The Magic 8-Ball wouldn't have existed without Brunswick Billiards.īy the early 1950s, sales of the Syco-Seer had plummeted and the company founded by the two cousins from Cincinnati seemed to be on the verge of financial ruin. Of the 20 possible answers given by the Magic 8-Ball, 10 are affirmative, 5 are negative and 5 are neutral.ħ. Abe and Al were a couple of optimistic fellasĪlthough the Magic 8-Ball has undergone a handful of minor tweaks during its long history, one of the toy's most enduring and recognizable features is its 20-sided icosahedron die. Abe Bookman's patent (#3,119,621) was officially granted on January 28, 1964, under the heading: Liquid Filled Die Agitator Containing a Die Having Raised Indicia on the Facets Thereof.Īs to the chemical composition of the mysterious blue liquid? It's just a mixture of alcohol and dye.Ħ. Patent Office is concerned, there's no such thing as a Magic 8-Ball. At the time of his demise, the toy was still known as the Syco-Seer.Īs far as the U.S. Albert passed away in 1948, a couple of years before his cousin perfected the design. Albert Carter never actually got to see a Magic 8-BallĪlthough Carter is credited as the toy's inventor, he never actually got to see the familiar black-and-white orb known as the Magic 8-Ball. Alabe Crafts was sold to Ideal a few years later, and Ideal was then sold to Tyco Toys.
Less popular, however was "Poverty Pup"- a dog-shaped piggy bank which debuted in 1967.
In the early days, Magic 8-Balls were manufactured by a company known as Alabe Crafts, which is a name formed by combining the names of the company's founders: Al (Carter) and Abe (Bookman).Īlabe Crafts enjoyed considerable popularity as a novelty company during its heyday in the 1940s and 50s, producing such classic toys as Hook-a-Crook and 3D Chess. The Magic 8-Ball design we are all familiar with today was created not by Albert Carter, but a mechanical engineer by the name of Abe Bookman (who was also his cousin).
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