Where Did the Idea for the Magic 8 Ball Come From?

In the latter half of the 20th century, fortune-telling novelty toys such as the sleepover classic Ouija Board and the little red Fortune Teller Fish were enormous hits in the United States. The magic 8 ball was one of these objects that was extremely well-liked by both children and adults. It may appear to be a mystery as to why the Magic 8 Ball was selected as the object to be a favourite at clairvoyant parties, except from the fact that it plays an important and sometimes hazardous role in the game of Eight Ball, which is played with pool cues.

The legend that surrounds the origin of the Magic 8 Ball is actually somewhat arbitrary. The Chicago-based Brunswick Billiards firm is responsible for commissioning the development of the Magic 8 Ball as a promotional product. The Crystal Ball was a short-lived product produced by Alabe Crafts. It had the same spherical exterior, dark blue liquid, and dice with solutions to yes-or-no questions that caught Brunswick's attention. However, the Crystal Ball did not sell particularly well and was discontinued.

The Crystal Ball was not the first attempt made by Alabe Crafts to create a fortune-telling toy that was made up of dice that were submerged in a dark blue liquid. It was Alfred Carter, whose mother was clairvoyant, who is credited with having come up with the initial concept for the toy's forerunner. (She asserted that she was able to converse with the deceased, including the ghost of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.) The initial version of the toy that told your destiny was called the Syco-Seer: The Miracle Home destiny Teller. It was patented in 1944 by Carter and his brother-in-law, Abe Bookman, who assisted Carter with production and distribution of the toy. Bookman and Carter came up with the idea for Alabe Crafts together. ("Alabe" was created by combining the names "Alfred" and "Abe.") In 1946, the device evolved into the Syco-Slate, also known as the Pocket Fortune Teller, which was smaller, more convenient, and more cost-effective. In each of these classic games, there were two dice submerged in the murky liquid.

When it became clear that the Syco-Slate wasn't doing as well as expected, Bookman temporarily experimented with marketing the product using a new crystal ball exterior; nevertheless, this did not result in a significant rise in product sales. Fortunately, Brunswick Billiards came up with an idea in 1950 that would turn out to be a successful novelty toy for many years to come. The Magic 8 Ball has a dice with 20 sides, and on those sides are written 10 replies that are positive, 5 answers that are negative, and 5 responses that are ambiguous, such as "Concentrate and ask again" and "Reply hazy, try again." When the white die is pressed up against the glass, the answers will become apparent since they are lifted above the surface of the die.

As of the year 2012, Mattel, Inc. had taken ownership of the Magic 8 Ball, and the toy continued to sell more than a million copies annually. In the years to come, do you think the Magic 8 Ball will continue to be a popular novelty toy? It appears to be the case.