Magic 8 Ball - Flash Back Friday
Invented in 1946, by the son of a "clairvoyant", today I found myself wondering how many bad decisions have been made on the recommendations of the Magic 8 Ball. Still made and sold by Mattel, the Magic 8 Ball is today's flash back Friday toy.
How does it work? For that we turn to Wikipedia:
It is a hollow, plastic sphere resembling an oversized, black and white 8-ball. Inside is a cylindrical reservoir containing a white, plastic, icosahedral die floating in alcohol with dissolved dark blue dye. The die is hollow, with openings in each face, allowing the die to fill with fluid, giving the plastic die minimal buoyancy. Each of the 20 faces of the die has an affirmative, negative, or non-committal statement printed on it in raised letters. There is a transparent window on the bottom of the 8-ball through which these messages can be read.
To use the ball, it must be held with the window initially facing down. After "asking the ball" a yes-or-no question, the user then turns the ball so that the window faces up, setting in motion the liquid and die inside. When the die floats to the top and one of its faces is pressed against the window, the raised letters displace the blue liquid to reveal the message as white letters on a blue background. Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary (or recommended) to shake or jostle the ball before turning it, as doing so can create air bubbles that may visually distort the answer.
What about a commercial? I couldn't find a commercial, but I did find a video (NSFW- Language) of some guys microwaving a Magic 8 Ball. And I found a clip from Scrubs, "The Human Magic 8 Ball"
I do like that show. I also found this commercial for All State Insurance with the President from 24.
I don't know what it is, but now I want to buy both a Magic 8 Ball, and some new car insurance.
Here is a list of the possible outcomes from asking the Magic 8 Ball a question:
- ● As I see it, yes
- ● It is certain
- ● It is decidedly so
- ● Most likely
- ● Outlook good
- ● Signs point to yes
- ● Without a doubt
- ● Yes
- ● Yes - definitely
- ● You may rely on it
- ● Reply hazy, try again
- ● Ask again later
- ● Better not tell you now
- ● Cannot predict now
- ● Concentrate and ask again
- ● Don't count on it
- ● My reply is no
- ● My sources say no
- ● Outlook not so good
● Very doubtful
So, 10 good replies, 5 either way, and 5 negatives. Interesting. Good to know if you are going to base some of your decision making on this tried and true method.
"Will my readers have a great weekend Magic 8 Ball?"
"Signs Point to Yes"
--Laura M.
ExDemocrat on March 06, 2010 at 09:27 AM
My sources say there's one of these on the desk in the Oval office!
Sheila on March 06, 2010 at 10:25 AM
I got one just before the election in 2008, after the crash. It was great fun, except, not as well made as it used to be, or as I remember it. Hard to read the "answer".
J.M. Heinrichs on March 06, 2010 at 09:11 PM
There's an app for that: http://www.throwspace.com/fortuneball/
Cheers
MTS Conversor on October 12, 2011 at 12:24 AM
"I'm aware of the fact that if there's a plane in the sky and it's over Manhattan and it's close to the anniversary of Sept. 11 it's a connection people might make," she said. "I wanted to wait long enough after the anniversary that people wouldn't make that connections but I can see how they could." http://www.mtsconverter.jp Plans for the skywriting were announced ahead of time , with Beck encouraging witnesses to email her photos. She was inspired by the "Surrender Dorothy" skywritten message in "The Wizard of Oz." http://www.mtsconverter.jp/mts-converter-for-mac.htm