The Mitche Manitou Board (Diamond Line Variation). St. Louis: Wilder Manufacturing, 1920s. Wooden Ouija board with the text in a diamond layout. 14 ½ x 21 ¼". Scuffing to surface. Board slightly warped. Texture and wear consistent with age and use. Very good.
“The massive popularity of Ouija-dictated novels, most popularly exemplified by Pearl Curran's channeling of the famous spirit guide Patience Worth and her former partner Emily Hutching's writing partnership with the spirit Mark Twain, both famously performed with the aid of Ouija in St. Louis, Missouri, sparked a massive demand for the iconic talking boards. Perhaps few were as well-poised to notice the sudden popularity than local toymakers Wilder Manufacturing Company. Incorporated in 1914, the company was a prolific toy producer, known for titles such as Tiddlywinks, Hit & Run, Ocean to Ocean Flight Game, and paper kites, among other products. When the talking board craze broke out among St. Louis retailers, the company quickly mobilized production of their high-quality Mitche Manitou line of talking boards. Produced in numerous beautifully stylized variations with sweeping, pointed arcs of letters and a distinctive diamond-shaped logo, Wilder's compelling designs set their boards far apart from its competition at a crucial time as the country's attention turned once more to the mysteries of talking boards."
– Brandon Hodge, The Mysterious Planchette