In which year was the "Magic 8 Ball" invented?

The "Magic 8 Ball" is a plastic sphere, made to look like an oversized eight ball, that is used for fortune-telling or seeking advice. It was invented in 1946 by Albert C. Carter and Abe Bookman and is currently manufactured by Mattel.

In 1971, Bookman sold Alabe Crafts, Inc., to Ideal Toys who marketed the ball firmly at children. In 1987, the rights were again sold to Tyco Toys, spurring on another marketing campaign and resurgence in interest. Despite its numerous owners, the "Magic 8 Ball" has changed little in design and implementation.

It is a hollow plastic sphere resembling a black-and-white 8 ball. Its standard size is larger than an ordinary pool ball, but it has been made in different sizes. Inside the ball, a cylindrical reservoir contains a white plastic 20-sided regular icosahedron die floating in about 100 ml (3+1⁄2 US fl oz) of alcohol dyed dark blue. Each of the die's 20 faces has an affirmative, negative, or non-committal statement printed in raised letters.

To use the ball, it must be held with the window initially facing down to allow the die to float within the cylinder. After asking the ball a yes–no question, the user then turns the ball so that the window faces up. The die floats to the top, and one face presses against the window; the raised letters displace the blue liquid to reveal the message as white letters on a blue background.