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History | People | Boards | Stencils | Patents & Trademarks | Factories | Advertisements | Articles | Entertainment | Customer Letters | Other Ouija and Other Talking Boards Ouija Boards
The first Ouija boards were produced by the Kennard Novelty Company in 1890. The construction of these boards is quite unique. They are made of two to three boards held together by two wooden braces nailed onto the back. The varnish is often bright orange, and the lettering or face of the board was accomplished by rolling black ink over a brass stencil. The corners are round and smooth. The writing on these boards vary and reflect various stages of legal registration. You may or may not see the words Ouija, Trademark, Registered on the front, or Patented February 10, 1890 imprinted on the back. If you're really lucky you may even see a Patent Pending stamp. The planchettes which came with these boards are shaped like small paddles and had four long legs. These boards were manufactured at 220 South Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland. Manufactured circa 1890-1891.
By 1892 the Kennard Novelty Company and the Ouija board were both going through growing pains. Col. Washington Bowie moved the company from 220 South Charles Street to 909 East Pratt Street. The company was also in the midst of a name change from the Kennard Novelty Company to The Ouija Novelty Company. This newer board seems to use a similar stencil, but the board itself is now made of veneer over pine. Rather than rounded corners the new style sports a more octagonal shape. The Ouija crest on these boards may contain the words trademark in capital or lowercase letters. The box these boards shipped in depicts a Victorian family spending some quality time conjuring up some spirited fun. A family that plays together, stays together! Manufactured circa 1891-1893.
Another Ouija board caught in the Kennard/Ouija Novelty transition. The Ouija Crest on the front of the board has changed a bit which tells us that more than one stencil design was used at the same time. You can see it's much fatter and the word Ouija is bigger. The paddle shaped planchette is a bit smaller and has only three legs. Interestingly enough it reads “The Ouija Novelty Company 220 South Charles Street.” These labels are great resources and let us know they were calling themselves the Ouija Novelty Company before the actual name change. The board itself is veneer over pine and gone is the patent imprint seen on the back of previous boards. Manufactured circa 1891-1892.
The Ouija Novelty Company moved to 20 North High Street in 1893 and remained there until 1898 when they handed over production of the Ouija board to William Fuld who in turn brought in his brother Isaac. This particular board seems to have been manufactured from a similar stencil as the board above. In fact, the only way we know that this board came from the 20 North High Street factory is the label on the back of the board. This board is constructed of veneer over pine and has the octagonal shape. Its planchette is the three legged paddle version also seen above. Manufactured circa 1893-1898.
By 1898 The Ouija Novelty Company officially turned over production of its Ouija boards to William Fuld and his brother Isaac, trading as Isaac Fuld and Brother, to manufacture and sell Ouija boards for the term of three years. They would work together until 1901. There doesn't seem to be any change to the stencil being used as the Ouija crest on the face of the board remains the same. The previous boards also share its construction and octagonal shape. The planchettes for these boards are now the three legged, heart shaped ones more familiar to most folks. These planchettes would point out each symbol or letter on the board with its tip. Manufactured circa 1898-1901.
The Ouija PPF board is a perfect example of collector cooperation. Gene Orlando from the Museum of Talking Boards found this board and sent us over a picture. Lo and behold one of the stencils that Isaac Fuld kept shared this very design! Without Gene's board and the Fuld's stencil we would have no idea this was a Fuld Ouija board at all. Because Isaac kept some of the stencils from his brief partnership with his brother William and continued making Ouija then Oriole boards it's a bit confusing. Another one popped up and is stamped the Southern Toy Company. Rather than stars on the bottom corners this board displays symbols from a deck of cards. Cards have long been used in fortune telling. The theory is that the PPF stands for Past, Present, and Future. This board was manufactured circa 1907-1920.
After William and Isaac Fuld's falling out in 1901, Isaac continued making Ouija boards though he denied doing so in court. He kept a few stencils from Isaac Fuld and Brothers and used them to make Ouija boards until his brother William received a court order against Isaac from making any of his trademarked or patented games. Since William had an exclusive agreement with the Ouija Novelty Company to manufacture Ouija boards, Isaac made these boards for less than a year. Stamped on the label on the back of the boards it reads “Isaac Fuld 1319 Ensor Street Baltimore, MD.” Besides this stamp they are impossible to tell apart from William's boards at the time. Manufactured circa 1901.
Once Isaac Fuld and Brother officially dissolved he started his own company and named it the William Fuld Manufacturing Company. He promptly sent out letters to all his customers informing them he was the sole successor of the previous business, effectively shutting his brother Isaac down. William began his solo business at his home of 1208 Federal Street in 1901. Without the stencils from his former business, he had to have new ones created. The Ouija crest on this board has three bars underlining the word Ouija. Besides the crest change the design and construction are the same as before, bird's eye maple veneer over pine. The label on the back simply states the directions. Manufactured 1901-1903.
