# 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:** 271
**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 18, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5408 "2022-10-18T13:04:57Z")
Yes! Everyone’s favorite comic book characters (from the ads, of course). Congrats to Cheesesteak! > **[Sea-Monkeys](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea-Monkeys)** > > Sea-Monkeys is a marketing term for brine shrimp (Artemia) sold as novelty aquarium pets. Developed in the United States in 1957 by Harold von Braunhut, they are sold as eggs intended to be added to water, and almost always come bundled in a kit of three pouches and instructions. Sometimes a small tank and additional pouches are included. The product was heavily marketed in the 1960s and 70s, especially in comic books, and remains a presence in popular culture. > Ant farms had been popularized in ... [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kW2rnkAbFCg/hqdefault.jpg "Sea Monkeys - South Park") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW2rnkAbFCg) > **[The Shocking True Tale Of The Mad Genius Who Invented Sea-Monkeys](https://www.theawl.com/2011/06/the-shocking-true-tale-of-the-mad-genius-who-invented-sea-monkeys/)** > > by Evan Hughes“Sea-Monkeys, do monkeys / Story of my life / Send three bucks to a comic book / Get a house, car and wife” — Liz Phair, “Gunshy”In a 2002 interview with Erik Lobo of Planet X magazine, Harold von Braunhut ... ---
**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 18, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5409 "2022-10-18T13:07:43Z")
Or, if you missed the TV show… > **[THE AMAZING LIVE SEA MONKEYS](https://www.saturdaymorningsforever.com/2020/09/the-amazing-live-sea-monkeys.html)** > > A blog about Saturday morning television and the memories attached to it. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5410 "2022-11-19T01:32:06Z")
Today, the school I work at had a Spirit Day, in the runup to our fall dance. If you’re not familiar with the concept, students are temporarily exempt from the dress code, as long as they dress according to the day’s theme. Today, the freshmen all (or at least, all who were following the theme) wore Parisian fashions, the sophomores wore Hawaiian shirts and leis, the juniors wore cowboy duds, and the seniors wore togas. And yet, there was one single unifying theme to the day, and all of the participating students, in all four years, were dressing to that same theme. What was the one unifying theme? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5411 "2022-11-19T01:42:56Z")
Does the theme relate to: France, Hawai’i, Texas, Greece in a specific way? Is it a decade theme? Like the 60’s but 1960s, 1860s, 1760s, 360s BC? Is the theme related to people like: Marie Antionette, Jack Lord, Billy the Kid and Socrates? If so was the theme Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure? ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5412 "2022-11-19T02:01:23Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Does the theme relate to: France, Hawai’i, Texas, Greece in a specific way? No. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Is it a decade theme? Like the 60’s but 1960s, 1860s, 1760s, 360s BC? > Is the theme related to people like: Marie Antionette, Jack Lord, Billy the Kid and Socrates? If so was the theme Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure? No to both. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5413 "2022-11-19T02:25:08Z")
Was the theme something to do with color? ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5414 "2022-11-19T02:39:22Z")
No. And also no, to appease the Bot who Shall Not be Named. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5415 "2022-11-19T12:40:40Z")
Does the location of the school matter? The name of the school? The mascot of the school? The history of the school? ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5416 "2022-11-19T13:00:11Z")
Does the theme have anything to do with each class’s year? That is to say, would Parisian fashions, according to the theme, be appropriate specifically for the freshmen but not for any of the other students? And Hawaiian shirts for sophomores only, and so on? Would it be possible for a student to wear a costume in the right category but somehow NOT adhere to the unifying theme? Could the same unifying theme be carried out with a set of four other styles? ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5417 "2022-11-19T13:12:35Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Does the location of the school matter? The name of the school? The mascot of the school? The history of the school? No to all. > [@dirtball](#): > > Does the theme have anything to do with each class’s year? That is to say, would Parisian fashions, according to the theme, be appropriate specifically for the freshmen but not for any of the other students? And Hawaiian shirts for sophomores only, and so on? Perhaps slightly? But mostly no. They could have changed which class wore what, and it wouldn’t have made much difference. > [@dirtball](#): > > Would it be possible for a student to wear a costume in the right category but somehow NOT adhere to the unifying theme? No. > [@dirtball](#): > > Could the same unifying theme be carried out with a set of four other styles? Other styles are possible for the theme, but these were probably the best four. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5418 "2022-11-19T13:45:54Z")
I was going to ask if it’s a tribute to Marlon Brando’s screen roles — as Napoleon Bonaparte and Mark Antony and _Rio_ in One-Eyed Jacks and _That Creepy Doctor Moreau Knockoff In A Hawaiian Shirt_ on South Park — before I remembered all the leis in Mutiny On The Bounty. Is that the idea? ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5419 "2022-11-19T14:00:13Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I was going to ask if it’s a tribute to Marlon Brando’s screen roles No. I’m not even sure how many current high schoolers even know who Marlon Brando is. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5420 "2022-11-19T14:17:57Z")
Is the theme related to a work or works of fiction? ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5421 "2022-11-19T16:39:46Z")
No, it is not related to any work of fiction. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5422 "2022-11-19T18:24:29Z")
Is the theme related to the [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_Day) definition of Spirit Day ? ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5423 "2022-11-19T18:33:48Z")
Is the theme connected to history? Is it connected to some recognizable set with four members? (E.g., the four seasons, playing card suits, etc.) Were the Parisian fashions contemporary, as in something that might be worn today? Clothing from a specific historical era? From a mix of historical eras? ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5424 "2022-11-19T23:19:24Z")
Did the sophomores’ costumes have to be specifically Hawaiian to fit the theme or could they have been any one of, let’s say, a thousand islands? ---
**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:** [November 19, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5425 "2022-11-19T23:47:07Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > Is the theme related to the [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_Day) definition of Spirit Day ? No connection to that that I know of. > [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Is the theme connected to history? > > Is it connected to some recognizable set with four members? (E.g., the four seasons, playing card suits, etc.) > > Were the Parisian fashions contemporary, as in something that might be worn today? Clothing from a specific historical era? From a mix of historical eras? No to history. No to a specific four-element set. Any Parisian fashions would have been within the rules, though as actually implemented by the students, it mostly just consisted of berets and ascots. > [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > Did the sophomores’ costumes have to be specifically Hawaiian to fit the theme or could they have been any one of, let’s say, a thousand islands? Any islands would have worked, but I’m not sure what other islands have recognizably-distinct fashions. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5426 "2022-11-20T00:04:22Z")
Is the theme something you would reasonably expect to be apparent to someone who’s just looking at the costumes? Or is the theme something more abstract or conceptual, so that you might have to have some background knowledge to figure out what it is? ---
**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:** [November 20, 2022, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/5427 "2022-11-20T00:12:20Z")
Someone looking at the costumes would see what I described: Students wearing Parisian fashions, island garb, cowboy garb, and togas. Seeing the costumes in person would not have made the unifying theme any more apparent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=270) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=272)