A SHORT HISTORY OF THE OUIJA BOARD

I’ve always had a thing for Ouija boards. From snickering nitwits at adolescent parties, to more mature audiences, huddled around a candle-lit attic….It was never about my fellow participants or the perpetual skeptical outcome of playing. It was about the idea. The idea that through these simple means one could maybe—just maybe—contact the dead. It’s such a simple concept, and one that has yielded much fodder for the horror industry.

But where did Ouija boards originate? And at what point did this extension of spirituality evolve into a party game played by teenagers?

Our lesson begins in the 1840’s, when spiritualism started to grow in America. Stories of citizens who believed they could communicate with the dead were printed in newspapers on a regular basis, and mentalities began to evolve in the United States. By the latter half of the 19th Century, it was commonplace to host séances, attend table turning parties (where participants ask spirits to shake the table they are sitting at), and find other creative methods to reach out to the dead.

Historians believe this rise of spiritualism was influenced by the Civil War. Around 750,000 Americans died in the war between 1861 and 1865. Families and individuals alike embraced the growing sense of spirituality and openly tried to contact friends and loved ones they had lost during this gruesome part of American history.

One practice of contacting spirits involved calling out each letter of the alphabet and waiting to hear a knock at the appropriate letter. While intriguing, such methods were time consuming. Americans wanted a faster way in which to commune with the dead.

In 1886 news spread that a new and improved way of interacting with the dead had arrived: the talking board. These boards, which have the same layout of numbers and letters as modern day Ouija boards, had spread from Ohio and were causing an absolute uproar.

Charles Kennard of Baltimore, Maryland quickly realized this was beyond mere opportunity to speak with spirits—this was a means of making serious cash. Solidifying his plans with a team of investors, Kennard formed the Kennard Novelty Company in 1890, with the sole purpose of reproducing talking boards.

But the company could not proceed with its schemes until the talking board had a proper name. Kennard and his investors decided to consult with the board itself on the matter. The board replied that it should be called Ouija. When asked about the meaning of the word, the board replied that it meant “good luck.”

Thus, the Ouija board was born. However, Kennard and his investors hit a snag when they realized that in order to make money off the Ouija board they would have to patent it—and in order to earn a patent they would have to prove that it worked.

Investor Elijah Bond, accompanied by his sister-in-law Helen Peters (who, the investors believed, was a bit of a medium), brought the Ouija board to the patent office in Washington. While they filled out an application, the chief patent officer demanded a test be conducted: if the Ouija board could accurately spell out his last name, they would be granted the patent.

To this day, nobody knows if Helen properly channeled the officer’s last name through the Ouija board or if Elijah, who happened to be a patent attorney, had this information. Nevertheless, the board successfully spelled the officer’s last name, and Kennard Novelty Company was awarded a patent for the Ouija board on February 10, 1891.

The company met with outstanding success, quadrupling its production of the Ouija board by the following year. Kennard Novelty Company then changed hands to stockholder William Fuld who licensed exclusive rights to make Ouija boards in 1898.

Ouija boards remained popular for the next four decades. Between World War I, and the Jazz Age, through the Great Depression, these talking boards were seen as an American past time, and a major source of entertainment.

In 1966, Fuld sold his company to the Parker Brothers, who continued to produce Ouija boards. By 1967 2 million Ouija boards had been sold. Business was booming, and the Parker Brothers believed they had struck gold.

That is until 1973, when my favorite movie, The Exorcist, rolled into theaters. When Americans saw twelve year old contact a spirit via a Ouija board, and then become possessed by a demon, a nation-wide paradigm shift began. Religious groups began to denounce Ouija boards, convinced they were tools of Satan.

Working with this change in thinking, Ouija boards became prominent fixtures in horror films and literature. The Ouija board was used to promote sinister plotlines and a means for the dead to wreak havoc on the living.

In 1991, Parker Brothers sold the rights to the Ouija board to Hasbro, who owns the rights to this day. Hasbro has continued to see success with sales, but for entirely different reasons than previous owners. Ouija boards now carry a rather morbid reputation. Some could argue that the primary objective of using a talking board today is not to actually communicate with the dead, but rather spook participants with a sense of dreadful anticipation.

Today, modern day horror films keep this historical novelty alive. You can purchase Hasbro’s inexpensive, glow in the dark, cardboard version of the game online. From dreaded satanic accessory to a harmless parlor pastime, the Ouija board’s reputation is so vast on the moral spectrum that it will remain a permanent fixture in American culture.