# Does anybody take magic 8-balls seriously? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 25, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-take-magic-8-balls-seriously/327788 "2005-10-25T07:06:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-take-magic-8-balls-seriously/327788/21 "2005-10-25T21:25:13Z")
> [@euphemism](#): > > So, apparently the magic 8-ball lacks the appropriate mystical trappings to be taken seriously by anybody. Perhaps it would be taken more seriously if 8-ball answers such as “signs point to yes” and “ask again later” were replaced by inscrutable mystical symbols like tarot cards? I would be a lot more enthused about a wooden eight ball that was handmade by gypsies/buddhists/Haitians. The mass-produced plastic quality does not lend itself to mysticism. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-take-magic-8-balls-seriously/327788/22 "2005-10-25T21:29:19Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > I would be a lot more enthused about a wooden eight ball that was handmade by gypsies/buddhists/Haitians. The mass-produced plastic quality does not lend itself to mysticism. The mass-produced plastic quality doesn’t seem to stop people believing in tarot cards, ouija boards, or the many candles, statues, and medals available at botanicas everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-take-magic-8-balls-seriously/327788/23 "2005-10-26T11:13:03Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > The mass-produced plastic quality doesn’t seem to stop people believing in tarot cards, ouija boards, or the many candles, statues, and medals available at botanicas everywhere. Those other things might be mass-produced… parts of some of them might even be plastic… though I’d be surprised if a candle was plastic, and I don’t thing good tarot cards are. A lot of them look like they could be based on handcrafted originals though. It’s kind of absurd to think of a magic 8-ball as anything BUT a mass-produced, plastic gewgaw though. ---
**Author:** ![enigmatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@enigmatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigmatic)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-take-magic-8-balls-seriously/327788/24 "2005-10-26T12:51:19Z")
I had a flat mate once who ended up in a panic after his eight ball told him he was going to die soon. Then again he also was worried that he could catch a fatal virus from his computer (news of the world) and had placed a circle of salt around his bed to ward off slugs (it looked like he was scared of vampires). I’m pretty sure he’s still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-take-magic-8-balls-seriously/327788/25 "2005-10-26T15:59:30Z")
Those things are not allowed here. Anything that smacks of fortune-telling is forbidden under local law. As a result for example, we have no magic shops. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-take-magic-8-balls-seriously/327788.md?page=1)