From Grade School to Tarot de Marseille: Cootie Catchers Get a Mystical Makeover

--By Kirsten Weiss, cozy mystery author.

Tea and Tarot Cootie Catchers

Celebrating the Release of DEATH IN RED, WHITE AND ROOIBOS with Limited-Edition Tea & Tarot Fortune Tellers

There's something delightfully mischievous about a cootie catcher. That simple folded paper toy that promises to reveal your future (or at least who you'll marry or what job you'll have) with a few flicks of the wrist and a giggle.

They're called "cootie catchers", and yes, it's a silly name.

But the twelve paper fortune-telling devices I'm giving away in honor of my newest Tea and Tarot cozy mystery, DEATH IN RED, WHITE AND ROOIBOS, are a lot more sophisticated than the ones we made in grade school.

The Tarot images are from the Tarot de Marseille (which I find hardest to read, but you don't have to, because the fortunes are under the cards).

These limited-edition paper treasures blend pure childhood nostalgia with the elegant, symbolic art of one of the oldest Tarot traditions—perfect for anyone who loves Beanblossom's tearoom world, where a cup of tea and a spread of cards can lead to solving murders, uncovering secrets, and maybe a little personal magic along the way.

The Surprisingly Long History of the Cootie Catcher

Before they ruled the playground in the 1950s and '60s, these clever folded-paper devices have roots that stretch back centuries. The basic origami shape may date to 17th-century Europe, where similar constructions were used as "salt cellars"—elegant folded holders for salt or spices at the table.

The first unambiguous printed examples of the toy appear in late-19th-century German children's books. By the 1950s it had become a transatlantic sensation, known in different places as a fortune teller, chatterbox, whirlybird, snapdragon, or (most memorably in the U.S.) cootie catcher.

The name "cootie" comes from the Malay word kutu, meaning a dog tick or louse—brought into English by soldiers after World War I. Kids would often draw tiny dots ("cooties") inside and use the pointed flaps like pincers to playfully catch imaginary bugs while the real entertainment happened on the hidden inner flaps: numbers, colors, and fortunes predicting love, luck, adventure, or the dreaded "you will marry a frog."

It's folk divination at its most accessible—taking an ordinary sheet of paper, folding it with care, and turning it into a miniature oracle. In that sense, it's not so far from tasseomancy (reading tea leaves) or laying out a Tarot spread. Everyday objects, folded or steeped with intention, become gateways to insight and play. That spirit feels right at home in a cozy mystery.

Why These Cootie Catchers Are Extra Special

My giveaway versions elevate the classic schoolyard toy into something worthy of the Tea and Tarot series.

Each one features beautiful reproductions of cards from the historic Tarot de Marseille—the traditional 17th- and 18th-century French pattern known for its bold woodcut-style art, evocative Major Arcana figures, and those wonderfully minimalist pip cards that invite intuition (and sometimes a little friendly head-scratching).

But you don't need any Tarot experience to enjoy them. Tucked beneath each Marseille image is a custom-written fortune I created especially for this promotion. They're playful, wise, and steeped in the cozy, slightly mischievous energy of Abigail and Hyperion's world.

And because we're celebrating DEATH IN RED, WHITE AND ROOIBOS (book 11 in the Tea and Tarot series), the designs and fortunes carry a festive red-white-and-rooibos flair—ideal for summer reading, Independence Day gatherings, or any time you want a little mystery with your tea.

Whether you use yours as a whimsical bookmark, a conversation starter at book club, a journal companion, or just a reminder that magic can hide in the simplest folds of paper, these cootie catchers are tiny, tangible portals to fun.

How to Play With Your Cootie Catcher

(Just in case it's been a few decades...)

Hold the catcher with the four outer flaps showing types of tea.

Have a friend choose one. Spell out the word or count the letters while you open and close the catcher in alternating directions.

They choose again from the numbers inside the cootie catcher.

Pick a Tarot card and lift the final flap to reveal the fortune underneath!

Simple. Silly. Strangely satisfying. And occasionally eerily accurate in that way only the best oracles (and the best cozy mysteries) manage to be.

Enter the Giveaway

I'm giving away twelve of these special limited-edition Tea and Tarot cootie catchers to celebrate the release of DEATH IN RED, WHITE AND ROOIBOS (now available wherever you love to buy books—grab your copy and dive into the hit-and-run "accident," the ghost from the past, the unpaid debt, and all the red, white, and rooibos-flavored trouble Abigail and Hyperion stir up this time).

To enter:

Click HERE and follow the directions. Or go here: https://www.rfr.bz/M4bd629

Winners will be drawn soon. Only twelve available—fortune favors the bold (and the participants).

In the meantime, brew a nice strong rooibos (or whatever's in your pot), settle in with the new book, and remember: sometimes the next clue—or the next delightful surprise—is only one fold away.

Happy reading, happy folding, and happy sleuthing!

— Kirsten

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DEATH IN RED, WHITE AND ROOIBOS is the eleventh book in the Tea and Tarot cozy mystery series featuring Abigail Beanblossom and her tearoom full of secrets, tea, and Tarot.