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Big Top Carnival

A Boy and His Dog

by Jan Chong, Jesse Morris, Yar Woo
Answer: SMURF TURF

This puzzle has 54 images, 18 arranged in a column on the left and an additional 36 images in a 3x12 grid on the right. Taken together, the images can be grouped into 18 sets of 3 images that clue a rhyming phrase (like "blue's clues").

Although the precise names of each image are not actually necessary for the clue, the images on the right are in alphabetical order to make life a little easier for solvers. They are:

BALDCARSCOMMUNIST
CURACAODOCTOR WHODOODLE
EDDIE MURPHYEGGFLAMING HOOP
GENIEHORSEHOWARD HUGHES
INKJACK OF SPADESKATHY NAJIMY
LIMELOWER BACKMAILBOX
MEALMOON LANDINGMULAN
ORLANDO MAGICPARIS HILTONPOKER CHIP
POOPPOTATORUDYARD KIPLING
SARAH JESSICA PARKERSCALESOFIA COPPOLA
SOSSTAMPTARDIS
TRASHCANWOODYURI GAGARIN

The images on the left identify to (again, precise names are not necessary):

AIRPLANE
NEEDLE
SPUTNIK
PANCAKES
ICE
BEAR
PILL
DOG
WALL
ACE OF HEARTS
MAYPOLE
MOTORCYCLE
BASKETBALL
EMMA WATSON
BETTE MIDLER
RUM
ENVELOPE
HOUR GLASS

These images can be assembled into the following groups to clue rhyming phrases. Adding up the number of blue paw prints in each group of images and using that total to index into the rhyming phrase produces the final message:

Image GroupingRhyming Phrase# Paw PrintsIndexed Letter
AIRPLANE, HOWARD HUGHES, WOODspruce goose7g
NEEDLE, LOWER BACK, INKtramp stamp2r
SPUTNIK, MOON LANDING, YURI GAGARINspace race3a
PANCAKES, EDDIE MURPHY, MULANmushu3s
ICE, MEAL, SCALElean cuisine8s
BEAR, BALD, RUDYARD KIPLINGfuzzy wuzzy1f
PILL, DOODLE, POTATOroly poly2o
DOG, POOP, TRASHCANpooper scooper2o
WALL, EGG, HORSEhumpty dumpty5t
ACE OF HEARTS, JACK OF SPADES, POKER CHIPblackjack1b
MAYPOLE, COMMUNIST, SOSmayday2a
MOTORCYCLE, CARS, FLAMING HOOPevel knievel4l
BASKETBALL, GENIE, ORLANDO MAGICshaquille o'neal7l
EMMA WATSON, PARIS HILTON, SOFIA COPPOLAbling ring1b
BETTE MIDLER, KATHY NAJIMY, SARAH JESSICA PARKERhocus pocus2o
RUM, CURACAO, LIMEmai tai3i
ENVELOPE, MAILBOX, STAMPsnail mail1s
HOUR GLASS, DOCTOR WHO, TARDIStimey wimey4e

Reading out the extracted message, gives another set of three (GRASS, FOOTBALL, BOISE), which clues our final rhyming phrase: SMURF TURF, the nickname for the Boise State University football stadium.