# 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:** 269
**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:** [October 16, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5368 "2022-10-16T21:00:33Z")
reply to Ana\_Byrd Are any Disney characters involved? (I’m imagining lab animals named Huey, Dewey, and Louie or something.) No. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5369 "2022-10-16T21:09:10Z")
Were the animals in space for experiments? Are the animals scientific name based on the comic characters? ---
**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:** [October 16, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5370 "2022-10-16T21:15:40Z")
reply to Zyada: Were the animals in space for experiments? Yes. Are the animals scientific name based on the comic characters? No. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5371 "2022-10-16T21:21:57Z")
Did the comic book characters travel to space in their storylines, or have extra-terrestrial origins, which inspired people to name real space-traveling animals after them? ---
**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:** [October 16, 2022, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5372 "2022-10-16T21:28:32Z")
reply to RivkahChaya: Did the comic book characters travel to space in their storylines, or have extra-terrestrial origins, which inspired people to name real space-traveling animals after them? No. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5373 "2022-10-16T21:35:33Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Are the animals scientific name based on the comic characters? > No. So, these are specific, single animals named for comic book characters, not members of a species named for a comic book character? Are the characters human-- or, humanoid, anyway (a la, Superman)? ---
**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:** [October 16, 2022, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5374 "2022-10-16T22:03:03Z")
RivkahChaya: So, these are specific, single animals named for comic book characters, not members of a species named for a comic book character? Not single/specific, but the rest is ok. Are the characters human-- or, humanoid, anyway (a la, Superman)? humanoid. ---
**Author:** ![Ana\_Byrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ana\_Byrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ana_Byrd)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5375 "2022-10-16T22:13:00Z")
You said the characters weren’t superheroes. Were they non-super characters in superhero comics? Would narrowing down the genre of comic books help? ---
**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:** [October 16, 2022, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5376 "2022-10-16T22:21:54Z")
Was the space mission run by : - Americans? - Russians - Chinese - Other - joint mission Did these events happen in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s, 2010’s, 2020’s? Were the animals primates? ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5377 "2022-10-17T00:04:49Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Was the space mission run by : > > - Americans? > - Russians > - Chinese > - Other > - joint mission It says NASA in the OP, although that doesn’t rule out joint missions. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5378 "2022-10-17T00:11:20Z")
reply to Ana\_Byrd: You said the characters weren’t superheroes. Yes, not superheroes. Were they non-super characters in superhero comics? Yes. Would narrowing down the genre of comic books help? Yes. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5379 "2022-10-17T00:13:03Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > comic book characters made real life space trips with NASA Are these newsprint-type periodicals that we think of as “comics,” or are they better-termed graphic novels? Are these such popular characters that even people who don’t read comics much, or haven’t since childhood, will have heard of them? Are they DC characters? Are they Marvel characters? Are they EC characters? Are they Key characters? Are they Archie characters (including everyone in the Archieverse, such as Sabrina, Josie & the Pussycats, et al.) Are they independent characters? ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5380 "2022-10-17T00:16:00Z")
reply to Peter\_Morris Was the space mission run by : - Americans? Yes. - Russians No. - Chinese No. - Other No - joint mission No. Did these events happen in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s, 2010’s, 2020’s? 70’s and 90’s. Were the animals primates? No. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5381 "2022-10-17T00:17:42Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > It says NASA in the OP, although that doesn’t rule out joint missions. Not part of any joint mission, I don’t think. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5382 "2022-10-17T00:20:46Z")
Were they little animals? Like, the kind you could hold in one hand? Rodents? Bugs of some description? Were the comic book characters named after the animals (e.g. Batman)? When you say they’re not super-people, does that also include people like Batman and Iron Man who are technically not super, but function as superheroes? ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5383 "2022-10-17T00:30:45Z")
reply to RivkahChaya: Are these newsprint-type periodicals that we think of as “comics,” or are they better-termed graphic novels? “Comics” not “graphic novels.” Are these such popular characters that even people who don’t read comics much, or haven’t since childhood, will have heard of them? I am pretty sure. Indeed if I googled a comics picture and posted it in the " poll" thread without caption they would still be recognized by just about everyone here. Close to 90% anyway I bet. Are they DC characters? No Are they Marvel characters? No Are they EC characters? No. Are they Key characters? No. Are they Archie characters (including everyone in the Archieverse, such as Sabrina, Josie & the Pussycats, et al.) No. Are they independent characters? Yes! ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5384 "2022-10-17T00:36:42Z")
reply to SurrenderDorothy: Were they little animals? Yes. Like, the kind you could hold in one hand? Yes. Rodents? No. Bugs of some description? No. Were the comic book characters named after the animals (e.g. Batman)? I guess… When you say they’re not super-people, does that also include people like Batman and Iron Man who are technically not super, but function as superheroes? Yes. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5385 "2022-10-17T01:25:55Z")
Did the characters ever appear in _Raw_ (when it was still a zine, before it became the hand-drawn equivalent of a literary journal)? Wait-- was there a space cat called Fat Freddy’s Cat after the character who got a spin-off book from the Fabulous Furry Freak Bros.? ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5386 "2022-10-17T01:30:06Z")
reply to RivkahChaya: Did the characters ever appear in _Raw_ (when it was still a zine, before it became the hand-drawn equivalent of a literary journal)? No. Pretty sure “no” anyway. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2022, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5387 "2022-10-17T01:32:34Z")
reply to RivkahChaya Wait-- was there a space cat called Fat Freddy’s Cat after the character who got a spin-off book from the Fabulous Furry Freak Bros.? There may have been a space cat in Fat Freddyverse. But not relevant here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=268) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=270)