Tuesday, April 24, 2012

I Need Your Help

I have just received the Colbert Super Fun Pack with treasure map.  Now I am attempting to crowdsource to find the location of the "treasure", mostly with help from my fellow Tanganites.  Please see the details and rules at www.colbertsuperpac.com/treasure-map.

The pack came with a decoder ring which uses a basic crypt where A=3, B=4, and so on, but W=25 and X=0.

There was also a clue on an early show, which used the phrase KARF FNARGLEZOX, but I'm not sure if this really relates to the treasure hunt or whether the decoder ring will aid in its decryption.

I will include pictures of the treasure map and close-ups of portions.  No other information was given.
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15 comments:

  1. duckpond_wkbApril 24, 2012 at 9:02 AM

    Well, the numbers in the lower-right corner of the map decode (using your ring) into "O'er the land of the free"

    ReplyDelete
  2. duckpond_wkbApril 24, 2012 at 9:03 AM

    And the markings on the dragon appear to be a pigpen cypher, but not a standard one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Seth KApril 24, 2012 at 9:54 AM

    I think the dragon cipher might say "Utah is lower left"

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    Replies
    1. duckpond_wkbApril 24, 2012 at 10:23 AM

      Yup, using the variation of # X # X, that works out.

      Delete
    2. Seth KApril 24, 2012 at 11:19 AM

      I guess that variant is called the "Freemason Cipher" for what it's worth.

      Delete
  4. duckpond_wkbApril 24, 2012 at 10:21 AM

    Taking the images on the map west to east:

    Hawaii: a dancer I don't recognize
    California: a maraca
    Oregon: a Coke can
    Nevada: an odometer at 100,000 miles
    Idaho: a WebTV logo (before they changed it to MSN TV)
    Arizona: a cat
    Montana: a fourth-generation iPod
    New Mexico: a key
    Colorado: an iron
    North Dakota: a newspaper boy
    Nebraska: a wallaby, or maybe a kangaroo
    Kansas: a dime
    Oklahoma: the three wise men?
    Minnesota: Tampax super tampon box, appears to be 100 count
    Iowa: Norm Peterson (George Wendt) from Cheers
    Missouri: hard to make out, but appears to be a plastic bag
    Arkansas: appears to be a hole drilled into something
    Louisiana: a white mouse
    Illinois: Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), as Locutus of Borg
    Mississippi: Some kind of pot or caldron
    Michigan: a finger tip
    Indiana: an alligator
    Alabama: appears to be a hindu god, perhaps Ganesh
    Kentucky: a panda
    Ohio: a box of matches
    Georgia: a vest
    Delaware: Mr. T
    Pennsylvania: the planet Neptune
    North Carolina: Alcatraz
    Florida: Koalas
    New Hampshire: John Madden
    New York: an aardvark
    Maryland: a geek/nerd I don't recognize
    Maine: some wasabi next to some sushi or sashimi
    New jersey: the letter X
    Connecticut: the NBC peacock
    Massachusetts: a latte or mocha?
    Rhode Island: the WNBA logo

    ReplyDelete
  5. duckpond_wkbApril 24, 2012 at 10:44 AM

    There are eight paths, each starting and ending with an X (vaguely from wast to east):

    Pink:
    - Kentucy
    - Tennessee
    - Minnesota
    - Alaska
    - Arizona
    Blue:
    - Arkansas
    - California
    - Nevada
    - Washington
    - New Mexico
    Cyan:
    - New York
    - North Carolina
    - Illinois
    - Oregon
    - Idaho
    Orange:
    - Alabama
    - Wyoming
    Black:
    - South Carolina
    - Maryland
    - Montana
    - South Dakota
    - New Jersey
    Yellow:
    - Oklahoma
    - Indiana
    - Iowa
    - Wisconsin
    Red:
    - Michigan
    - Georgia
    - Texas
    - Massachusetts
    Green:
    - Pennsylvania
    - Delaware
    - North Carolina
    - Missouri
    - Kansas

    ReplyDelete
  6. duckpond_wkbApril 24, 2012 at 11:03 AM

    There are eight paths (vaguely from west to east):

    Pink:
    - Kentucky
    - Tennessee
    - Minnesota
    - Alaska
    - Arizona
    Blue:
    - Arkansas
    - California
    - Nevada
    - Washington
    - New Mexico
    Cyan:
    - New York
    - Virginia
    - Illinois
    - Oregon
    - Idaho
    Orange:
    - Alabama
    - Wyoming
    Black:
    - South Carolina
    - Maryland
    - Montana
    - South Dakota
    - New Jersey
    Yellow:
    - Oklahoma
    - Indiana
    - Iowa
    - Wisconsin
    Red:
    - Michigan
    - Georgia
    - Texas
    - Massachusetts
    Green:
    - Pennsylvania
    - Delaware
    - North Carolina
    - Missouri
    - Kansas

    ReplyDelete
  7. Seth KApril 24, 2012 at 11:05 AM

    Nice work duckpond. Since I have the picture in front of me, it is easier to see some.
    Missouri: mountain (not sure if specific peak)
    Illinois: Magneto (as played by Ian McKellen)
    Mississippi: Hibachi grill
    Oklahoma: three wise men (for sure)
    Alabama: Ganesh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seth KApril 24, 2012 at 11:26 AM

      It appears the dancer in Hawaii may be ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, but I am not certain.

      Delete
  8. Seth KApril 24, 2012 at 11:06 AM

    Utah is the only state with no picture and no path stopping within its borders.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seth KApril 24, 2012 at 11:10 AM

      It appears that Vermont and West Virginia have no picture or path either.

      Delete
  9. Seth KApril 24, 2012 at 11:34 AM

    Also, pictures exist within states without paths:
    Hawaii, Colorado, North Dakota, Nebraska, Mississippi, Ohio, Louisiana, Florida, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine.

    ReplyDelete
  10. kozmundApril 29, 2012 at 4:20 PM

    You're missing a clue in the Super Pac materials. There's italicized letters in a block of text that spells out:
    m-a-S-s-a-c-h-u-s-e-t-t-s-i-s-u-p-p-e-r-r-i-g-h-t

    http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/colbert-super-pac

    ReplyDelete

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