Who invented the Ouija Board?
There is not one specific inventor of the Ouija board. There are 4 people who all played a role in its invention, according to History Channel.
The four people are: Elijah Bond, Charles Kennard, William H. A. Maupin, and Parker Brothers (Elias Smith Jr.).
Elijah Bond was the first to patent a design for a talking board, with help from Kennard.
Kennard took over an idea of Bond’s, and made his own version. He then sold it to William H.A. Maupin of NY who patented his own version of the talking board, but instead of using the alphabet, used numbers and 3 short words. It is unknown whether Maupin had any input in the final product or not because it is unknown if he ever actually manufactured any Ouija boards himself or if he just sold or showed his patent to someone else.
However, the Ouija board is a trademark of Parker Brothers, so they are still considered the owners of the Ouija board.
The Ouija board was first sold for $1.00, but is now sold anywhere from $25 to $50 depending on where you buy it.
Can you make your own Ouija board?
Answer: Yes. You can make your own Ouija board.
If you like to make things yourself, you can easily make a Ouija board or planchette. All the materials needed are easily and cheaply available from craft stores.
You need: Wood (for the planchette)
A small heart-shaped piece of wood is carved into a planchette.
You will also need: One or more sheets of cardboard – A piece of poster board works well as the surface for writing letters (not for writing names/words).
A sheet of thin, cheap paper can be used to cover the board.
A pencil with an eraser and good eraser tips. Pens may work but not as well. A small bottle of glue.
Some books with index cards or Post-It notes. These items are optional but will really help you to make a good Ouija board.
Glue the paper onto the cardboard and then draw lines for the edge of the Ouija board and letters for the alphabet (plus numbers and three short words if you want). If you are using a piece of poster board and thin paper, glue your sheet down onto another piece of poster board to keep it from tearing – more on this later. Next, decide which way you want your planchette to point when it’s on the board; this is up to personal preference. You can position the planchette on a triangle, like a small diamond, or you may prefer to have it point straight up and down, like an axe. Either way is fine. If you want to point it up, stick tape at the top of the planchette (the part that sticks through the tip of the pencil) to keep it from falling over; if you want it to point down, glue some kind of loop in place at the bottom end. Use glue sparingly; too much can cause problems.
Does a ouija board have to be made of a special material?
Answer: No, just any wood or cardboard.
Ouija boards are made out of just about any material; wood, cardboard, fabric, wood-plastic laminate, etc. The important thing is that it’s a flat surface and holds letters and numbers; you don’t need anything more than that to work.