<P> Originally described on the Internet in 2008, the game was popularized in the English - speaking world in 2015, partly through the hashtag #CharlieCharlieChallenge . On 29 April 2015, an alarmist tabloid television newscast about the game being played in Hato Mayor Province of the Dominican Republic was uploaded to YouTube, and the unintentional humor in the report led to the game trending on Twitter, crossing the language barrier to be played around the world . </P> <P> In an early version of the game, two players each hold two pencils in the shape of a square, pressing the ends of their pencils against the other player's . Like a Ouija board, it uses the ideomotor phenomenon, with players moving the pencils without conscious control . </P> <P> The two pencil game involves crossing two pens or pencils to create a grid (with sectors labelled "yes" and "no") and then asking questions of a "supernatural entity" named "Charlie". The upper pencil is then expected to rotate to indicate the answer to such questions . The first question everyone asks by speaking into the pencils is "can we play?" or "are you here?" or "are you there?" </P> <P> The top pencil is precariously balanced on a central pivot point, meaning that it can easily rotate on the pivot due to slight wind gusts, or the breathing of players expecting the pencil to move . </P>

How do you make the charlie challenge work