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Rating:  -
The Magic 8 ball is the same as I remembered it in the 70's. The only thing different is that there is a line/ridge separating the two halves. I guess this was put there to make assembly easier. Overall It's fun to ask questions and see what responses you get. It also makes a great paper weight when I'm not consulting it.
Rating:  -
When I was seven years old I received a Magic 8 Ball for Christmas. As soon as I unwrapped it, I ignored every other present under the tree for the next half hour, so absorbed was I in the 8 Ball. Fast-forward some quarter of a century later when my own son was seven. I passed my 8 Ball down to him. That's how durable it is.
WHAT IT IS:
The Magic 8 Ball looks almost exactly like the 8-ball in a billiard game, only larger; about five inches in diameter, slightly flattened on one side, which allows it to sit on a flat surface without rolling off, and constructed of very hard black plastic. The flattened side is a round window, in which you can see an icosahedron (a 20-sided geometric figure) floating in water. On each face of the icosahedron is a phrase written in white: Yes, Without A Doubt, My Sources Say No, Concentrate And Ask Again, Yes Definitely, Outlook Not So Good, You May Rely On It, Ask Again Later, etc. The positive, negative and vague phrases are distributed about 10-5-5, so you get a 50% chance of a positive response, a 25% chance of a negative response, and a 25% chance of a vague response.
HOW TO PLAY:
Using the 8 Ball is great fun. You hold the ball face up, with the 8 showing, and ask a yes-or-no question. Turn the ball over, wait a second or two, and as if by magic (at least young children will think so), a face of the icosahedron with the answer to your question will swim eerily up into the window. The question, of course, should make sense. I remember my bratty little five year old neighbor down the hall complaining that my new 8 Ball was dumb -- "I asked it, Is my mother a boy? and it said Yes." I told her "Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer." She went home in a huff.
The big caveat in playing with the 8 Ball, of course, is taking it too seriously. It's a game, for heaven's sake. It's a toy, actually, but grownups who think they are too grown up for toys can call it a desk game or whatever else they want. (Law & Order SVU fans: check out the 8 Ball sitting on Detective Tutuola's desk.) You can ask the 8 Ball any question that can be answered with a yes or a no; like most other fortunetelling games, its response will be right some of the time. Using the 8 Ball to play the stock market is definitely dicey. It's can be frustrating when you're told to "Concentrate And Ask Again", or "Ask Again Later". I wanna know now, dammit.
The Magic 8 Ball is one of the classic toys, like Slinky, Mister Potato Head, and Lego blocks, that have stood the test of time. It's easy to use and great fun.
SAFETY/DURABILITY:
I've never known an 8 Ball to break. My own was dropped on the hard floor innumerable times and never showed a crack. Maybe if you bounced it at 90 miles an hour off a concrete wall...
AGE RANGE:
Age 5 to adulthood. Children under 5 will probably find it too large and too heavy to handle easily.
Judy Lind
Rating: -
When I was a kid, my brother and I would play with my Grandfather's Magic 8 Ball. We could sit there for hours thinking up questions to ask the ball and then laugh hysterically at the answers that popped up.
I have to admit that I'd forgotten all about the Magic 8 Ball until a recent trip to Toys 'R Us for some early Christmas shopping. While wandering up and down the aisles, I rediscovered the Magic 8 Ball! It's hard to imagine getting so excited over a toy, but I nearly jumped for joy at the sight of it! As soon as I got back to the car, I ripped the packaging open and started asking questions. My favorite answers are, of course, Yes and You Can Rely On It! Once home, I called my brother to see if he remembered sitting on Grandpa's front porch playing with the Magic 8 Ball. This turned into a great conversation about us as kids and for that alone, this ball is magical!
If you are looking for a fun toy or to bring back memories of childhood, the Magic 8 Ball just might be the answer! It was for me!
Rating: -
This Magic 8 ball is awsome! It really seemed to know the answers. I asked it if it was the best toy ever & it said YOU MAY RELY ON IT! I think it is a very, very cool toy. GO BUY THIS PLEASE! The "Know it all ball" even said you should buy it WITHOUT A DOUBT!
Rating: -
My friend, who is living in an assisted-living home, and I were discussing toys that we enjoyed during our childhood. She asked me when the Magic 8 Ball was invented. I researched the topic and learned that it was invented in 1946. I sent her the Magic 8 Ball. She has had such fun with it, as she has introduced it to some of the people in the home who did not know anything about the toy. My friend uses it as a conversation piece and enjoys the responses she receives from others. It's great to know that an old toy can still bring joy to people over 68 years old. Try it!
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