This puzzle is presented as a set of 30 video clips from television shows. The clips have been converted to grayscale. The solver can switch between clips by rotating a Gray code rotary encoder. This allows the solver to associate a 5-bit Gray code number with each video clip.
The video clips can be grouped into thematic sets of five by key words or references in their content. These same thematic sets of five are all also used by the Grayble episodes of the animated series Adventure Time. The title of this puzzle (“Mathematical!”) is a reference to Adventure Time, and some phrases in the flavortext (all sorts, past adventures) point to Adventure Time and Graybles (including the Graybles Allsorts series of shorts).
Clip Number | Gray Code | Show | Thematic Content | Theme | Theme Element | Adventure Time Episode |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 00001 | Seinfeld | George believes a driver is making an “obscene gesture” at him. | Fingers | Middle | Five More Short Graybles |
2 | 00011 | The X-Files | Mulder eats slice after slice of “sweet” potato pie. | Tastes | Sweet | Five More Short Graybles |
3 | 00010 | South Park | Coffee tastes bitter. | Tastes | Bitter | Five More Short Graybles |
4 | 00110 | Futurama | Zapp says Amy is “weakening our bargaining position.” | Stages of Grief | Bargaining | Another Five More Short Graybles |
5 | 00111 | The Goldbergs | “You smell like a gym sock’s butt” etc. | Senses | Smell | Five Short Graybles |
6 | 00101 | The West Wing | “What I’m saying is, it’s physiological.” | Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs | Physiological | Graybles 1000+ |
7 | 00100 | Arrested Development | “Taste my sad, Michael.” | Senses | Taste | Five Short Graybles |
8 | 01100 | The Good Place | “We love each other.” | Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs | Love | Graybles 1000+ |
9 | 01101 | Family Matters | “You knew the queen of England?” | Royal Straight | Queen | Five Short Tables |
10 | 01111 | The Office | “Keep your acceptance speeches short” | Stages of Grief | Acceptance | Another Five More Short Graybles |
11 | 01110 | Cheers | “Jack up the price” | Royal Straight | Jack | Five Short Tables |
12 | 01010 | The League | “I gotta touch pinkies with you?” | Fingers | Pinky | Five More Short Graybles |
13 | 01011 | CSI | “From ten years ago” | Royal Straight | Ten | Five Short Tables |
14 | 01001 | It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia | “You got a lot of anger in you, kid.” | Stages of Grief | Anger | Another Five More Short Graybles |
15 | 01000 | Bob’s Burgers | “She’ll wear down your self-esteem over a period of years.” | Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs | Self-Esteem | Graybles 1000+ |
16 | 11000 | Full House | “Focus on the king” | Royal Straight | King | Five Short Tables |
17 | 11001 | The Simpsons | Mr. Burns has a novelty foam hand with an extended index finger. | Fingers | Index | Five More Short Graybles |
18 | 11011 | The Golden Girls | “Denying you’re in denial” | Stages of Grief | Denial | Another Five More Short Graybles |
19 | 11010 | Fawlty Towers | “Depression is a very bad thing” | Stages of Grief | Depression | Another Five More Short Graybles |
20 | 11110 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | “I walk into the light of self-actualization.” | Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs | Self-Actualization | Graybles 1000+ |
21 | 11111 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | “You are personally responsible for the captain’s safety.” | Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs | Safety | Graybles 1000+ |
22 | 11101 | Broad City | “You guys sound so good” | Senses | Sound | Five Short Graybles |
23 | 11100 | Community | Annie can’t see the board from this far back. | Senses | Sight | Five Short Graybles |
24 | 10100 | Friends | Phoebe finds a thumb in a can of soda. | Fingers | Thumb | Five More Short Graybles |
25 | 10101 | Twin Peaks | “Your enthusiasm brings a salty tear to the eye.” | Tastes | Salty | Five More Short Graybles |
26 | 10111 | Scrubs | Trying to put an engagement ring on a ring finger. | Fingers | Ring | Five More Short Graybles |
27 | 10110 | Rick and Morty | “All my nerves, they don’t allow for the sensation of touch” | Senses | Touch | Five Short Graybles |
28 | 10010 | ALF | “Sour cream” | Tastes | Sour | Five More Short Graybles |
29 | 10011 | Desperate Housewives | “Savory chicken” | Tastes | Savory | Five More Short Graybles |
30 | 10001 | How I Met Your Mother | “We’re gonna ace this final” | Royal Straight | Ace | Five Short Tables |
We can re-order this data and use it to fill the Gray codes into the blanks at the bottom of this puzzle. The required order is first by Adventure Time episode air date, then by main theme followed by secret theme, then by the order the theme elements appeared in the Adventure Time episode. This ordering is clued in the blanks by slashes separating episodes, and light gray blanks instead of black blanks cluing secret theme rather than main theme.
The resulting boxed Gray codes can be converted into letters (using A=1, B=2, etc.) to spell the cluephrase WHAT BELONG IN THE CUPBOARD. This is a reference to a song that BMO sings in the Graybles Allsorts short All’s Well That Rats Swell entitled “Mustaches Belong In The Cupboard.” The answer to the puzzle is MUSTACHES.