Ouija

The Ouija board was patented by Elijah Bond and Charles Kennard in Baltimore in 1891. The legend — which the manufacturers promoted — is that the board named itself during a séance: when asked what it should be called, the planchette spelled O-U-I-J-A, and when asked what that meant, it replied 'good luck.' The more popular explanation that Ouija combines French oui (yes) and German ja (yes) was a later invention. The original marketing story was that the board named itself.

The toy was an enormous commercial success. William Fuld, who took over production and marketing, became synonymous with the Ouija board. He claimed to have invented it (he had not) and aggressively marketed it as a way to contact spirits. Parker Brothers acquired the rights in 1966. Hasbro now owns the Ouija brand. The board has been continuously in production for over 130 years — one of the longest-running toys in American history.

The mechanism behind Ouija board responses is well-documented: the ideomotor effect. Participants unconsciously move the planchette through tiny, involuntary muscle movements. They are not aware they are pushing it. This was demonstrated as early as 1852 by the chemist Michael Faraday in his study of table-turning. The explanation has not dented the product's appeal.

The Ouija board occupies a unique cultural position: it is simultaneously a mass-market toy (sold in the board game aisle, rated for ages 8+) and one of the most condemned objects in American religious culture. Many churches specifically warn against Ouija boards. Horror films — The Exorcist (1973) prominently features one — have cemented the board's sinister reputation. A children's toy that religious authorities consider a portal to demons. The patent holder is Hasbro.