William's Ouija business was booming, and he was forced to move again to 1306 North Central Avenue. He was selling so many Ouija boards he expanded again in 1907 and opened his factory and showrooms at 331 North Gay Street. Ouija boards would continue to be made through 1910. The Ouija crest shown on this board tells us there was yet another stencil being used. Though there are still three bars underlining the word Ouija they are a different size than on the previous board. However, there are boards using the two lined crest from the same period. Other than that the board remained the same. As you can see the veneer is bird's eye maple and the board still has its octagonal shape. Manufactured circa 1907-1910.
In 1910 space opened up right near William's home. He bought 1226-1228 North Central Avenue and again moved his factory and showrooms. The Ouija board would remain being manufactured at this address until 1919 when he would open the biggest Ouija factory yet. The front of the board sports a two bar Ouija crest design and the label on the back reads “Wm. Fuld 1306 N Central Ave Baltimore, MD, Factory and Show Rooms 1226-1228 N Central Avenue.” Other than the label designating the address and the two bar Ouija crest this board is very similar to the boards above. Manufactured circa 1910.
Other than a three bar Ouija crest,this board is identical to the board above it. Its label tells us it was also manufactured at 1226-1228 North Central Avenue. It is also constructed of bird's eye maple veneer over pine. The planchette that comes with this board is still the three legged, heart shaped pointer style one. This would be the last William Fuld Ouija board manufactured in this style. The next style William would implement would modernize the look and speed up production. Manufactured circa 1911.
This is just one of those rare finds. This was William Fuld's miniature Ouija boards. His granddaughter Kathy was lucky enough to come upon it going through boxes. It measures six inches by 9 inches. We aren't sure if this was a prototype or whether or not these mini Ouija boards were actually manufactured. We didn't find any planchette so the board is solo. There is no label or date on this board as well. If it weren't for the Fulds keeping this stuff I am sure this mini Ouija would have long ago been forgotten. If it weren't for the Fulds keeping this stuff I am sure this mini Ouija would have long ago been forgotten. By the three bar Ouija crest we guesstimate that board was manufactured circa 1901-1911.
This is the last “stencilized” board made by William Fuld. Like the previous boards, this Ouija has the three bar Ouija crest. However, there are a few small design changes that make this board unique. The words Yes, No, and Good Bye are both taller and more stretched. The most obvious changes are the broken circles around the stars in the lower right and left hand corners. Though in later boards these circles become the standard this is the first time they appear. This is a rare transition board between the older stencil boards and newer more fluid design of the infinity Ouija crest boards shown below. The board is constructed of veneer and continued the manufacturing of the three ply Ouija. Manufactured circa 1910-1911.
This new look represents the Ouija board's facelift. Gone is the jagged stencilized design of Ouija boards past. Here, William introduces the more fluid infinity Ouija crest and adds circles around the stars of the bottom. William filed another trademark on the word Ouija (No. 164,563) on February, 20, 1923 to reflect this change. The boards themselves are still made of veneer over pine. The lacquer is a light yellow color, and the coat is a bit thicker. Early boards of this type did not list “Made by William Fuld, Baltimore MD” on the bottom and some listed William as WM. The early boards had the direction labels pasted onto the back while the later boards had the directions stamped onto them. The planchettes that accompanied these boards still carry the old stencil Ouija crest though the legs on them varied in size. Manufactured circa 1911-1914.
The oddest part about this board is its size. Its dimensions are 13” X 30”. It's also missing the word Registered under the word Ouija as well as the William Fuld name on the bottom. Together these things make us think that this board was some sort of prototype. Perhaps William was thinking of making his boards larger to accommodate Ouija parties that were getting so popular? If these were sold to the masses not many of them have survived. This is the only one we have ever seen! Thanks to the Museum of Talking Boards you get to see it up close and personal. Manufactured circa 1911-1914.
This front of this board shows us a subtle but significant change. All previous Ouija boards depict a full black moon in the upper left hand corner and a crescent moon with a star in the right upper hand corner. Here, William replaced the full black moon with a smiling moon face. This is the first of many cosmetic changes the Ouija board would undergo. Early models of this board came with solid pointer planchettes, but later models introduced the new windowed planchette that rested over the letter, number, or word being pointed out. Its construction and shape remained the same. As with the board above it may have a label pasted on the back or it might display stamped directions. It also may or may not have William's name on the bottom center front. Manufactured circa 1915-1918.
