Magic 8 Ball

The name refers to the black billiard 8-ball shape of the novelty toy, not to there being only eight possible messages. The classic design uses a floating message die inside a glass sphere filled with colored liquid.

You ask a yes-or-no question, shake the sphere, and read the message that appears through the viewing window. The liquid lets one face of the internal plastic die rise into view.

The classic Magic 8 Ball uses a 20-sided message die with 20 possible responses. The number 8 in the product name comes from its billiards-style appearance rather than the response count.

No, it is a novelty toy that presents a random-looking response to a yes-or-no question. Its glass sphere, colored liquid, and internal 20-sided die provide the mechanical effect, not supernatural information.