The Hunt is On!

I read yesterday that today, May 24th, is National Scavenger Hunt Day. Usually I snicker with everyone at made up minor holidays, but this one seemed like an opportunity to have some fun in a time where spontaneous fun can be in short supply.

Thus, over on my Facebook page, I’m running a scavenger hunt for my friends and for those who want to join in on the fun. This is no University of Chicago ScavHunt — this is a hunt intended for people who have other things to do over the next few days. The goal is for the group to win, and your part is to contribute to that quest. If you do, I’ll be giving some money to my favorite place for finding fun online obscurities, the Internet Archive.

I don’t think any of this would help you in the Hunt, but I needed a photo in this article. It is a nice sampling of things lying around my house, though.

Like I said, the action will be over on Facebook (I know, I know; let’s have that debate another day), but I thought it might be useful to have all the information regarding the hunt here in an easily linkable place. I suspect I’ll be pointing people toward the rules a few times as events progress.

First, the hunt intro and those rules, then the list:

NATIONAL SCAVENGER HUNT DAY 2018

Did you know that today, May 23rd, is National Scavenger Hunt Day? It is! So let’s have fun collecting items and posting pictures from the list below!ome of these might be easy for you to collect or accomplish — they’re intended to be gathered without necessarily being the focused goal of your day. But you likely won’t be able to complete the list unless you work as a team with everyone else. Please read these rules before beginning, lest you be requested to do so later.

THE RULES

How to Collect Items: “Collecting” an item on this list consists of posting a photo in a comment on this Facebook post that includes both you and the item or activity required, as well as the number of the item. One item per photo; the same photo may not be submitted twice. To prevent a hunt accomplished via nothing more than Google Image Search, YOU MUST BE IN THE PHOTO SUBMITTED or, if you prefer not to post photos of yourself, a piece of paper with “HUNT” written on it is an acceptable substitute. Each item may only be collected once by each player.

An example of me submitting a collected item, in this case with the comment: “T36: A (wildly racist) wooden nickel.”

How to Not Be a Jerk: Cleverness is encouraged, but subversion and loophole hunting is not (whether of the list or these rules.) If you have to explain why your submission qualifies it probably doesn’t, and if you don’t want to play this game, go play your own.

How to Score Points: I will grant points for each item collected (or, at my discretion, I may not — in particular, see “How Not to Be a Jerk” above.) Each item is worth full points the first time it’s collected, with 1 additional point for each additional person who collects it. “Full points” is 4 points on May 24, 2018 (PST), 3 points on May 25th, 2 points on May 26th, and 1 point on May 27th. The hunt ends at midnight PST on May 27th, and the total points scored by all players will be announced on May 28th. Players are allowed to keep track of their own individual totals if that helps motivate them, but the central goal is to work together to complete the list.

How to Win: This hunt benefits the Internet Archive, one of my favorite places to find fun and unusual things online. For each 100 points scored by the crowd, I will donate $50 to the Internet Archive, to a maximum of $200. In addition, I will donate $50 for each category of list (Things/Food/Activities) completed by the crowd, with each item collected at least once. The donation will be made on May 28th, 2018.

THE LIST

CATEGORY THE FIRST: THINGS

Submit a photo of yourself with one of the following items:

· T1: Any Michael Bolton CD

· T2: An umbrella with pictures or illustrations on it

· T3: A VHS tape of your favorite movie

· T4: A nutcracker in any form other than a soldier

· T5: A patched stuffed animal

· T6: Proof that you are registered to vote

· T7: Food at least 30 days past its printed expiration date

· T8: A completed jigsaw puzzle

· T9: A vinyl record of something other than music

· T10: A movie poster in a language other than English

· T11: Blueprints, in blue

· T12: A joke book

· T13: A street sign with at least 20 letters on it.

· T14: A typo on a commercial product

· T15: A stack of books at least as tall as you are

· T16: A first aid or disaster preparation kit

· T17: At least three types of fork, including a tuning fork.

· T18: A balloon animal (no snakes!)

· T19: One of each type of common battery (AA, AAA, C, D, 9 volt) together

· T20: A ticket stub from at least 15 years ago.

· T21: A dead houseplant

· T22: Something monogrammed with your initials

· T23: Both a drawing compass and a magnetic compass

· T24: A book with a map printed in the endpapers

· T25: An autograph from a dead celebrity

· T26: At least four different editions of the same game (other than D&D)

· T27: A painted portrait of you

· T28: A non-powered hand drill

· T29: Postcards from at least 10 countries in a single photo.

· T30: A Trapper Keeper

· T31: A newspaper from at least 30 years ago.

· T32: A product branded with a possessive celebrity name (e.g. “Brad Pitt’s Basketball Remover”)

· T33: A snowglobe

· T34: A recipe card hand-written by someone other than you

· T35: A non-powered lawn mower

· T36: A wooden nickel

· T37: At least two harmonicas

· T38: Books by authors whose first letters of their last names spell your first name.

· T39: A photograph of someone taking a photograph

· T40: A television tuned to snow-static.

· T41: An (archery) arrow.

· T42: An abacus displaying the number 5,247.

· T43: Stickers from Wacky Packs or Garbage Pail Kids

· T44: An anvil

· T45: A house of cards that is at least four stories tall (no bent cards!)

