How to Play the Charlie Charlie Game

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Plus the history & origins of this spooky ‘Charlie Charlie Charlie’ game

Co-authored by Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: September 24, 2025 Fact Checked

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Playing ‘Charlie Charlie’

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How does it work?

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History & Origins

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Reactions

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Video

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Q&A

Like Ouija boards or the Bloody Mary game, the Charlie Charlie Challenge is a bit of supernatural fun that’s sure to spook your pants off. Basically, players set up a sheet of paper and some pencils and ask “Charlie,” a supposed demon, to come and answer their questions. Of course, there’s no demon behind the trick, but the challenge is still a fun way to get goosebumps with your friends, and we’ll show you how to do it. We’ll also tell you how it works (if you want to spoil the secret), and where the challenge got its start.

How do you play the Charlie Charlie game?

To play Charlie Charlie, draw a cross on a sheet of paper and write “yes” or “no” in the 4 boxes it creates. Balance 2 pencils along the lines and say, “Charlie, Charlie, are you there?” to start the game. Ask your question and wait for “Charlie” to move the top pencil to point to an answer.

Section 1 of 4:

How to Play Charlie Charlie

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Use a pencil or a pen to draw a cross in the center of a blank sheet of paper, dividing it into 4 different sections.^{[1]
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Research source} Use a ruler to get straighter lines. They don’t have to be perfect, but make them as even as possible to get the most accurate results when you play the game.
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Label each box with a possible answer to your question. Think of the question you want to ask Charlie, then think of 2-4 possible answers to the question, and write each answer in a different box. Or, simply write “yes” in 2 boxes and “no” in 2 boxes, if you have a yes-or-no question.^{[2]
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- For example, if your question is, “Will I ever be rich?” you might write answers like, “Soon,” “In five years,” “In 10 years,” or “Never.”
- Avoid rigging the game by just writing the answer you want 4 times—that spoils the fun!
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Balance one pencil on top of another in the center of the paper. Place one pencil on top of one of the lines so that it’s going the same way. Balance the other pencil on top of the first pencil so that it’s aligned with the other line. Make sure that this pencil is not pointing to any answer and that neither end touches the paper below it.^{[3]
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- You may have to tweak and adjust the pencil a bit to get it to balance on top of the other.
Watch the pencils closely for a minute or two. If the top pencil moves at all, it means Charlie has come to answer your questions.^{[4]
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Research source} If it doesn’t, Charlie doesn’t want to play right now; come back and try again in an hour or two.
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Ask your question and watch the pencils for an answer. If Charlie responded to your first chant, go ahead and ask your question. Say it loud and clear so that Charlie can hear you. Then, keep a close eye on the balanced pencil. The urban legend states that Charlie will move the pencil to the correct answer.^{[5]
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- You may need to ask your question 2 or even 3 times to get an answer. If it doesn’t work, move to a different room, or even outside; Charlie may have wandered away.
- Record your question and Charlie’s answer with your phone, then upload it to Facebook, Instagram, or other social media with #CharlieCharlieChallenge to show the world your results.
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Chant, “Charlie, Charlie, can we stop?” when you’re done. After you have your answer, end the game by chanting, “Charlie, Charlie, can we stop?” to send Charlie back to where he came from (wherever that is). Some say that if you don’t send him away, even if he didn’t answer, you leave the spirit door open for him—or other malevolent spirits—to come into our world and cause trouble.^{[6]
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- Remember, though, that it’s just a game, and there’s no evidence that any supernatural harm will come to you if you don’t end the game properly.

Section 2 of 4:

How does the challenge really work?

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The pencil most likely moves because of gravity or drafts. Of course, there isn’t actually a demon or ghoul that’s answering your questions. Most likely, the pencil moves because it’s slightly off-balance, and gravity pulls it one way or another. That, or a draft or breeze in the room subtly rotates it toward an answer. Whatever the explanation, it’s just a game, and demons (probably) aren’t going to torment you afterward.
- That said, it’s more fun to think there’s some supernatural spirit there in the room with you. And who knows, maybe there is!
Certain psychologists say that the game may work on what’s called “response expectancy.” Basically, you already know which answer you want, and your body subconsciously manipulates the pencil—either by breathing on it or by disturbing the air with your hands—to move the pencil toward that response.^{[7]
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Section 3 of 4:

Origin and History of the Challenge

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The game is said to have been started by a YouTube video. In 2014, a video surfaced on YouTube titled “Jugando Charlie Charlie” that features 2 people holding colored pencils and playing a similar game in Spanish.^{[8]
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Research source} Soon after, the game exploded on social media, and the #CharlieCharlieChallenge was born, with thousands of users across Twitter, Instagram, and other sites filming or photographing their own challenges and sharing them online.
- The game, or similar versions of it, has been popular in the Spanish-speaking world for decades, particularly as a schoolyard game similar to “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board” or “Bloody Mary.”
- An older version of the Charlie Charlie Challenge is called Juego de la Lapicera, or the Pencil Game.
- Around the same time the challenge started, a movie titled The Gallows was released in theaters. Advertising for the movie used the #CharlieCharlieChallenge for a quick boost, but the movie itself has little to do with the actual trend.
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Charlie is said to be a “Mexican demon.” Somewhere along the line, rumors started that the titular Charlie was a figure of Mexican folklore, or a demon, and that the game began in Mexico as a way to talk to this demon. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately depending on how you look at it), folklore experts and Mexican reporters say that there’s no record of a “Charlie” anywhere in Mexican folklore, so this claim is probably bunk.^{[9]
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- Some versions also say that Charlie was a child killed in a car crash, while still others think he committed suicide. The wildly different stories are probably evidence enough that none of them are true.
- The rumors probably began because the original video that started the trend, “Jugando Charlie Charlie,” appears to have been filmed in Mexico.

Section 4 of 4:

Reactions to the Charlie Charlie Challenge

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The Charlie Charlie Challenge’s popularity led to some fearmongering. While most participants understood that the Charlie Charlie Challenge was just a game, some people believed it was real. For example, televangelist Pat Robertson denounced the game as demonic, and many exorcists promoted the idea that the game caused spiritual possession.^{[10]
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- In May 2015, four teenage girls in Tunja, Colombia, were sent to the hospital after playing the game and were diagnosed with mass hysteria.^{[11]
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- Still, most examples of the Charlie Charlie Challenge are lighthearted, if a bit spooky, and nothing dangerous has happened to most participants.

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Should I say his name out loud or in my mind?

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It is recommended that you say his name out loud. That makes it more dramatic and scary.

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Will the challenge be harmful in any way?

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No, it won't be harmful to you.

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How do I make Charlie go away?

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Replace the pencils again and say "Charlie, Charlie, can we stop?" If the pencil moves to yes say goodbye. If not, make a prayer and drop the pencils loudly. This will scare the demon away.

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