Awesome vintage ouija boards
Mecca Answer Board, Lee Industries, Chicago, c. 1940
There are two facts that a visit to the incredibly terrific Museum of Talking Boards website will cement in any viewer–the high point for ouija consumption was the 1940s and Chicago was the place where most ouija boards were manufactured.
The Museum of Talking Boards has done an excellent job wrangling what must be a chaotic field with a lot of damaged or substandard exemplars. Every board is lovingly photographed, and informational details about the time and place each board was created are always easy to find. Truly, a tremendous job.
These images are enough to drive me to eBay, where you can get many of these design marvels for prices ranging between $20 and $500.
ADIOS, FAREWELL, AU REVOIR, LATER DUDE, RECEPTION BAD, uhhhh, STATIC?
Black Magic Talking board, Gift Craft, Chicago, c. 1944
Crystal Gazer, A Barrel of Fun, c. 1940
Father Time Mystery Talking Board, T. Eaton Company, Toronto, 1945
Guiding Star Board, Palmer and Associates, Chicago
Hasko Mystic Board, Haskelite Manufacturing Corp, Chicago, c. 1940
Hindu Oracle, Winston Sales Company, Inc., Chicago, c. 1960
The Mysterious Planchette, The Planchette Company, Chicago, 1944
Mystery Talking board, E.S. Lowe, New York, c. 1940
Mystic Answer Board, Remington Morse, Chicago, 1944
Mystic Medium, Medalie Manufacturing, Minneapolis, c. 1945
Mystic Soothsayer, Wm. F Drueke & Sons, Grand Rapids, Mich, c. 1940
Mystic, Baron, Rott & Samuels, New York, c. 1950
Mystola, Crestcraft Company, Chicago, c. 1940
Ouija Queen, American Novelty Company, Omaha, Neb., c. 1943-1945
Ouija, Model Pub & Specialty Company, Chicago, c. 1954
Rajah Far East Talking Board, Gift Craft, Chicago, c. 1944
Rajah Spirit Talking Board, Clinton Art Products, Chicago, c. 1944
Sphinx Oracle Board, Cowan Products, New York
Star Gazer Mystical Question Board Tray, Alice Lee Manufacturing, Chicago, c. 1944
Swami Mystery Talking Board, Gift Craft, Chicago, c. 1944
Veda The Magic Answer Man, Wiz Novelty Company, New York, c. 1943
Weed Ja The High Spirited Talking Board, Icup Inc., Croydon, Penn., 2010
h/t: Messy Nessy Chic and {feuilleton}