I collect antique ouija boards.
And DStachowiak is right, but it actually goes back more than few years.
The first one came out in the late 1800's.
I know, because I have one of these.
And I paid a pretty penny for it too.

Any way...
I have 10 antique/vintage ouija boards.
Dating from the 1890's to the 1950's.
Some are called Swami boards, Mystic Soothsayers, Mystic Boards, and Ouija Queen.
One has swastikas on them. These date before WWII and have nothing to do with Nazis.
The swastika is an old mystic sign.
It's so old that no one really knows where it came from.

I have never had anything bad happen to me.
They are displayed on my wall, proudly.

http://www.museumoftalkingboards.com
That's a great site.
I am still looking for some of those that they show.

Randi

I don't recall having ever used a Ouija board, but I have used a Spirit Spelling Board in my Seance shows. Invariably there's been a very startling reaction from this device...tho' I am quite certain that no supernatural force is responsible

I decided to make my close up table into a Ouija board. This discussion has peaked my interest. As a person that does not believe in such things, I still am fascinated by the misconceptions people have for so many spiritualistic items and designs.

The history behind the pentagram, swastika Broke both left and right, the cross, the Ouija etc. I love to use these things (Tastefully) using their proper context. Of course not with the swastika as it's older history will never be reconciled with it's newer. However, my son really wants to try it with me, and I am not certain I would like to find my beliefs incorrect in the presence of a youngster.. Anybody want to come to Yakima?

I remember there was a house rebuilding show (Monster House? I'm not certain) that dealt with rebuildling a local magician's deck to look more like it belonged to a magician. The grill became a castle, the bar became a top hat with a magic drink dispensing box and the actual deck itself was refinished and painted to look like a Ouija board. The made a table into a planchette and put a radio controlled motor into it so the magician behind the bar could move drinks around to his guests!

Josh - you beat me to it. I had the same idea. I will actually add a rotating magnet to create the right pendulum swing....

I found it always a good laugh. I had a long chat with my dead cat once. And some guy called flwerkfjoerk.

M:C

I'm very relieved that not only are there actual portals to the spirit world, but they can be mass produced out of cardboard in third world countries for just pennies, and still purchased relatively inexpensively at Toys'R'Us.

Hopefully someday when we leave our bodies we won't be so bored that we have to go around looking for Ouija boards to haunt.

Still - most people do see it as something weird . . .