Magic 8-ball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 the user's 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.
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[edit] Standard answers
The 20 standard answers on a Magic 8-Ball are:
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Ten of the possible answers are variations of "yes", five are ambiguous, and five are variations of "no".
[edit] Magic 8 Ball Variations
After the emergence of the Magic 8 Ball, numerous variation of the concept have appeared. Some popular ones are:
- "Affirmation Ball", a variation of the Magic Eight Ball, appeared throughout the years which 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.". [1]
- The Spiritual Eight Ball, another Magic 8 Ball concept, [2] attempts to guide its users by providing chosen answers with a morally and spiritually correct tone. The Spiritual Eight Ball consists of 50 pre-defined messages that are chosen based on many aspects, from the day, time, year and a given random lucky number formula based on the number 8.
- The Pink 8 Ball was another version of the Magic 8 Ball based on dating in mind which gave advice on love, romance, and dating (This was often known as the "Magic Date Ball").or LOVE ball
- In 1999, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell kids meals' premium toys included a tie-in with Star Wars Episode I. One of the toys was a Yoda figure based on the Magic 8 ball. This variation was Yoda on his repulser chair with the viewing window in the bottom.
- In 2002 Mattel released a limited edition Simpsons Magic 8 Ball, colored yellow and red with an image of Bart Simpson spray painting the number 8. The answers are all quotes from the show such as "D'oh!", "Excellent..." and "Okeley Dokeley."
- In Summer 2006, McDonald's happy meals' toy tie-ins with the movie Pirates of the Caribbean 2 included an "Aye Ball," based on the Magic 8 ball. This variation wasn't a ball, but was instead a skull with an eye patch. The pirates themed answers were revealed by lifting the eye patch.
[edit] Magic 8-ball in television/film
The character Steven uses a magic 8-ball to answer the question, "Am I still alive?" and receives the answer, "Outlook not so good." He gives the magic 8-ball to his son.
The main character Neal Oliver uses a magic 8-ball to find his route during his journey through the nonexistent Interstate 60.
- Pontiac Moon
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 exclaims, "Don't count on it! Arrgh!" and 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 jacket emblazoned with an 8-ball, which Elaine hates. When asked if he plans on wearing it all the time, he replies, "All signs point to yes!", referring to one of the 8-ball's replies.
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 part two, when Anakin is pondering whether to help Palpatine or Mace Windu, he says, "I know! I'll use my magic 8-Ball!" Then he brings it out, and asks, "Should I help Palpatine, or Mace Windu?", obviously violating the "yes-no" rule. The ball answers, "Maybe...," to which Anakin responds "Maybe?...MAYBE!? You stupid 8-Ball!" and throws it at Mace Windu accidentally, distracting him so Palpatine can kill him.
In the one where 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, but it repeatedly comes up with the answer 'Ask again later'. He says to the gang that it is broken, and tries jamming a screwdriver into it to make it give a yes or no answer. Finally, Ross agrees with Emily's demand, 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 dependent 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 9-ball", he throws it against the wall, revealing his Fairy God-Parents.
On an episode, Bart asks a Magic 8-ball if he and Milhouse will be friends forever. 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 communication to the ball, through the use of an exploding tiger.
In the scene where Skylar and Will are making love in bed, Skylar says that she is tall, and takes an 8-ball and asks it if she will become an NBA Player.
In a scene wherein Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards are arguing over Holden's chances at seducing Alyssa Jones, Banky remarks "I don't need a Magic 8-ball to tell you what's going to happen." He then proceeds to mime consulting an 8-ball, saying "Will Holden ever fuck Alyssa?" Pretending to turn the imaginary object over, he finishes, "Oh, what a shock: 'Not fucking likely'".
In the episode "Club Spongebob", Spongebob consults "The magic conch" (which works in the same way, except that you pull a string, and your answer will be said out) on how to survive the kelp forest.
The fortune telling member of the "three hippies" uses a Magic 8-ball.
[edit] 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.
[edit] References
- The Magic 8-Ball: An Unofficial Home Page includes photographs of the dissection of a Magic 8-Ball.
Also, a southern rapper goes by the name Eightball.
[edit] External links
- http://www.my8ball.co.uk/ The Spiritual/Magical Eight Ball
- Ask the Magic Eight Ball A javascript eight ball that uses all the official answers
- The Inscrutable 8-Ball Revealed A Magic Eight Ball dissection
- Custom Magic 8 Balls A manufacturer of fortune balls with custom answers
