The Ouija Board

Most say Ouija got its name from two words meaning yes, yes in French Oui and German Ja. One of the first marketers of the board Charles Kennard says, they got the name from the board itself. There was already talking boards out there, they (Elijah Bond, Charles Kennard, and William Maupin) made a new board that had the alphabet, numbers 0-9, yes and no, good-eve and goodnight. They needed a name and asked the board what they shall call it. The letter O-U-J-I-A came up, an Egyptian word meaning good luck.

1891 it was manufactured at the Kennard Novelty Company, in Baltimore MD. Charles Kennard left the company after 14months to pursue other business opportunities. Washington Bowie now headed the company and changed the name to Ouija Novelty Company. Kennard made a copy of the Ouija and called it the Volo board, but Bowie quickly file suit for patent infringement and that was the end of the Volo.

1897, Bowie leased the rights to manufacture the Ouija board the William Fuld and his brother Isaac. William is the one everyone remembers as the father of the Ouija board.

William and Isaac sold Ouija boards in record numbers, but once the lease expired the partnership had ended, after a legal battle William came out on top selling boards under the rights of Ouija Novelty Company.

1919, Ouija novelty company relinquished the rights to the Ouija name and William sold millions of Ouija boards and toys.

1927, William Fuld wanted to supervise the installation of a flag pole on the roof of the Baltimore company; he leaned against a railing that gave way falling to his death. After the death of William his children took over the company till 1966 when they sold it to parker brothers.

Parker Brothers, owned by Hasbro, still owns all the patents and rights to this day.

Is the Ouija Board Evil?

Many believe the Ouija board is more than just a game. It a tool used by Satan to lure you into deception, they believe you are talking to demons and not loved ones.

Science says, the Ouija can be explained by unconscious movements by those controlling the pointer. Various studies showed that the pointer was move by the subjects involuntarily. Some noted that messages spelled out by spirits were things that the subjects actually had on their mind.

I have never used one; growing up in a Christian home I was told it was the tool of the devil. Now after many years of ghost hunting and using other tools to communicate with spirits. I can’t help but wonder, what is the difference between using a flashlight to communicate with a spirit or an Ouija board? Either way I am communicating with someone or something I cannot see.

Mike Morris