• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Who Invented the “Ouija Board”, How Did the Spirit Board Game Get its Name, and What Does it Mean?

Who Invented the “Ouija Board”, How Did the Spirit Board Game Get its Name, and What Does it Mean?

April 3, 2020 by Karen Hill

The Ouija board has been around since the fourth century, but the first patent was obtained by a German professor of music in 1854.

Parker Brothers purchased the rights in 1966 and published the Ouija board game in 1967.

The game begins by asking if any spirits are present, and the desired answer is in the name.

The name “Ouija” is a compound of “oui”, which means “yes” in French, and ja, which is “yes” in German, so Ouija means “yes, yes.”

Related Facts

  • What Does Ouija Mean and How Did the Name For the Ouija Board Originate?
  • How Does a Ouija Board Work and How Do Spirits Move the Planchette During a Séance?
  • Is the Ouija Board a Toy?
  • Who Invented Hopscotch, Where Did the Game Get its Name, and Where Did Hopscotch Come From?
  • Where does the phrase "badger game" come from and What does Badger Game mean?
  • Where does the term "skin game" come from and What does Skin Game mean?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where Did the Word “Spring” Come From and How Did the Season and Water Supply Get its Name?
Next Post: What Are the Odds of Winning the 6/49 Lotto and How Many Stupid People Buy Lottery Tickets? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy