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Patent Case File No. 1,125,833, Talking Boards, Inventor(s): William Fuld

William Fuld (July 24, 1870 – February 24, 1927) was an American businessman, inventor, and entrepreneur from Baltimore, Maryland who is best known for his marketing and manufacture of Ouija boards from the 1890s through the 1920s. Fuld is seen as the father of the Ouija board. Though Fuld never claimed to have invented the Ouija board, intense media coverage in the 1930s credited him with it. The misinformation[citation needed] was sustained by his own marketing, and his practice of stamping "Original Ouija Board" and "Inventor" on the back of his boards. By the end of his life he would have over 33 patents, trademarks, and copyrights credited to him.

Background

[edit]

William Fuld was one of ten children. By the age of 26, he was working as a customs inspector in his hometown of Baltimore. Fuld also worked as a varnisher which led to his job as foreman at the Kennard Novelty Co. which was founded on October 30, 1890, the same year that Elijah Bond filed the first patent for a “talking board”. This patent was assigned to William H. A. Maupin and Charles W. Kennard.

For reasons unknown Kennard was removed from his company in 1891. By 1892 Fuld had taken over as supervisor and the company changed its name to The Ouija Novelty Company and moved into a new location. William Fuld filed for his first talking board patent in the same year. Under the direction of Fuld, the company increased production of Ouija boards to meet the growing demand and thwarted many of Kennard's attempts to manufacture other talking boards.

In 1898, William and his brother Isaac went into business together under the name Isaac Fuld & Brother, leasing the "Ouija" name from The Ouija Novelty Company. In addition to talking boards, the brothers also manufactured pool tables and other billiards accessories. William was the first person to file a trademark for the term "Return Pool" table.

By 1901, the brothers' partnership had ended in a bitter feud. William Fuld changed the name of his company to the William Fuld Manufacturing Company. Going against an injunction, Isaac continued to manufacture talking boards under the name "Oriole" that were exact replicas of the boards that he and his brother had made. William sued his brother in a case that remained open until 1919.

William Fuld’s first talking board trademark, "Oracle", was filed in 1902. A crafty businessman, Fuld sued companies whose talking boards infringed on his trademarks or patents. It cannot be said whether or not he actually took himself seriously. However his numerous publicity stunts made the talking board a very successful product for Fuld, claiming in 1920 that the Ouija board had made him more than $1 million in profit.

In order to combat the growing competition for other talking board manufacturers, Fuld knew that if he himself made a cheaper version of his own product he would get more business. In 1919, he introduced the "Mystifying Oracle", an exact replica of his Ouija board that sold for less money. He also launched a line of trademarked Ouija jewelry and Ouija Oil for rheumatism. Fuld also trademarked the names "Egyptian Luck board", "Hindu Luck board" and "WE-JA" as well as a trademark detailing the way the word "Ouija" would be displayed.

Death

[edit]

William Fuld was a presbyterian[1] and became a member of the Baltimore General Assembly in 1924. On February 24, 1927, Fuld climbed to the roof of his three-story factory to supervise the installation of a flagpole. When the rail against which he was leaning gave way, Fuld fell to the ground below. While being transported, a fractured rib pierced his heart and William Fuld died at the hospital.

After his death, Fuld's children took over the company. Catherine and William A. Fuld ran the company until the youngest brother, Hubert, became president of William Fuld, Inc., in 1942. Parker Brothers acquired the company and all of its assets in 1966.

References

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Further reading

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William Fuld

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William Fuld (July 24, 1870 – February 24, 1927) was an American businessman and entrepreneur from Baltimore, Maryland, renowned for his central role in the commercialization and popularization of the Ouija board, a talking board game often associated with spiritualism.[1][2] Although not the original inventor—credit for the patent goes to Elijah Bond in 1891—Fuld worked for the Kennard Novelty Company, founded in 1890, as an early employee and eventual foreman, helping to launch production of the board in Baltimore.[2][3] By 1898, he had taken over as the exclusive manufacturer through his company, Isaac Fuld & Brother, and aggressively protected the Ouija trademark via lawsuits and legal battles, including a dispute with his brother Isaac that culminated in a 1920 court ruling that granted him a monopoly on production.[3][2][4] Fuld managed the Ouija Novelty Company starting in 1892 and later established his own firms, including Isaac Fuld & Brother in 1898 and the William Fuld Manufacturing Company around 1901, and in 1919 became the sole owner of the business, which he expanded with a large factory built in Baltimore's Harford Avenue area in 1918.[2][4] Despite media portrayals in the 1920s and later advertising by Parker Brothers crediting him as the inventor, Fuld promoted himself as the inventor in advertisements despite not holding the original patent; he identified as a Presbyterian and marketed it primarily as entertainment.[2][5] Born to German-Jewish immigrant parents Jacob Fuld and Mary Abell, he was one of 10 siblings and married Annie Carrie Schmidt in 1891, with whom he had seven children; the family business was later continued by his sons until its sale to Parker Brothers in 1966.[1][2] Fuld also served as a U.S. Customs Inspector from 1896 to 1924 and was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1924.[5][6] Tragically, Fuld died at age 56 from injuries sustained after falling from the roof of his Harford Avenue factory while supervising a flagpole installation, an event that occurred on February 24, 1927, and was widely reported in newspapers like The New York Times.[5][4] His legacy endures through the enduring popularity of the Ouija board, now owned by Hasbro since 1991, and Baltimore's historical ties to its production.[2][4]

Early Life

Birth and Family Background

William Fuld was born on July 24, 1870, in Baltimore, Maryland, as the third child of Jacob Fuld and Mary Abell.[6][7] His father, Jacob, was a Jewish immigrant from Büdingen, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, born on January 10, 1844, who arrived in the United States in 1854 at age ten with his family.[6][8] His mother, Mary (also known as Mary Eva Able or Abell), was born and raised in York, Pennsylvania, and came from a Presbyterian background; the couple married on September 12, 1863, in Reading, Pennsylvania.[6][1] Fuld grew up as one of ten children—four boys and six girls—in a large family of modest means with roots in German immigrant heritage through his paternal line.[6] His siblings, listed from oldest to youngest, included Mary, Isaac (born March 18, 1865, in the District of Columbia), Lillie, Henrietta, Raymond, Meyer, Sylvia, Violet, and Flora; Isaac would later become both a business partner and rival to William in their entrepreneurial ventures.[6][9] The Fuld family resided in Baltimore during a period of rapid post-Civil War industrialization, as the city emerged as a major manufacturing hub with expanding railroads, factories, and immigrant labor fueling economic growth in the late 19th century.[10] This environment exposed young Fuld to the trades and mechanical arts prevalent in the working-class neighborhoods, where he attended public schools and later studied at the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts.[6]

Early Career and Entry into Manufacturing

William Fuld's early professional experiences in Baltimore laid the groundwork for his later manufacturing endeavors, beginning with hands-on roles that developed his aptitude for woodworking and finishing techniques. At the age of 17, in 1887, he secured his first documented position as a painter and varnisher, a job that involved applying protective coatings and refining wooden surfaces, skills directly transferable to production processes in emerging industries.[11] This manual labor, influenced by his family's immigrant background in manual trades, provided Fuld with practical expertise amid Baltimore's growing industrial landscape.[11] By his mid-20s, Fuld diversified his employment while maintaining ties to public service. From 1896 to 1924, he worked as a customs inspector at the Port of Baltimore, inspecting imports and ensuring compliance, which offered financial stability and exposure to international goods, including novelty items.[11] Concurrently, around 1890, at age 20, Fuld transitioned into the toy and novelty sector by joining the Kennard Novelty Company as an entry-level employee, where he initially handled production tasks.[12] Fuld's efficiency in overseeing assembly lines quickly elevated his status at Kennard, leading to his promotion to foreman by the early 1890s, a role in which he managed workflows, trained staff, and contributed to operational improvements as one of the company's original stockholders.[13] This advancement occurred against the backdrop of Baltimore's expanding novelty and toy market during the 1890s, driven by the surge in spiritualism—a cultural movement emphasizing communication with the spirit world—that boosted demand for mystical and entertainment-oriented products.[14] The city's strategic port position further facilitated the influx of materials and ideas, positioning firms like Kennard for rapid growth with multiple factories established by 1892.[15]

Involvement with the Ouija Board

Work at Kennard Novelty Company

William Fuld joined the Kennard Novelty Company in 1890 as a varnisher, shortly after the firm's founding, drawing on his early experience in manufacturing and finishing work from previous jobs.[6] The company had been established that same year in Baltimore, Maryland, by Charles Kennard and Elijah Bond to produce novelty items, including experimental talking boards that capitalized on the widespread spiritualism craze of the 1890s, during which Americans increasingly sought tools for communicating with the spirit world.[16][17] Fuld quickly advanced within the company, becoming a foreman responsible for overseeing production lines of various novelty goods.[18] In this role, he contributed to operational improvements, streamlining manufacturing processes for board games and related items to meet growing demand.[17] His efforts included enhancing efficiency in assembly and introducing quality control measures for wooden components and planchettes, helping the company scale with sales reaching approximately 2,000 boards per week by the early 1890s.[17] These advancements positioned Kennard Novelty as a key player in the burgeoning market for mystical parlor games.

Initial Development and Patenting

William Fuld, employed as a foreman and early stockholder at the Kennard Novelty Company in Baltimore, oversaw the production of the Ouija board following its initial patenting. His role involved managing manufacturing processes that refined the board for commercial viability amid the late 19th-century spiritualism movement.[14] The foundational patent for the talking board was secured by attorney Elijah J. Bond, who filed the application on May 25, 1890, and received U.S. Patent No. 446,054 on February 10, 1891.[19] This patent detailed a flat board inscribed with the alphabet, numbers, and affirmative/negative indicators, manipulated by a pivoting pointer to spell messages—marking the first formal protection for such a mechanism. Assigned to the Kennard Novelty Company, it provided the legal basis for early commercialization, with Fuld's team producing the initial batches under this framework. By 1892, amid company restructuring following the departure of founder Charles Kennard and Bond, Fuld assumed leadership and reorganized the firm as the Ouija Novelty Company. That year, he filed for and obtained his own patent for an improved talking board apparatus, granted as U.S. Patent No. 479,266 on July 19, 1892.[20][2] Fuld's design featured a reinforced, four-sided pointer frame with jointed legs and incorporated magnetized wires to facilitate more reliable movement, addressing limitations in the original mechanism for group use. Fuld oversaw the ramp-up of manufacturing runs immediately after these patent milestones, scaling production from a single Baltimore facility to multiple sites as demand surged. Fueled by widespread interest in spiritualism, early sales exploded by late 1892, with thousands of units distributed nationwide and generating substantial revenue; as a principal operator and inventor of enhancements, Fuld secured royalties that underscored his central position in the board's nascent success.[14]

Business Expansion

Founding of Independent Companies

In November 1897, William Fuld partnered with his brother Isaac to establish Isaac Fuld & Brother, a general manufacturing firm based in Baltimore, Maryland.[21] This venture marked Fuld's initial step toward entrepreneurial independence from his prior employment at the Kennard Novelty Company.[2] On July 18, 1898, Isaac Fuld & Brother signed an exclusive three-year agreement with the Ouija Novelty Company to manufacture and distribute Ouija boards, securing royalties while leveraging the recent patent on the talking board as a foundation for licensing.[2] This deal positioned the brothers as key producers in the emerging novelty market, with operations initially centered at 20 North High Street in Baltimore.[21] By 1901, following the departure of Kennard Novelty founder Charles Kennard, William Fuld acquired full production rights to the Ouija board and founded the William Fuld Manufacturing Company, centralizing all operations in Baltimore at his home on 1208 Federal Street.[22] This move dissolved the partnership with Isaac and allowed Fuld to control the brand exclusively, relocating facilities progressively to larger sites, including a major three-story factory on Harford Avenue in 1918 to accommodate surging demand.[17] The company's growth accelerated through the 1910s, driven by Ouija's popularity; by 1920, Fuld reported total profits exceeding $1 million from board sales, reflecting the product's widespread appeal amid post-World War I spiritualism trends.[23] Factory expansions and streamlined production enabled annual output in the millions of units, solidifying Baltimore as the Ouija's manufacturing hub.[17]

Patents, Trademarks, and Product Innovations

William Fuld amassed a substantial intellectual property portfolio related to talking boards and associated products, accumulating over 33 patents, trademarks, and copyrights by 1927. These included key improvements to board mechanisms, such as enhanced planchettes and structural designs for better functionality, exemplified by his U.S. Patent No. 1,125,833 for a "Talking Board" granted on January 19, 1915, which refined the pointer and board interaction.[24] Fuld's aggressive pursuit of these protections allowed him to defend against competitors and solidify his market dominance in the novelty game sector. Among his trademarks, Fuld registered "Oracle" (No. 37,806) on February 18, 1902, as a safeguard for alternative talking board designs amid disputes with former partners. He later introduced the "Mystifying Oracle" board in 1919, copyrighted that year to distinguish it from standard Ouija variants with unique aesthetic and thematic elements. Additional branded lines included "Egyptian Luck" (trademark No. 148,331, registered November 8, 1921), "Hindu Luck," and "WE-JA," the latter emphasizing the phonetic pronunciation of Ouija to reinforce brand identity across international markets.[25][26][27] Fuld expanded beyond core boards by developing Ouija-themed accessories, including jewelry such as branded pendants and rings, and Ouija Oil marketed as a rheumatism remedy (trademark No. 143,008, registered 1921). These innovations diversified his product line while leveraging the Ouija mystique for broader consumer appeal. He consistently marketed his boards as the "Original Ouija Board," often stamping them with an "Inventor" label, a promotional tactic that perpetuated the misconception of his sole origination despite the concept's earlier roots with Elijah Bond and Charles Kennard.[2][26]

