By Tim Binnall
A clever joke from a Toronto cafe wherein they 'banned Ouija boards' has inspired a copycat prankster in Oregon and could wind up coming to your community next. Milky’s Coffee made headlines last week when people passing by the eatery noticed a rather unusual sign (seen below) stuck to a telephone pole outside the establishment. The mysterious notice declared "due to recent events, Ouija boards are no longer permitted on the patio." As one might imagine, this sparked considerable speculation as to what could have caused the strange declaration.
While all manner of fantastic theories were put forward by people online, it was eventually revealed that the sign was simply a joke that had taken on a life of its own when the coffee shop owners indicated that they "made it up because we thought it was funny." It would seem that they were not the only ones amused by the notice and the reaction it received. This past weekend, visitors to Fernhill Park in Portland, Oregon were surprised to see a series of signs that reportedly declared, you guessed it, "due to recent events, Ouija boards are no longer permitted" at the park.
A conversation akin to the one in Toronto subsequently ensued on local social media in Portland until the city's parks department confirmed that the signage was not an official announcement, despite the prankster's best efforts to make it look genuine. Considering the response to the two separate 'Ouija bans,' one should not be surprised if nearly identical notices appear around their community in the near future, not unlike the 'Bigfoot warnings' that have repeatedly popped up throughout the United States over the last several years.