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.”