GC SF Sp WH BV YL BT CP SA CB CC Back to puzzle

YesterdayLand

Concierge Services

by Charlie Graham, Justin Graham, Todd Etter
Answer: CLASSIFIEDS

Background:

Since we switched from phone callbacks to an automated system this year we wanted to figure out a puzzle to pay homage to the old callback system and give players who missed the old system a little bit of fun/nostalgia. Our goals were to bring out the best of the old callback system, make the puzzle relatively easy (so we did not have to do hundreds of callbacks per team) and most importantly make it a fun puzzle. On brainstorming, our favorite part of phone callbacks was the banter so we decided to riff on that.

Gathering Info

This puzzle had some "mini" answers. Submitting (or saying) a non-answer would get a "That is incorrect" response and a randomly-chosen "banter-y" question. Submitting (or saying on the phone) a correct mini-answer would get a special response and the next banter-y question in sequence.

Each of the "banter-y" questions can be answered by using the name of a Tony award-winning broadway musical. If you submitted or told the operator a musical that correctly answered a question like “Raisin”, he/she would reply with a sentence like “Yuck. They're disgusting. I forbid it.” that not only responded to the answer but also audibly contained a number. He/she would then ask another question which would be in the correct sequence. You could then conceivably answer every question in order in one phone call.

Questions, answers and callback operator responses in order are here:

Question Answer Response Letter
I've got a funny joke for you. What do you call a line-up of taxis? Cabaret Haha. I was wondering if you would get that. 1 C
So… What do you think you will say if you find the coin? Hallelujah, Baby! Good for you! 4 L
Can you give me your first name? Annie That's a wonderful name! 1 A
We heard your team has been cheating on puzzles, getting drunk and pushing other teams in the hallways. What do you have to say about that? Ain't Misbehavin' Ok. We'll find out who did thiseventually." 7 S
I have a question for you. How does your team handle a puzzle when you know the theme but don't quite know the answer? Spamalot I am wondering if you are doing that with this puzzle. 1 S
So… what is the nickname for the best solver on your team? The Wiz You nailed it! High-five on that. 5 I
We expected to see your team at the MIT enterprise event. Why didn't anyone show up? A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum I would love to hear what happened. Just not right now. 2 F
We are thinking of bringing a morning snack to your team. Around what time should we bring it? Nine That's good to know. 2 I
We just saw a few members of your team leaving your room. Excuse my profanity but where the hell do they think they're going? Hadestown Thank you for letting us know. 4 E
I've got a funny joke for you. What did Tiger Woods say when he missed the putt? Bye Bye Birdie Funny, right? I'll tell you my tennis joke another time. 10 D
We are thinking of getting your team bagels as a snack. Do you have a favorite kind?" Raisin Yuck. They're disgusting. I forbid it. 4 S

If you indexed into the musical with the number in the response you would spell out the word CLASSIFIEDS which was the answer.

Notes:

  • To avoid any confusion, callback operators would try not to have a real conversation until you answered the final answer correctly.
  • We wrote this before the 2019 Tony winner was announced and were rooting for Hadestown as we had already constructed a question for it. We were also happy Ain’t Too Proud did not win as it would have messed up another answer.
  • Putting this into YesterdayLand was intentional. We switched to an automated answer system as it frees up a ton of HQ’s time to do other types of interactions with teams. We’ll miss some of the banter of the callbacks but—as we say—the show must go on.