The Rainbow Connection (solution)

by Patrick Blindauer

Solvers are presented with crypto-quotes made up of the 7 colors of the rainbow, along with a short string of positive/negative numbers. The trick is that each color represents sequential chunks of the alphabet (Red=A-D, Orange=E-H, Yellow=I-L, Green=M-P, Blue=Q-T, Indigo=U-X, Violet=Y & Z). Discovering this pattern and solving the quotes reveals lines spoken by various Muppets. Identify the speaker of the quote, then convert the colors that make up the speaker’s name using the given strings of numbers (which tell how many color groups and which direction to shift). Convert the new colors to a final word. The final words form the word ANSWER and two “words that can come before” clues whose answers are START and OVER, so the answer is START OVER.

JANICE: Look, Mother, it’s my life, okay? So if I want to live on a beach and walk around naked ... oh.
−2,+3,+1,+3,+1,+3
ANSWER

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RIZZO (the Rat): Terrific. Captured by crazed wild pigs and sacrificed hideously before a pagan altar.
−3,+2,−5,−2,−2
FRESH

ANIMAL: Eat drums, eat cymbals.
+1,−1,+4,−1,+3,−1
FLYING

LINK (Hogthrob): Yes, I flew through the air with the greatest of ease. The audience loved it. They wanted an encore.
−1,−1,−3,−2
HEAD

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GONZO: Photography’s an art. You gotta have the right film, you gotta have the right exposure, and you gotta scream just before they get the food to their mouth.
+3,−1,−2,−5,0
SLEEP

POPS: A: Credit card; B: Cash; C: Sneak out in the middle of the night.
−3,−1,0,+1
BLOW

ROWLF: You think that’s bad? The first three months of my life there was a newspaper strike!
−3,−1,−5,+4,0
GLAZE