An old-age mystery keeps most people awake at night, both adults and children. You think about it when you touch it. You wonder when you use it. What really lies within your secret Magic 8 Ball?
In theory, the Magic 8 Ball is made up of 3 main components:
- An outer shell (the ball)
- A cylinder inside containing blue dye liquid
- A twenty-sided die.
We have broken them down for you.
- The main circular shell is made up of two halves glued together.
- A clear plastic container with a support disc.
- Blue dye liquid is inside the cylinder.
- A white message-bearing die floating in blue dye.
Individuals all over the world have attempted to solve the mystery themselves, often by smashing it open.
A recent, extremely popular thread on Reddit piqued the interest of the most curious people out there. According to one user, “You have seen which can not be unseen!”
The Magic 8 Ball taken apart piece by piece
The Magic 8 Ball’s beauty lies in its simple design. It’s a 1/8-inch-thick plastic sphere with a plastic cylinder inside that contains a blue liquid and a floating white icosahedron die with all of the responses printed in raised letters.
In more visual terms, here are the main components of the Magic 8 ball:
Piece 1 – Plastic Sphere
The plastic sphere serves as the Magic 8 Ball’s exterior shell. It is basically two hollow halves glued together. From the outside, it looks like a typical black-and-white billiard ball and is roughly the size of an ordinary pool ball.
The first Magic 8 ball, however, had a much larger shape. Its current size was designed for simplicity and ease of holding and carrying, which contributes to its widespread use.
The Magic 8 Ball is designed to be held with the number 8 facing up and a ‘window’ on the bottom face that opens when you ask the ball a question. This is where your mysterious ball reveals the answer!
This leads us to our next question: what is inside this Sphere?
Piece 2 – Plastic Cylinder
A clear plastic cylinder is located in the center of this plastic sphere. It is held in place by a transparent support disc that is glued to the three pieces: the sphere’s two halves and the cylinder. The Cylinder’s height is slightly less than the total diameter of your Magic 8 Ball, allowing it to be easily fixed in the center.
The top of the cylinder is securely sealed with a cork, which is held in place by three screws. The cylinder is airtight and thus bubble-free, which is its most important operational secret.
The Ball may not work properly if:
- Air gets inside by mistake
- It’s shaken too hard
- The container isn’t sealed tight
- It’s opened and not put back together correctly
Piece 3 – Blue dye Liquid
The clear plastic cylinder holds approximately 100ml (3½ fl. oz.) of blue dye liquid. The Magic 8 Ball was designed by its founder to be Blue Dye in an alcohol base.
A word of caution: blue dye can be dangerous, toxic, and stainable, especially on clothes and sinks. It’s definitely not edible and has a strong, murky odor.
The Simpsons creators knew the secret when they staged the Magic 8 Ball’s entrance in one of their episodes – Bart cracks the Magic 8 Ball, and blue stuff flows out. However, this does not imply that opening the Magic 8 Ball is any less difficult.
But we dug deeper to figure out why the liquid dye used here was blue. Our theory is that, as most colour scientists claim, blue is a mystery rather than a colour.
The colour blue, and thus the Magic 8 ball, are associated with intuition, imagination, inspiration, wisdom, intelligence, trust, and sincerity. Which is everything we look to the Magic 8 Ball for. And more.
Piece 4 – White Message-Bearing Die
A white messaging dye floats within this murky reservoir of blue liquid. Geometrically, it is a regular Icosahedron shape with twenty faces.
Each of the die’s twenty faces has an affirmative, negative, or non-committal statement printed in raised letters. These are the messages that are revealed to you through the mysterious window on the ball’s exterior.
When you shake the ball after asking it a question and turn it over so that the window faces you, this die floats to the top of the cylinder and presses against the window.
The raised letter answers displace the blue liquid, displaying the message as white letters on a blue background. This is what makes the Ball so magical and intuitive; the response you receive determines your luck (or destiny?).
Most commonly, the instructions on the Ball’s packaging warn against shaking it before turning it upright to face you, as this can cause air bubbles in the liquid inside the cylinder, which can sometimes remain or multiply, making it difficult to read the message through its window.
Manufacturing Process
Ever wondered how these mystical orbs come to life? Well, it’s not magic but it’s pretty cool!
