July 17, 2012

Baltimore Museum of Industry presents the most extensive Ouija and Talking Board exhibit ever assembled

Baltimore, Maryland - August 8th, 2012 - The Baltimore Museum of Industry announced today that it will be running the most extensive Ouija exhibit ever assembled from August 8, 2012 to January 2013. The exhibit is titled Let The Spirit Move You: Ouija, Baltimore's Mystifying Oracle. The Ouija Board, which is arguably one of the greatest and most mysterious games ever created, has its roots in the cities of Baltimore and Chestertown, Maryland and celebrates a spirited 122 year history. The exhibit will highlight this history and tell the story about how the Ouija Board was born in Maryland and made in Baltimore from 1890-1966. Additionally it will feature boards, manufacturers and memorabilia from the private collections of Robert Murch, the world's foremost collector, historian and expert on Ouija and Talking Boards and Kathy Fuld, granddaughter of the great Ouija manufacturer William Fuld, as well as Brandon Hodge, Andrew Vespia, Mike Buchner, Calvin Von Crush, Tim Gross and Janet Mattei-Romano Curran.

In addition to a room exclusively dedicated to the Ouija Board and its fascinating Baltimore history, there will also be a complementary exhibit dedicated to other William Fuld creations. William Fuld and his family not only launched a craze that made the Ouija Board a household name, they also invented and manufactured many other parlor games. Many don't realize that the Fulds were responsible for making Baltimore the epicenter for toy and game manufacturing in the U.S.

Ouija historian Robert Murch has spent over 18 years working tirelessly with the Maryland Archives, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore City Commission for Historical & Architectural Preservation, Baltimore Mayor's office, the Fuld Family and the Historical Society of Kent County, and Hasbro, the current manufacture of the Ouija board, to document and preserve the history of this U.S. pop icon. Much of this Ouija and Talking Board history, along with boards from around the world, are being made available for the first time to the public outside of private collections.

"Many people don't realize that up until Hollywood gave the Ouija Board a bad rap in the 70s, it was used as a parlor or party game in homes around North America," said Robert Murch. "For over a century this pop icon has evolved to reflect society's changing trends while at the same time captivating a nation by inspiring both wonder and fear."

Robert Murch is available for interviews and reachable below.

CONTACT INFO:
Catherine Scott Dunkes
Baltimore Museum of Industry
1415 Key Highway
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
410-727-4808 x110
cdunkes@thebmi.org

Robert Murch
617-291-7451
ouija@mystifyingoracle.com
www.williamfuld.com
www.robertmurch.com

OUIJA & Mystifying Oracle are both trademarks of Hasbro, Inc.