Ouija Boards Marketed as Toys May Be Dangerous to Kids

As most people know, a Ouija board is an item used to supposedly communicate with the spirits of deceased individuals. Ouija boards have been around for hundreds of years, and of course, their legitimacy is open to debate. However, whether or not you personally believe that Ouija boards are effective in actually contacting the dead, the fact is that many well recognized psychics, mediums, ghost hunters, and even church officials agree that these objects do just that. Furthermore, a large number of these individuals have also publicly stated their opposition to using Ouija boards. According to their statements, most of them agree that Ouija board use can create opportunities for dangerous spirits and other entities to come through.

Understandably then, it is disturbing to many that Ouija boards are sold in toy stores as harmless playthings to be used by children. The most widely recognized Ouija boards in the United States are packaged as a game, called "Ouija", and are manufactured by Parker Brothers (owned by Hasbro), a company well known for board game production and sales. This fact might not be so offsetting if "Ouija" was sold only in stores tailored to adults. However, quite the opposite is true. In fact, just about every toy store in the country carries the "Ouija" board game. Additionally, this same product is available in the toy departments of most family discount stores as well, such as Wal-Mart and Target.

It is obvious that Ouija boards, despite their alleged dangerous potential, are being marketed as harmless toys, and then targeted directly at children. In fact, in an attempt to make Ouija boards even more appealing to kids, Toys R Us and other toy suppliers have their shelves stocked with a new version of the Parker Brothers/Hasbro "Ouija" board game. This new version is pink and girly, and is obviously an attempt at enticing little girls to play with this controversial device.

It is disturbing to many people to see Ouija boards marketed towards children. It seems irresponsible of companies like Toys R Us and Hasbro to design these items to appeal to kids, and to pass them off as harmless toys. Many people around the world can attest to having had frightening, and even dangerous experiences with a Ouija board. Before allowing your child to play with a Ouija board, it may be wisest to first comb the Internet for stories of personal experiences of others. Many of these stories are disturbing at best, and most are quite frightening. Additionally, there are many videos of Ouija board use on sites like YouTube that you may want to view. While some may appear fake, there are many that most will find it difficult to dismiss as illegitimate. Scarier still, are the videos of young kids using Ouija boards where glasses fly violently off of them when nobody is touching them, or the Ouija boards themselves begin to shake, leaving the children terrified, screaming, and running from the room.

So before accepting a Ouija board as nothing more than a harmless toy, be sure to educate yourself thoroughly. You may find that you believe these devices are anything but the benign toys they are marketed to be.