Assembly Line Magic
Picture this: a bustling factory floor where Magic 8 Balls are born. It starts with two plastic halves – think of them as the ball’s outer shell. Workers carefully pour in that iconic blue liquid (it’s actually just alcohol and dye, but don’t tell anyone!).
Next comes the fun part. The little white die with all those cryptic messages? It gets dunked into the liquid. Then, quick as a flash, the two halves are sealed together. Voila A Magic 8 Ball is born.
Quality Control: Shaking Things Up
But wait, there’s more! Before these fortune tellers hit the shelves they go through some rigorous testing. Workers give each ball a good shake, making sure the die floats up nicely and the messages appear clearly in the window. Any slackers or leakers are pulled from the line faster than you can ask, “Will I win the lottery?”
And there you have it – from plastic and liquid to mystical decision-maker, all thanks to some clever engineering and a dash of assembly line wizardry!
Environmental Considerations
Let’s face it, folks – we’re all trying to be a bit more eco-friendly these days. So, what about our trusty old Magic 8 Ball? Is it a green guru or an environmental menace? Let’s shake things up and take a closer look.
Materials used and recyclability
First off, what’s this mystic orb made of anyway? Well, it’s mostly plastic – shocking, I know. The outer shell is typically made from a hard plastic like ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), which is durable but not exactly Mother Nature’s favorite.
Now, here’s where it gets a bit murky (pun intended). The blue liquid inside isn’t just water with food coloring. It’s usually a mix of alcohol and dye, which isn’t exactly eco-friendly. And let’s not forget about that little white die with all the answers – also plastic.
So, can you recycle your Magic 8 Ball when it’s time to say goodbye? Well, it’s complicated. Most recycling centers won’t take it as-is because of all the different materials mixed together.
You’d need to break it apart (which, let’s be honest, sounds kind of fun) and recycle the pieces separately. But even then, that mysterious blue liquid poses a problem.
Efforts towards sustainability
Now, before we start feeling too guilty about our favorite fortune-telling friend, there is some good news. Mattel, the company behind the Magic 8 Ball, has been making some efforts to green up their act.
In 2020, they announced their goal to use 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials in all products and packaging by 2030. That’s a pretty big deal! They’re calling it their “Environmental Sustainability Policy” which sounds fancy, but basically means they’re trying to be less of a plastic pain in the planet’s backside.
But here’s the million-dollar question: Will this affect our beloved Magic 8 Ball?
As of now, Mattel hasn’t announced any specific plans for a more sustainable version. But who knows? Maybe if we all shake our Magic 8 Balls and ask “Will there be an eco-friendly Magic 8 Ball soon?”, we might get a “Signs point to yes.”
In the meantime, if you’re worried about your carbon footprint but still need some mystic guidance, you could always try reading tea leaves. Just remember to compost them afterward!
All joking aside, it’s clear that even our childhood toys aren’t immune to the growing concern over sustainability. As consumers become more environmentally conscious, companies like Mattel are being forced to adapt.
Who knows? The Magic 8 Ball of the future might be made from bamboo and filled with organic, fair-trade blue algae water. Stranger things have happened!
So, next time you’re shaking that Magic 8 Ball for some life advice, spare a thought for good old Planet Earth.
And hey, if you’re feeling guilty, you could always offset your Magic 8 Ball usage by planting a tree or two. Just don’t expect them to give you any fortune-telling advice – that’s not really their strong suit.
Final Words
In 2011, TIME Magazine named the Magic 8 Ball one of the “All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys.” All for good reason: the Ball is a party favourite.
What makes it most innovative is its simplicity, as demonstrated above by our breakdown of its specific components.
With only four parts – a sphere, a cylinder, blue-dye liquid, and a message-bearing die – the Magic 8 Ball is one of the most innovative and versatile inventions of our time!
References
Reference 1 – Medium Article “Blue is Not a Color, It Is a Mystery
Reference 2 – Time Magazines All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys
Reference 3 – The Attention Economy and How Media Works (pp.139-147) by Karen Nelson-Field
Reference 4 – Reddit Discussion
Source Figure 2: https://youtu.be/8O9VfbcaoAE