Personal Life and Beliefs

Family Dynamics and Conflicts

William Fuld married Annie Carrie Schmidt on August 29, 1891, at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Maryland.[6] The couple had seven children: five sons—William Andrew, Paul Ambrose, George Edward, Arthur Francis, and Hubert Harris—and two daughters, Carrie Anne and Katherine Bowie.[6] Following Fuld's death in 1927, his children assumed management of the family business, with eldest son William Andrew Fuld taking the lead as the natural successor, overseeing production and innovations in Ouija boards while honoring their father's directive to never sell the enterprise.[6][28] Fuld's relationship with his brother Isaac was marked by initial collaboration that devolved into bitter rivalry. In November 1897, the brothers formed a verbal partnership under the name Isaac Fuld & Brother to manufacture and sell Ouija boards, formalized on March 28, 1900, with equal profit-sharing and additional royalties to William.[29] The partnership dissolved on July 18, 1901, after the Ouija Novelty Company granted William an exclusive manufacturing agreement, prompting him to establish the independent William Fuld Manufacturing Company.[29] Tensions escalated into a lawsuit in 1919, when Isaac accused William of threatening his customers who purchased Isaac's competing "Oriole" boards; William prevailed, securing sole rights to the Ouija trademark, while Isaac's case was dismissed and he was ordered to cover court costs.[29] This conflict resulted in lifelong estrangement between the brothers, extending to their families, with Isaac even barred from William's funeral wake in 1927.[29] Despite publicly distancing himself from spiritualism, Fuld engaged personally with the Ouija board, participating in regular sessions or séances.[30] In one notable 1917 session, the board advised him to "prepare for big business," guidance he credited for his subsequent commercial success in expanding Ouija production.[30] This private practice contrasted sharply with his professed Presbyterian faith, as he had joined the Franklin Street Presbyterian Church on March 22, 1894, and once stated in response to inquiries about spiritualism, "I should say not. I'm no spiritualist. I'm a Presbyterian."[6][31]

Religious and Political Activities

William Fuld was a devout Presbyterian, having joined the Franklin Street Presbyterian Church in Baltimore on March 22, 1894, at the age of 24.[1] His parents, Jacob and Mary Fuld, had earlier become members of the same congregation, with Mary joining around 1880 and Jacob in 1885, reflecting the family's commitment to orthodox Christianity despite Jacob's Jewish immigrant background.[1] Fuld regularly attended Baltimore churches and balanced his professional ties to the Ouija board—frequently linked to spiritualism—with his firm religious convictions, once declaring in response to questions about contacting the dead, "I should say not. I'm no spiritualist. I'm a Presbyterian."[31] Politically active as a Democrat, Fuld served as a customs inspector for the Port of Baltimore from 1896 to 1924 before entering elected office.[1] In 1924, he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Baltimore City's Third District in the state General Assembly.[32] He was affiliated with the 9th Ward Democratic Club and used his legislative position to engage in civic matters pertinent to Baltimore's working-class districts.[1] His family provided a support network for these public endeavors, drawing on their established community ties. Fuld also contributed to Baltimore's industrial community through philanthropy, supporting several charitable organizations and local causes during the economic fluctuations of the 1920s.[11] His efforts focused on aiding tradespeople and fostering community resilience in the city's manufacturing hubs, where he had deep professional roots.[1]

Death and Legacy

Circumstances of Death

On February 24, 1927, William Fuld fell three stories from the roof of his toy factory at the corner of Harford and Lamont Avenues in Baltimore, Maryland, while supervising workers replacing a flagpole during routine maintenance operations.[1][5] An employee on site witnessed the incident, in which an iron support Fuld was leaning against suddenly gave way, causing him to lose his balance and tumble backward to the pavement below.[5][33] The 56-year-old Fuld sustained severe injuries, including a brain concussion, five fractured ribs, broken arms, and a fractured leg; he was immediately transported to St. Joseph's Hospital by the witnessing employee and others, but he died later that afternoon from these injuries.[1][5][33] Contemporary newspaper reports described the event as a tragic accident with no indication of foul play, despite later folklore linking Fuld's death to supernatural influences from the Ouija board he popularized.[5][33]

