# Lateral Thinking Puzzles - third time is best! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 18, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214 "2023-07-18T13:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 42
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/821 "2023-08-28T10:35:32Z")
Was this product a tie-in with a movie or television series? Might it have been thought of as, stereotypically, a boys’ toy? A girls’ toy? Or would it have been gender neutral? Was the consumer collecting an array of characters? ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/822 "2023-08-28T11:13:20Z")
Were the valuable and least valuable pieces the same type of toy, like they were both dolls or both cars? Or were they different, like one was a doll and the other a doll accessory or one was a car and the other a garage? ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/823 "2023-08-28T16:59:08Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Could they be redeemed or traded in or whatever for something? **No** > [@dirtball](#): > > Was this product a tie-in with a movie or television series? **No** > Might it have been thought of as, stereotypically, a boys’ toy? > A girls’ toy? > Or would it have been gender neutral? **Probably this** > Was the consumer collecting an array of characters? **Kind of, but the characters weren’t really the point** > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Were the valuable and least valuable pieces the same type of toy, like they were both dolls or both cars? **Yes** > > Or were they different, like one was a doll and the other a doll accessory or one was a car and the other a garage? **Same kind of thing** I also need to correct a previous answer. > [@](#): > > Did people deliberately save the ones that were “supposed” to be valuable, while tossing out or ruining the ones that were “supposed” to be common? …to which I said no, but **Partial Yes** is more accurate. This question is on the right track. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/824 "2023-08-28T18:13:20Z")
Would you have given me the correct answer — or at least an “I don’t know which way to bet” — if, at the time they came out, I’d turned to you and said, _“gosh, if I were only able to hang on to one of these collectibles for twenty years and then try to sell it, which one of these two would you recommend I hold on to? Which one do you think will be rarer? Which one more valuable?”_ Or would you have probably gotten it wrong back then? ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/825 "2023-08-28T18:29:21Z")
**I would probably have been unable to discern which would be more valuable in the future, assuming they’re all in mint condition.** (I guess. Part of the problem with this one is that these things are so obscure that it’s hard to find reliable information on them. There’s not even a Wikipedia page.) ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/826 "2023-08-28T18:30:18Z")
Did this thing have moving parts? e.g. a toy car with wheels that go round, or a doll with joined arms and legs. Was it electical/ electronic? Was it made of wood? metal? plastic? paper/card? Was it made of multiple pieces, e.g. Lego or a jigsaw puzzle? Was it a single object not supposed to come apart? Was it somewhere in between, e.g. a doll with accessories? Would you buy it as a single item? Would you buy it as multiple similar items, e.g. a pack of trading cards, or a box of plastic soldiers? ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/827 "2023-08-28T18:33:26Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Did this thing have moving parts? e.g. a toy car with wheels that go round, or a doll with joined arms and legs. **No** > > Was it electical/ electronic? **No** > > Was it made of wood? metal? plastic? paper/card? **Plastic** > > Was it made of multiple pieces, e.g. Lego or a jigsaw puzzle? > Was it a single object not supposed to come apart? > Was it somewhere in between, e.g. a doll with accessories? **There was a part that was supposed to come off** > > Would you buy it as a single item? > Would you buy it as multiple similar items, e.g. a pack of trading cards, or a box of plastic soldiers? **In a bunch, like trading cards** Post not empty ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/828 "2023-08-28T18:33:40Z")
The ones that, at the time, were intended to be more valuable — were they sold for a different price than the other ones? Or was it the same price, but they were rarer? ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/829 "2023-08-28T18:34:15Z")
**All the same price.** ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/830 "2023-08-28T18:36:12Z")
Were people purchasing them blind? Like, you pay the price, and only _then_ find out if you’ve gotten one of the intended-to-be-valuable ones? ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/831 "2023-08-28T18:36:54Z")
**I believe so, but that is not the reason.** ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/832 "2023-08-28T18:54:06Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Was it somewhere in between, e.g. a doll with accessories? **There was a part that was supposed to come off** Was it supposed to be put back again? Or once it’s off it’s gone? Was it a sticker that can be peeled off to reveal a hidden thing? Or if not a sticker, then something concealing something. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/833 "2023-08-28T18:55:28Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Was it supposed to be put back again? Or once it’s off it’s gone? **Once it’s off it’s gone** > > Was it a sticker that can be peeled off to reveal a hidden thing? **No** > Or if not a sticker, then something concealing something. **No** Post not empty ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/834 "2023-08-28T19:03:07Z")
Is it that the less-durable ones got routinely damaged in the very act of being played with as intended? ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/835 "2023-08-28T19:10:27Z")
**Yes** , and I think that’s enough to call it. They were called [Breakeys](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18044/breakey), and the way you were supposed to play with them was by breaking them against each other. The stronger pieces would survive, and the weaker pieces would break and get thrown away. And then you buy more, presumably. It was such a stupid, self-defeating idea for a toy that next to nobody bought any, so in reality they’re probably all about equally hard to find. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/836 "2023-08-28T19:18:38Z")
I have one! **A well-trained cook was preparing soup. In a very rare incident, the cook died. How?** ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/837 "2023-08-28T19:35:58Z")
Does it matter what kind of soup? Fugu? Albatross? ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/838 "2023-08-28T19:47:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Does it matter what kind of soup? > > Fugu? Albatross? **Nope.** ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/839 "2023-08-28T19:50:45Z")
Was the death a result of preparing the soup (like pressure-cooker exploded)? Was the death caused by the soup (like food poisoning)? Would the death had happened to a lesser-trained cook? ---
**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:** [August 28, 2023, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/840 "2023-08-28T19:52:43Z")
was the death completely unrelated to the soup, e.g. building demolished by a meteorite strike? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=41) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=43)