# Lateral Thinking Puzzles. Let's do it again! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [October 23, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193 "2019-10-23T21:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 167
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3323 "2020-06-29T15:01:57Z")
Is Archie the dummy that John Logie Baird used for early experiments in TV broadcasting? ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3324 "2020-06-29T15:05:15Z")
Was Archie a security risk because of his value or because he in some way might be dangerous? Was he a security risk because he might be the key to some secret? When you say he was a doll or dummy, but not human-like, do you mean he was not a representation of a human? Like a stuffed animal or something? Or was he just not human-like in that nobody would mistake him for an actual human? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3325 "2020-06-29T16:24:54Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Is Archie the dummy that John Logie Baird used for early experiments in TV broadcasting? **NO - I’ve never heard of that.** > [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > Was Archie a security risk because of his value or because he in some way might be dangerous? > > **NO** > > Was he a security risk because he might be the key to some secret? > > **NO** > > When you say he was a doll or dummy, but not human-like, do you mean he was not a representation of a human? Like a stuffed animal or something? Or was he just not human-like in that nobody would mistake him for an actual human? > > **A stuffed animal** ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3326 "2020-06-29T17:18:42Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > **NO - I’ve never heard of that.** [/quote] > > [Here’s some information.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stooky_Bill) > > [quote] **A stuffed animal** Is Archie too large to easily carry? Is Archie a giant pink bunny? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3327 "2020-06-29T17:24:12Z")
Oh…my memory is flagging here, but I think there was a poet laureate who had a stuffed bear he carried with him that Evelyn Waugh modeled Aloysius (_Brideshead Revisited_) on. Did this did this dude want to take his bear (Archie, if I’m correct) on trips, but didn’t for fear of lost luggage? Or was it actually famous enough in its time that “kidnap” was an issue? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3328 "2020-06-29T17:29:35Z")
Did John usually / always fly when he traveled abroad? If yes: if, hypothetically, John and Archie were both in the US and John decided to drive to Canada or Mexico, would he be able to bring Archie? Could he have brought Archie if he took a train or bus instead of driving? Or if he traveled to another country by boat? Was there anything about Archie that made him different from an ordinary stuffed animal? Would it help to know what kind of animal Archie is? Did John use Archie as part of an act or performance of any sort? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3329 "2020-06-29T18:19:31Z")
Could John take Archie on plane flights within the U.S.? Did Archie look specifically like a bear? Did John travel to different countries, or just one? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3330 "2020-06-29T19:14:07Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Oh…my memory is flagging here, but I think there was a poet laureate who had a stuffed bear he carried with him that Evelyn Waugh modeled Aloysius ( _Brideshead Revisited_ ) on. Did this did this dude want to take his bear (Archie, if I’m correct) on trips, but didn’t for fear of lost luggage? Or was it actually famous enough in its time that “kidnap” was an issue? Let’s call this, admittedly not very good, puzzle solved. **Sir John Betjeman** **was indeed a famous poet and strangely, he continued to keep his teddy bear, named Archibald Ormsby-Gore with him during his entire adult life. The only time he did not have it at night was when he traveled because he was too nervous about customs damaging or confiscating his bear.** [The bear has his own Wikipedia entry.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Ormsby-Gore) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3331 "2020-06-29T19:14:46Z")
I can probably post a new one tonight, but would be happy if someone else has one to post, so I’ll wait a few hours. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3332 "2020-06-30T05:01:35Z")
Why is Johnny Carson like the coronavirus pandemic? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3333 "2020-06-30T11:36:29Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Why is Johnny Carson like the coronavirus pandemic I have a feeling I know this one, so I’ll sit this one out. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3334 "2020-06-30T11:45:19Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Why is Johnny Carson like the coronavirus pandemic? > [@Mahaloth](#): > > I have a feeling I know this one, so I’ll sit this one out I suspect you do. Indeed when I first came across this story about JCarson I thought “coronavirus” and sure enough, a quick check of articles over the past three months confirmed the connection has been mentioned many times. Still, I thought if some folks do not know, it might make a decent puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3335 "2020-06-30T11:51:42Z")
Did people hoard episodes of his show when he retired? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3336 "2020-06-30T12:24:03Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3337 "2020-06-30T12:54:13Z")
Does it have to do with the Slauson Cutoff? Is it related to masks or social distancing? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3338 "2020-06-30T13:02:55Z")
Does the answer involve wordplay? Would someone who knows more or less who Johnny Carson was, but has no idea about the specifics of his show or his career, have enough information to solve this puzzle? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3339 "2020-06-30T13:09:34Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Does it have to do with the Slauson Cutoff? > > Is it related to masks or social distancing? No to all ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3340 "2020-06-30T13:21:19Z")
reply to Fretful\_Porpentine: Does the answer involve wordplay? No Would someone who knows more or less who Johnny Carson was, but has no idea about the specifics of his show or his career, have enough information to solve this puzzle? No. This someone would need to ask questions, lateral puzzle style, to try and deduce the connection. But be aware that when one knows the Carson story, a lighthearted connection to the virus pandemic sort of jumps out. Also I am of course not trying to joke about this awful pandemic, just smiling at the similarity. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3341 "2020-06-30T14:39:35Z")
Does the connection have to do with Carson’s rise to prominence? His retirement from the business? Does it relate to something that happened on his late night show? A recurring event or bit? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/3342 "2020-06-30T15:00:24Z")
Does the connection involve geographic locations? Does the connection involve spans of time? Does the connection involve symptoms of COVID-19? Does the connection involve measures taken to combat COVID-19? Does the connection involve the age range of a set of people? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=166) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=168)