Posthumous Company History

Following William Fuld's death in 1927, his children Katherine Bowie Fuld and William Andrew Fuld took over management of the William Fuld Manufacturing Company, maintaining production of Ouija boards and related products from their Baltimore facilities.[34] Under their leadership, the company navigated economic challenges, including the Great Depression, by introducing innovations such as an electrically equipped version of the Mystifying Oracle in 1932, though it was discontinued due to low sales.[34] In 1942, Hubert Fuld, another family member, assumed the role of president, overseeing operations amid renewed interest in talking boards during the 1940s.[34] The family continued manufacturing until February 24, 1966, when Parker Brothers acquired the company and all its assets, marking the end of direct Fuld involvement after 65 years of production since 1901.[34][35] The acquisition by Parker Brothers propelled Ouija into broader commercial success, with the company selling approximately 2 million units in 1967 alone as it integrated the product into its portfolio alongside games like Monopoly.[35] Parker Brothers preserved the traditional branding and design, marketing Ouija as a family entertainment staple while capitalizing on its supernatural allure.[35] This continuity extended until 1991, when Hasbro acquired Parker Brothers, assuming ownership of the Ouija trademark and sustaining its production as a cultural icon.[35][36] Posthumously, Fuld's reputation became entwined with several myths that amplified his legacy in popular culture. In the 1930s, media outlets frequently credited him as the sole inventor of the Ouija board, portraying him as its "father" despite his own statements to the contrary and the original 1891 patent held by Elijah J. Bond.[37] Stories of family feuds, particularly the longstanding conflict between Fuld and his brother Isaac that began in 1901 and escalated when William excluded Isaac from the business in 1919, were sensationalized in press accounts and later retellings, fueling narratives of betrayal and rivalry within the Ouija's origin story.[23][29] These elements contributed to the board's enduring presence in horror tropes, where it symbolized supernatural danger, as seen in films like The Exorcist (1973), which cemented its association with demonic possession and paranormal peril in American media.[35][23]

References

  1. William Fuld (1870-1927) - Find a Grave Memorial
  2. S-T-R-O-N-G: Investigating the History of the Ouija Board at The ...
  3. Introduction - Ouija Board: Topics in Chronicling America
  4. Ouija board, whose history is deeply rooted in Baltimore, isn't ...
  5. OUIJA BOARD INVENTOR DIES IN FALL OFF ROOF; Fuld Loses ...
  6. Biography - WilliamFuld.com
  7. William Fuld (1870–1927) - Ancestors Family Search
  8. Jacob Fuld (1844–1912) • FamilySearch
  9. Isaac Fuld - WilliamFuld.com
  10. The Roots of American Industrialization, 1790-1860 - EH.net
  11. [PDF] how baltimore became the new york of the south: european
  12. Manufacturing & Retail - German Marylanders
  13. History of the Talking Board
  14. Readers Ask - The Antiques Almanac
  15. The Ouija Board Can't Connect Us to Paranormal Forces—but It Can ...
  16. The secret of the Ouija board | The Week
  17. The Mysterious Talking Board: Ouija and Beyond | SFO Museum
  18. The Dark History Behind Ouija Boards (Published Oct. 2015)
  19. We Got An Original 1911 William Fuld Ouija Board - Ghostly Activities
  20. Kennard Novelty Company - WilliamFuld.com
  21. US446054A - Elijah j - Google Patents
  22. US479266A - Game apparatus - Google Patents
  23. The strange business history of the Ouija board - The Hustle
  24. Origins of Ouija board are in Baltimore
  25. The Ouija board's mysterious origins: war, spirits, and a strange death
  26. Get Smart on work and life - Baltimore Business Journal
  27. The Ouija board: the invention that named itself
  28. Ouija Board - Game, Board | Baltimore Museum of Industry
  29. Mystifying Oracle Boards - WilliamFuld.com
  30. William Andrew Fuld - WilliamFuld.com
  31. Fuld Feud - WilliamFuld.com
  32. History - William Fuld & the Ouija Board | The Nevermore Haunt
  33. Explainer: What Catholics need to know about Ouija boards
  34. House of Delegates, Baltimore City (1924-1974)
  35. Ouija News Article - WilliamFuld.com
  36. Ouija History, Page 5 - WilliamFuld.com
  37. 11 Things You Didn't Know About Ouija - Treehugger
  38. The Contentious Ouija Board: Is It a Toy? - Strong Museum
  39. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-strange-and-mysterious-history-of-the-ouija-board-5860627/
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