This Week: The Museum of Talking Boards

While there is indeed an art and history to certain board games, not many have the otherworldly connections of the "talking board"–which is most commonly known by the name Ouija. This simple board and planchette combination taps users into either the spirit world or their own psyches, pulling messages out from the ether. Talking boards have been creeping people out for over 100 years, creating their own mythology. The unrivaled source of information on this odd creation is Eugene Orlando's Museum of Talking Boards. The 54-year-old private investor ("No Ouija jokes about that, or I'll have to kill you.") has not only placed his collection of talking boards online, but he has also exhaustively researched their history and cultural influences. From his oddity-festooned home office in San Francisco ("I guess you could call the décor 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not meets The Addams Family.'"), Orlando has created a sterling resource on what is usually considered to be a mysterious subject.

When was the first talking board created?
Who came up with the idea, and why?

Following the birth of modern spiritualism in 1848, mediums used letter and number pasteboards to help spell out spirit messages during "table tipping" séances. Using an alphabet board was quicker than calling out each letter individually. A group of sitters would lightly touch a table and it would rap on the floor as a member held up the board and moved a finger over the letters. They spelled out entire messages from the spirits this way. As time went on, some mediums eliminated the table and the board preferring to transmit messages in an altered state of consciousness called "trance." Others refined their apparatus, creating elaborate "dial plate" talking boards and other paraphernalia. The alphabet board made the leap from medium's tool to parlor game in 1886 when a make-it-yourself letter and number board with a movable message indicator became all the rage in Ohio. News spread coast to coast and a few Baltimore entrepreneurs patented and produced the first "Ouija board." Elijah Bond listed himself as inventor and held the first patent. The Kennard Novelty Company started production in 1890.

Was this an era perhaps more susceptible to supernatural fads?
What other types of spiritualism were popular?

I don't think that this time was any more susceptible to supernatural fads than is our modern era. Many different spiritualist churches sprang up, often as an antidote to more organized religions, much as we see today with the New Age, Wiccan, and other occult movements. Spiritualist churches of the 1800's had a common thread but could be very different in beliefs and practices.

Why did the talking board strike such a chord?

Here was a device that took no skill or training and promised, if the influences were right, to get you information from beyond the grave. It differed from prayer in that there was instant confirmation that you were "in contact," and it was incredibly simple. There was no interpretation of star signs, tarot cards, or goat entrails required. If you could spell, no matter how badly, you could use the Ouija board. And it was fun in a creepy way. People love to scare themselves. Especially if they secretly suspect that they are in no real danger.

Was the talking board ever accused of being "un-Christian-like,"
as anything to do with Halloween is today?

Most religions have their own inventory of approved spirits and church sanctioned ways of contacting them. The Ouija board is universally frowned upon as a spiritual tool among not only the Christian religions, but most others as well. Consequences range from eternal damnation to mild disapproval depending on the particular faith. This has changed little since the beginning and it is extremely unlikely that we'll ever see Ouija sessions join Bingo as a weekly church activity.

Are talking boards as popular today as when
they were first mass-produced?

Ouija board fads come and go, and although we're not in the middle of a craze like we were when they were first mass-produced, they are still very popular. It's been said that the Ouija board is most popular during times of war and economic strife. I have never seen any numbers to corroborate this. There was a surprising variety of talking boards made during the Second World War, but most of them came from the same novelty companies in Chicago. During the depression, there were very few boards manufactured. I don't know if we can point to any one particular cause. I think every generation makes their own Ouija board fads and makes their own Ouija board discoveries.

What was the most unusual talking board ever made?

That has to be Transogram's weird, "ka-bala, the Mysterious Game That Foretells the Future." (1967) It defies description, but I'll try. Picture an oval green glow-in-the-dark board resembling a gladiator's shield. Surrounding the board is a ring of letters and next to that is a channel wherein a marble (the message indicator) runs. In the center of the board is a huge evil eyeball. You know it's evil because underneath it is a dead dragon that it has managed to flatten and impale. Two players tilt the board and the marble rolls, or I should say--rockets, around the channel. It comes to rest at the letters and you spell out your messages. The unblinking "eye" follows your every movement. If you have trouble working the thing, you may also use Transogram's specially designed tarot cards and zodiac method with this board. While you are playing, you are to chant: "PAX, SAX, SARAX, HOLA, NOA, NOSTRA." Try to wrap your mind around that, if you can.

