How to Play the Charlie Charlie Game

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Everything you need to know about the viral challenge and where it came from

Co-authored by Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: September 9, 2024 Fact Checked

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Doing the Challenge

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How does the challenge work?

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Origin & History

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Video

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Q&A

Like Ouji boards or the Bloody Mary game, the Charlie Charlie Challenge is a bit of supernatural fun that’s sure to spook your pants off. 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.

Things You Should Know

Draw a cross on a blank sheet of paper to divide it into 4 boxes. Think of a question, then write a potential answer in each box.
Balance 2 pencils in the center of the paper along the lines of the cross. Say, “Charlie, Charlie, are you there?” to start the game.
Ask Charlie your question and wait for the top pencil to point to an answer. Take a pic of your results and share them online with #CharlieCharlieChallenge.

Section 1 of 3:

Doing the Charlie Charlie Challenge

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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. Stack 2 pencils on the paper, aligning them along the cross you drew on the paper.^{[3]
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Research source} Balance the top pencil so that the ends line up with the line on the paper (so that it’s not pointing to any answer), and so that neither end touches the paper below it.
- 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.
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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Section 2 of 3:

How does the challenge 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.^{[7]
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- 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.^{[8]
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Section 3 of 3:

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.^{[9]
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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.”
- Around the same time the challenge started, a movie titled The Gallows 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, folklore experts and Mexican reporters say that there’s no record of a “Charlie” anywhere in Mexican folklore, so this claim is probably bunk.^{[10]
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- Others 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.

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Question

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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