In 1917 the Ouija board told William to “prepare for big business” so he bought a block of land across the street from his old address of 1208 Federal Street. 1508-1514 Harford Avenue, Lamont Avenue and Federal opened in 1918 and was a three story, thirty-six thousand square foot factory unlike anything built in Baltimore at that time. Ouija boards were selling in record numbers and William would not tolerate anyone who made faux Ouija boards. To protect his business he made sure his name was printed in red on the bottom of the board and he changed the stamp on the back. He added in a large font “To Obtain The Original Genuine Ouija Board And Get Best Results See That The Name William Fuld Baltimore, MD Is Printed Across The Bottom Of Each Board.” The lacquer is much shinier and thicker on these boards making them extremely smooth. Manufactured circa 1919-1938.
This photograph from William Fuld's personal product catalog is the only proof we have that this board even existed. To date not a single one has shown up in someone's collection or on ebay. Because the photograph isn't in color, it's hard to make out what the color scheme is or what the board is made out of. However, it does have a striking resemblance to the Electric Mystifying Oracle. Whether it is also made of metal or a dark wood only time will tell for sure. It's missing the small raised metal circles that allow its electric sister board to work so we are guessing it wasn't an electric version. Its infinity Ouija crest and the stars with circles in the corners helps us narrow it's date a bit. Manufactured circa 1920-1930s.
We have yet to see one of these boards in person though you can view its sister the Mystifying Oracle here. This picture was taken for the Fuld's to use in their trade advertisements. The graphics are new though the old printing directly on wood was used to make this board. The board has octagon corners and displays people playing the Ouija board where stars once were. There is now a faced sun replacing the faced full moon and the crescent moon and star now have a face as well. We believe this is the last wooden version the Fuld's offered and might have been sold along side its hardboard versions as a deluxe edition. Manufactured circa 1940s.
Here is the exact same board as above except this one is printed on paper covering hardboard rather than being printed directly on wood. It has the cut octagon corners like the one above and also comes with a wooden planchette. As the Fulds turned to paper over hardboard there was a lengthy transition time and they were sold right along side with their wooden peers. Perhaps there was an overstock of wooden boards, or maybe they were just testing out the paper over hardboard salability. Whatever the story is behind them they are rare. In fact, this is the only one we've ever seen! This is probably due to the challenge of glueing the paper over an octagonal shape and matching it exactly. As you can see on the boards that follow, the Fulds opted for the rectangular ones to paste the paper faces to. Manufactured circa 1938 – 1945.
By 1938 the Fuld's began moving from printing directly on wooden boards to printing on paper over a board like material. According to Hubert Fuld, the wood was warping and the costs were growing. The compromise began in the board above. This board is rectangular in shape, and the paper is faux bird's eye maple. The board itself is made of a thick hardboard. The paper face covered both sides of this board, and the planchette that came with this board were wooden and they window-hole-in-center kind. Manufactured circa 1938-1950s.
Since the Fuld's decision to use paper over hardboard, they began experimenting with different types of faux wood faces. This version has a square parquet design on the front and back. Its color is has slight green tint. It reminds us of a basketball court. The design new wasn't apparently a hit and only showed up here. The Fulds would then return to the bird's eye maple version making this one quite a collectible. Manufactured circa 1938-1950s.
Around 1950 the Fulds sold their factory on Harford Avenue and moved into a smaller 2511 North Central Avenue office. In the mid 1950s, the Fulds moved their offices into rented space on Warwick Avenue until their new office was built. Their Ouija boards were now manufactured offsite in Pennsylvania and shipped back to Baltimore. The cost of production again came into play as the Fulds did away with the thicker hardboard and decided to go with a thin rectangular masonite. The corners were sharp, and the paper covering was only applied to the front. Another change is the planchette is no longer made of wood but of cream colored plastic. The pin in the middle of the plastic window stayed, and the shape of the planchette remained unchanged. Manufactured circa 1950s-1960s.
In 1962 the Fulds opened the doors to their last office at 1318 East Fort Avenue. By now they had perfected the masonite Ouija board and rounded the corners to avoid unexpected injuries. Other than that the board and planchette remained almost identical to the board immediately above. On February 24th 1966 William Fuld, Inc. and all its assets including the Ouija board were sold to Parker Brothers. An era had ended for the Ouija board and the Fuld family. Immediately after Parker Brothers moved William Fuld Inc. to Salem, Massachusetts. If you're really lucky you may find a board and box that say “William Fuld Inc., Salem, Massachusetts.” Manufactured circa 1962-1966. Looking to own your very own Ouija or talking board? Try ouijaboards.us where you can look through large selection of antique and vintage talking boards. |
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