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The Magic 8-Ball, manufactured by Tyco, is a toy used for fortune-telling. Invented by Abe Bookman in 1946 of the Alabe Toy Company, it is a hollow, plastic sphere resembling an oversized, black and white 8-ball. The fortunes are given by a white plastic die in the shape of an icosahedron, floating in a blue liquid, with answers to yes-no questions in raised letters on its 20 triangular faces. There is a transparent window on the bottom of the 8-ball, and when the ball is held so that the window faces up, the die floats to the top randomly exposing one of its faces in the window. As the raised white letters press against the window, they drive the dark blue liquid to the sides, away from the raised letters, so that the letters appear as white print on a still-dark-blue background (where a thin layer of fluid remains between the raised letters).

To use the ball, the user must hold it with the window down, ask a yes-no question, then turn the ball so that the window faces up. In the window, one face of the die will be visible, revealing the response to your question. Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to shake or jostle the ball before turning it, which can consequently create air bubbles that often visually distort the answer.

Standard answers

The 20 standard answers on a Magic 8-Ball are:

  • Signs point to yes.
  • Yes.
  • Reply hazy, try again.
  • Without a doubt.
  • My sources say no.
  • As I see it, yes.
  • You may rely on it.
  • Concentrate and ask again.
  • Outlook not so good.
  • It is decidedly so.
  • Better not tell you now.
  • Very doubtful.
  • Yes - definitely.
  • It is certain.
  • Cannot predict now.
  • Most likely.
  • Ask again later.
  • My reply is no.
  • Outlook good.
  • Don't count on it.

Ten of the possible answers are variations of "yes", five are ambiguous, and five are variations of "no".

Variations on the standard Magic Eight Ball have appeared throughout the years including the "Affirmation Ball"; this is a yellow ball with a smiley face on it that gives twenty randomly-chosen affirmations to the user such as "You look marvelous." or "Your breath is so minty.". *

Another variation includes the Spiritual Eight Ball * which attempts to guide its users by providing chosen answers that are foremost morally correct.

Magic 8-ball in television/film

The main character Neal Oliver, uses a magic 8-ball to find his route during his journey through the nonexistent Interstate 60. During a father-son road trip, the son Andy frequently asks his magic 8-ball important questions, and it always gives him an uncertain answer. Eventually he becomes fed up with its vagueness and hurls it out of the car, inadvertently saving them from some predicament when it hits a police cruiser. When Woody hears Andy's mother tell Andy that he can bring only one toy to Pizza Planet with him, Woody, who is certain that Andy will pick Buzz to take, picks up a magic 8-ball and asks it if Andy will pick Woody to go with him. Upon seeing its response of "Don't count on it", Woody throws the ball aside in disgust. The ball then falls off the desk and gets trapped between it and the wall, inspiring Woody to attempt to "lose" Buzz Lightyear, thereby making him Andy's favorite toy once more. In the episode "The Reverse Peephole", David Puddy gets a magic 8-ball jacket, which Elaine hates. When asked if he plans on wearing it all the time, he replies, "All signs point to yes!" In the episode "Uneasy Rider" (4x19), when Carter Heywood makes a statement that he's tired of giving staff advice on their personal life, Paul Lassiter takes over this chore using his magic 8-ball. In the episode Emily calls Ross and tells him that she will only stay married if he promises he will never see Rachel again. Ross uses the 8 ball to make that decision. Finally, Ross agrees, but Emily continues to make unreasonable demands and they get divorced. In one episode, Ed Bighead is promoted into an administrative position at his company, Conglom-O, in which he must answer yes or no questions on official forms. Lacking the nerve to make his own decisions on the matters at stake, he consults a spoof of the Magic 8-Ball, the Magic Meatball, which "correctly" answers the questions and earns Ed further promotions. However, he becomes so dependant on the Meatball that when he breaks it in an accident, he goes into a fit of hysteria in which he tries to regain the Meatball's wisdom by performing various favors for it, including marriage. When Timmy gets a bad reply from a magic 8-ball, he throws it against the wall, revealing his Fairy God-Parents. On an episode, Bart asks a Magic 8-ball if Milhouse and him will be friends for ever. It answers "I doubt it". Later on that episode, they fight and Bart breaks the ball on Milhouse's head. Bart remarks "I bet the eight ball didn't see that one coming." Early in Season 1, Phoebe is seen playing with a Magic 8-ball while standing in line at a movie theater. Prue asks her, "You, who can see the future, is now looking for it in a magic 8-ball?" Phoebe replies that her visions are not for her own benefit. Then, Phoebe and Piper tease Prue with the 8-ball, asking it if Prue and Andy will get back together, and refuse to show Prue the answer. In the episode "Home Insecurity", Baron Ünderbheit disposes of a henchmen named Manic 8-Ball, who uses a similar method of communicaton to the ball, through the use of an exploding tiger.

Magic 8-Ball in popular music

Austin area indie/ska band The Impossibles often opened shows with the song Eightball, which was dedicated to the toy. Strangely, the song recognizes the use of dice in magic 8-balls, but mistakenly identifies them as multiple four-sided dice.

References

External links

Divination | Toys | 1946 introductions | Magic 8 Ball | Magica palla 8

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Magic 8-ball".

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