How many different companies currently produce talking boards?
What's the "best" one on the market?

There are less than ten major talking board manufacturers today. The largest is Hasbro who makes the official Ouija Board. There are many artists who make custom handcrafted talking boards. These boards range in attractiveness from the fantastically beautiful to the abysmally dreadful. The "best" is a matter of personal choice. There are purists who only want a wood board, and there are the more adventuresome who like theirs in carved glass or metal. Some like whimsical designs. For others, a simple letter and number board is best.

What does the "Ouija" name mean, and what's its origin?

The story is that Charles Kennard, the first manufacturer, was having a talking board session with a significant other. He asked the board its name and it answered, "Ouija." A variation is that Kennard named it "Ouija" from the Egyptian word for "good luck," and indeed, he marketed his first board as "Ouija, the Egyptian Luck Board." "Ouija" is not Egyptian for "good luck" and it is most likely that Kennard, wanting to capitalize on the magic and mystery of the Middle East, stuck a pin in a map and came up with the name from the Moroccan city, Oujda (sometimes spelled Oujida or Oudjda). William Fuld, who took over the company from Charles Kennard, later claimed that "Ouija" was French (Oui) and German (Ja) making it the "Yesyes" board.

How did you first become interested in talking boards?

I saw my first Hasko Mystic tray after responding to an ad for a shrunken head. The head was a fake, made from horsehide or something. The seller wouldn't part with the Mystic Tray and it took me a long time to find another one. That was thirty years ago. I've been collecting talking boards ever since.

What is it about them that has inspired your efforts to document them?

I wanted to celebrate what I believed to be a lost American art form and to inspire other collectors and people interested in such things to do likewise. People are amazed when they discover just how many colorful and interesting talking boards there are.

How did you go about finding the source materials for your site's history sections?

It was tough. No one has put anything like this together before. My sources come from many places: old newspaper articles, historical archives, patents, interviews with relatives of manufacturers, and the study of early spiritualist writings. The early books chronicle the very beginnings of spiritualist apparatus and lend an understanding unique to the climate of the times. I'm also lucky to have many great contributors. Together we've been able to assemble a lot of information. Unlike a book, it's an ongoing project. As I learn more, I add more to the website.

Did you learn anything that surprised you?

Every time I discover something new about these boards, it is a surprise. There is so much to learn, so much to know. I've just cracked the surface of a very interesting subject.

Are the boards featured in the museum from your own collection?

All the boards, planchettes, and other apparatus are from my collection with the exception of a very few and they are duly noted. I've written all the text, taken all the pictures, and done all the graphic design. If you need to blame somebody, I'm the guy.

How many do you have and how did you collect them?

I have no idea how many talking boards I have. I've found them in antique stores, second hand shops, flea markets, and through friends. Now that we have great online auction sites like eBay, I don't even have to get dusty.

What's the spookiest message that you personally have received from a talking board?

It was in, I think, Italian. It said, "gettalife." I have no idea what it means. I've been meaning to look it up.

Are the talking board's messages "real"?

Yes, talking board messages are real. Whether they come from inside or outside our heads is what everyone wants to know. In the end, maybe it doesn't matter. The question is, what do you do with the information? Some write books and epic poems. Others shotgun their fathers.

Have people shared their messages with you?
Have you ever thought of starting a forum for sharing talking-board messages?

Oh, yes. People have been very kind in sharing their messages with me. Perhaps too kind. I keep the more interesting ones to jumpstart me on low days. Keeping the Museum afloat keeps me quite busy. I really don't have the time to moderate a forum.

What would you like to do with the site in the future?
Has your Ouija board ever sent you comments about the site?

I would like to see the Museum grow while maintaining and cultivating the mystery that is the talking board. In the end, it's all about life, death, the universe around us, and where to get a really good burger. When my Ouija board speaks to me, it speaks in sound bites. That's what happens when you have cable and get 133 channels.

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