Since the dawn of time, mankind has been trying to make contact with the supernatural. Whether through natural gifts or making tools, the search for the unknown is never-ending. Ouija boards are probably one of the most objects in the world. It’s just a harmless game, right? For over a century, the Ouija board has been a victim of fear-mongering, skepticism, and misunderstanding.
In order to fully understand the Ouija board, one must understand its history and where it came from. In case you’re wondering, no, it didn’t manifest itself from hell, nor did it drop in from the spirit world.
The Spiritualism Movement
It seems to always come back to Spiritualism, doesn’t it?
The Spiritualist movement was at its peak in the United States in the 1840s. To put it simply, Spiritualism is the belief that we can communicate with our dearly departed loved ones through mediums. One could argue that many ghost hunters today are actually Spiritualists.
The movement especially grew in popularity during the Civil War. This was because people were desperate for closure with their loved ones’ unresolved deaths. They wanted to talk to mediums to find out what happened to their soldiers. This was peak time when seances and public demonstrations became popular. But people wanted more tools to communicate with the other side. Tools like planchettes, spirit writing, trances, seances, and table tipping became the norm in the typical family home.
The earliest recording of a talking board was in 1886 in the New York Daily News, citing Ohio as being the state of origin. This “craze” was replacing card games at parties. It was18 by 20 inches in size, and users had to keep the board on their lap. A little table was used to move around the alphabet, numbers, and the words “yes”, “no”, “good morning”, and “good evening” were written on the board.
Official Invention of the Board
After seeing the article in the New York Daily News, three men named Elijah Bond, Charles Kennard, and William H.A. Maupin were inspired to create their own board and sell it to the masses. The official patent for “Ouija, the Wonderful Talking Board,” was granted in 1891. If you’re a lover of languages, you may notice something weird with the board’s title.
While some people think “Ouija” is some mystical word, it’s actually the French and German word for “yes” put together as one word. But Ouija expert Robert Murch thinks it’s more spiritual than that. According to legend, Kennard and his friends asked the board what it wanted to be called, and it spelled out O-U-I-J-A. When asked what it meant, it said, “Good luck.” Kennard also claimed that “Ouija” was the Egyptian word for “Good luck.”
From Kennard to Hasbro
The Kennard Novelty Company began producing Ouija boards and selling them for just $1.50. When Kennard left the company, it was renamed the Ouija Novelty Company. William A. Fuld took over production in 1901. The invention of the Ouija board has sparked ideas for other boards. When William Fuld took over the copyright ownership, he made sure that there were no duplicates. Fuld’s estate holds more Ouija patents and copyrights than anyone else in history—a grand total of 21 registrations in three countries—including the design for the modern planchette.
Fuld sued any and all copycats until his death in 1927. In 1966, Fuld’s family sold the Ouija estate to Parker Brothers. In 1991, Parker Brothers was bought out by Hasbro, and they now own all the patents and trademarks.
Ruined Reputation
The Ouija board has been the inspiration for quite a bit of fiction. The book and movie, “The Exorcist,” written by William Peter Blatty, is one of those fictional inspirations. The book is based on a true story of a 13-year old boy who was possessed by a demon and went through an exorcism in 1949.
Blatty was inspired to write the book after he saw the story in a newspaper clipping. Some may remember that the Ouija board was the catalyst for the possession of fictional 12-year old Regan. In the book and movie, Regan had been communicating with a spirit named Captain Howdy, but it was actually the demon Pazuzu. Blatty himself experimented with the Ouija board and thought he was talking to the spirit of his father. After he was done using the board, strange things happened in his home.
Even though the Ouija board wasn’t connected with demons before the movie, it was enough to associate it with demons and spread widespread panic. Everyone seemed to be afraid of it. It went from a fun party game to a demon-possessed board nearly overnight.
The Zozo Confusion
While Captain Howdy and Pazuzu were fictional in “The Exorcist,” people using the board today claim to communicate with a demon known as Zozo. This entity seems to haunt just the Ouija board and board users. Stories of Zozo first emerged in 2009 on message boards. It didn’t take long for people to realize that they were all talking to the same demon. Reported encounters with Zozo are nothing short of terrifying.
According to legend, Zozo causes chaos in people’s lives. They claim they can actually hear him cursing in different languages, like Latin and Hebrew. Darren Evans was one of the first people to report his experiences to the world and give Zozo a name. Zozo can apparently possess people and even take the lives of children.
Possession & Crimes
If we go with the idea that people can potentially be possessed by demons like Zozo or some other supernatural beings, what are the consequences of that? There are a lot of crimes associated with Ouija board use. One story goes back to 2008 when Blaine Milam and his girlfriend Jessica Carson started using the Ouija board. Carson, then pregnant at the time, started showing signs of psychosis and it was believed that she was possessed. However, the psychosis ended after she had her baby. Then it was thought that the baby, Amora, was possessed instead. The couple tried to perform a rather graphic exorcism that took the baby’s life. Milam was sentenced to death while Carson was sentenced to life in prison.
The Carroll family also faced consequences after using the board. The parents, Paul and Margaret, became paranoid after using the board. This next part is upsetting; Paul drowned the family dog, Molly, because he thought she was possessed. Then, Margaret and their daughter Katrina used the board again and it said their lives would end. The house then burst into flames after the women conducted a black magic session. They almost lost their lives.
How the Ouija Board Was Used in Court
Those who decide to take the risk and use the board themselves have discovered different ways to experiment with the board. A lot of people will discard the planchette and use something else. Some people will use a person’s personal possession as a pendulum and use that to point to the different letters. There are numerous types of divination or seeking advice and information from supernatural means. You would think that this would only stay with people who specialize in this area. When you’re desperate for some sort of information, perhaps the Ouija board isn’t the safest method if you don’t know what you’re doing.
In 1994, Stephen Young was charged with the murder of Harry and Nicola Fuller. But the jury couldn’t come to a decision. They were so stumped that they all deliberated together over drinks at their hotel. When they still couldn’t come to a conclusion, they decided to consult the Ouija board to try to talk to the Fullers themselves.
A small group of jurors made a board with a piece of paper and a wine glass. The spirit claimed to be Henry Fuller and the board spelled out things like “Stephen Young done it”, “Shot”, and “Vote guilty tomorrow.” When this information came to light, Young got a retrial, but he was still found guilty.
The Board Writes a Book
For over a century, people have claimed to have made contact with long lost celebrities using the Ouija board. Did you know that a Ouija board was used to write a book? It was the most fascinating lawsuit case of the century. In 1917, writer Emily Grant Hutchings and medium Lola Hayes claimed they wrote a book, dictated by Mark Twain. Keep in mind that Twain died in 1910. According to Hutchings, the ghost of Mark Twain dictated the book to her using the Ouija board. The book was titled, Jap Herron, and it got quite a lot of attention in its time.
When Twain’s family and publishers caught wind of this, they tried to take Hutchings to court. But the case never ended up going to trial. Copies of Jap Herron are rare since the manuscript has been destroyed. If you’re really curious, you can read it online for free.
Debunking the Board
It’s important to know that there are many instances where the Ouija board has been debunked. One of the most popular theories that explain the Ouija board is the ideomotor effect. This basically means that we unintentionally move our hands to the desired answer. This theory has also been used to explain divining rods and pendulums. If you really want to avoid having your experience debunked with this theory, I advise that you ask the questions, but don’t touch the board.
Have you ever tried using the Ouija board? How was your experience?
Sources:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-08/ouija-board-juror-misbehaviour-murder-trials/9734868
https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/jap-herron-a-novel-written-from-the-ouija-board-1917