· T46: A ball of aluminum foil at least three inches in diameter

· T47: At least three species of animal (in addition to you, the human)

· T48: A solar panel or wind turbine

· T49: A diaper

· T50: A canoe paddle

· T51: A branded (non-base) version of one of the following games: Uno, Monopoly, Chutes & Ladders, Operation, or Risk

· T52: Eight crayons of the same color

· T53: A sign depicting a map of a building’s interior

· T54: A handheld videogame predating the original GameBoy (1989)

· T55: A fishing license

· T56: A comic book or graphic novel featuring more than two female characters on the cover

· T57: A boombox

· T58: A portable makeup kit too large to fit in a purse

· T59: A trophy topped by a small human figure

· T60: Sunglasses in an unusual shape

· T61: A home-made puppet

· T62: A rubber chicken

· T63: A pet rock, including its two-story rock house

· T64: Ten-sided dice displaying the first twenty digits of pi

· T65: A metal detector

· T66: An airplane folded out of something other than paper

· T67: A business card for a business that no longer exists

· T68: A Choose Your Own Adventure book

· T69: A pirate flag

· T70: A dinosaur

· T71: Underwear with your name written in it

· T72: A elevator’s 13th floor button

· T73: The script for a play or movie

· T74: Balls for at least four different sports in the same photo

· T75: A pair of snowshoes

· T76: Your hand-drawn ‘scavenger dollar’ unit of barter currency

· T77: A license plate, not attached to a vehicle

· T78: Playing cards with an animal as part of the illustration on their back

· T79: A fish in a tank

· T80: A toilet plunger, worn as a hat

· T81: A pair of walkie-talkies

· T82: Three toys that are all the same color

· T83: A home-made costume

· T84: A book of poetry

· T85: Mr. Peanut’s face, drawn on a real peanut

· T86: A glass full of leaves

· T87: Handcuffs

· T88: Something you owned before you were five years old

· T89: A brick (not in a wall)

· T90: A library card

· T91: A clipboard

· T92: A token from an arcade

· T93: A badge from the Girl or Boy Scouts

· T94: A crossword puzzle filled in with your name and random numbers

· T95: Plastic army soldiers (not sold as part of a game)

· T96: A belt buckle with words on it

· T97: Wrapping paper with Santa Claus on it

· T98: A disco ball

· T99: Game controllers for at least four different systems

· T100: A lunch box

CATEGORY THE SECOND: EATING
Submit a photo of yourself eating one of the following:

· E1: Pancakes

· E2: Otter pops

· E3: Something on a stick other than a kebab or popsicle

· E4: Sushi

· E5: A dessert with your name on it

· E6: Poutine

· E7: Three types of cookie at the same time

· E8: Soup with animal crackers in it

· E9: A stuffed vegetable (such as a pepper, but surprise me)

· E10: Canned anchovies

· E11: Freshly squeezed vegetable juice

· E12: A piece of art made with food and toothpics

· E13: Peanut butter on something other than bread

· E14: Fondue

· E15: A Gummi species other than Bear or Worm

· E16: A bug

· E17: A food beginning with the same letter as your first name

· E18: An MRE

· E19: At least three kinds of cereal mixed together, no milk

· E20: A cheeseburger with fries (on it)

· E21: Ants on a log

· E22: A gingerbread house

· E23: Fruit salad

· E24: Pie (no fruit allowed)

· E25: Sauerkraut

· E26: A hot sauce with a warning label on it

· E27: Fish tacos

· E28: Homemade GORP including the secret additional ingredient of your choice

· E29: Pineapple and cottage cheese

· E30: Pocky

· E31: Microwave popcorn

· E32: Something pickled other than a cucumber

· E33: Spaghetti (with your hands)

· E34: Chocolate chip muffins

· E35: Hummus

· E36: Toast with a picture drawn on it in spread

· E37: Colored ice cubes

· E38: Bacon (you know you’re going to anyway; you might as well get points)

· E39: A vegan dish (because not everybody eats bacon)

· E40: Something cooked using fire

· E41: Jello with something suspended in it and some kind of topping

· E42: Pez

· E43: Half of something shared with someone else

· E44: The same food, in three distinct colors

· E45: Potato chips and wine

· E46: One item, seven condiments.

· E47: A Ring Pop

· E48: A bagel

· E49: Something bought and consumed without getting out of the driver’s seat

· E50: Ice cream. Because you’ve earned it.

CATEGORY THE THIRD: ACTIVITIES

Submit a photo of yourself actively doing one of the following:

· A1: Attend a meeting with at least six people, and the word HAM written on the whiteboard at least six times.

· A2: Jump rope

· A3: Get a haircut while holding a stuffed animal on your lap.

· A4: Ride a tricycle

· A5: Sit at an office desk, behind a fort made of office supplies.

· A6: Hide in plain sight

· A7: Sing a song to at least four other people

· A8: Read a book in a porta-potty

· A9: Jump on a trampoline

· A10: Wear the same scarf with at least two other people

· A11: Run through a sprinkler

· A12: Sit down in an elevator

· A13: Take a nap outdoors

· A14: Race at least two other people (including clearly marked finish line)

· A15: Slide down a playground slide

· A16: Go swimming

· A17: Get a high five from someone who works at a restaurant

· A18: Build a blanket and/or pillow fort

· A19: Write a word on your forehead

· A20: Make a call on a cup-and-string telephone

· A21: Pose in a store window

· A22: Draw another player based on their Facebook profile picture (except Seth)

· A23: Walk barefoot in the grass

· A24: Call a mom

· A25: Take out the trash (because you should be recognized and rewarded for doing it at least once in your life)