first-class toy, dry goods, and stationary stores. W. S. Carr & Co., 83 Pearl street; New England News Co., 14 Franklin street; H. Partridge & Co., Hanover and Washington streets; R. Schwarz, 458 Washington street: R.H. White & Co.; Houghton & Dutton.

Hollis St. Theatre program, November 7, 1891, Boston, Mass.

Unfortunately for him, Charles Kennard was not long for the Ouija business. A hostile takeover in 1892 by his financial backers forced him out of the company. Kennard's former shop foreman, William Fuld became the new owner and with that single stroke of fate came to be the one that history would remember as the father of the Ouija board.

William Fuld changed the name of the firm to Ouija Novelty Company and with his brother and business partner Isaac, began manufacturing Ouija boards in record numbers. Isaac was subsequently fired from the company for alleged bookkeeping misdeeds, and the Ouija Novelty Company became finally the William Fuld Company. Isaac went on to produce and sell Ouija facsimiles called Oriole talking boards, along with pool and smoking tables out of his home. William went on to become the most successful Ouija manufacturer of his time, selling millions of Ouija boards, toys and other games. In addition to his toy business, he kept a job as a US customs inspector and later in life became a member of Baltimore's General Assembly.

One of William Fuld's first public relations gimmicks, as master of his new company, was to reinvent the history of the Ouija board. He said that he himself had invented the board and that the name Ouija was a fusion of the French word "oui" for yes, and the German "ja" for yes. He also made other unlikely claims. Whether he took himself seriously is a matter lost to history. In all likelihood he simply thought apocryphal tales were a fun way to sell Ouija boards and to poke fun at a gullible press.

Almost from the beginning, William Fuld's Ouija board suffered fierce competition from other toy makers. Everyone wanted to make a variation of the Wonderful Talking Board. Ouija imitations with names like "The Wireless Messenger" and "I Do Psycho Ideograph," flooded the market. Milton Bradley marketed their own Ouija facsimile called the Genii. Some companies, like J.M. Simmons and The Baltimore Talking Board Company even used the Ouija name and the identical board layout. Fuld often responded aggressively with lawsuits and by creating a second, less expensive talking board, the Mystifying Oracle.

For thirty-five years William Fuld ran the company through good times and bad. In February 1927, he climbed to the roof of his Harford Street factory in Baltimore to supervise the replacement of a flagpole. A support post that he was holding on to gave way and he fell backwards to his death. Several eyewitnesses testified that it was nothing more than a tragic accident but rumor mongers eager to sensationalize the story suggested that William was despondent and had actually committed suicide.

After his death, William's children took over and produced many interesting Ouija versions of their own. In 1966 they retired and sold the business to Parker Brothers. Parker Brothers currently owns all trademarks and patents, and produces the board to this day. Except for a Deluxe Wooden Edition available for a couple of years, the Parker Brothers board has remained virtually unchanged. A glow in the dark version is in the works for 1999.

Today, as in the past, there are other companies that produce interesting variants of the Ouija board. Prevailing designs largely reflect current trends in New Age sentiment and manufacturers make every attempt to avoid any negative connotations. Some of these designs are simple letter boards, while others incorporate complex astrological and Tarot symbolism. With a few exceptions, manufacturing costs usually limit these boards to the folding cardboard variety.

Thank you to the Museum Of Talking Boards for posting this information on their extensively informative site.

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