From: jim@grafix.eid.anl.gov (Jim Kuiper)
Subject: Far Side Test -- FREE MUG TO WINNER
Organization: Argonne National Laboratory
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 16:20:43 GMT

Far Side Fans -

Below are the results of the Far Side mug contest and the answers to
the seccond test.  About 20 people participated.  The highest score was
51.5 out of 60, and the lowest was 9 among those who answered both tests.

Thanks to those who participated.  I hope you had fun and were challenged.
My objective was to find other Far Side fanatics, and that worked out well.

-------------------------------- Results ----------------------------------

There were 60 possible points, 29 on test 1 (oops) and 31 on test 2.
My apologies for the controversial questions, which will be mentioned in the
answers.  The point spread of the winners is large enough that I can
fairly determine first place.

The final standings are:

     1st   Craig Witkowski  Glen Rock, New Jersey       51.5 points
     2nd   Pete Gayde       Naperville, Illinois        43.5
     3rd   Daniel O'Malley  Dublin, Ireland             31.5

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Book name abbreviations:

TFS         The Far Side
Beyond      Beyond The Far Side
Search      In Search of The Far Side
Gallery1    The Far Side Gallery
Bride       Bride of The Far Side
Valley      Valley of The Far Side
Came        It Came From The Far Side
Gallery2    The Far Side Gallery 2
Hound       Hound of The Far Side
Observer    The Far Side Observer
Night       Night of the Crash-Test Dummies
Gallery3    The Far Side Gallery 3
Wildlife    Wildlife Preserves
PreHistory  The PreHistory of The Far Side: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit
Wiener      Wiener Dog Art
Unnatural   Unnatural Selections
Cows        Cows of Our Planet

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Answers to test 2.  I didn't have time to count how many got each question
or find every source.  You'll have to trust me on the "personal observation"
or find them yourself until I get my "Far Side Source of Knowledge" post
done.

  1) What does "kemosabe" mean?  (According to the dictionary the Lone
     Ranger looks it up in.)

     Apache expression for a horse's rear end.
     Source: Night p. 20 and Gallery3 p. 144

  2) What phenomenon did Gary Larson discover about Rocky the Flying
     Squirrel?

     Once you've drawn Rocky the Flying Squirrel, you can never draw
     him again.
     Source: PreHistory p. 71

  3) What was the caption that was mistakenly printed underneath Far Side
     cartoons in the Dayton Daily News in August, 1981?

     "Lucky thing I learned to make peanut butter samwiches or we woulda
     starved to death by now."
     Source: PreHistory p. 127

  4) What two words were in the "Primitive Spelling Bee"?

     Cave and Australopithecus
     Source: Came p. 87

  5) In what city and on what date is the annual convention of the
     Big Galoot Society of America held?

     Buffalo, NY, November 2-5
     Source: Unnatural p. 70

  6) According to the Far Side comic, who was NOT awarded the job to paint
     the Sistine Chapel?

     Mr. Funucci
     Source: Daily Calendar 9/25/92
     This question was more difficult than I thought.  There are at least
     two other Sistine Chapel jokes, and I gave partial credit to those
     answers:

     Lambini and Sons       - Did the Sistine Chapel floor.
     Michaelangelo's father - Shown at the bottom of ladder telling him what
                              it was like when he used to paint.

  7) Which one of the following "peg-parts" cartoons has not been done
     (yet)?
     a) Cat with peg legs.                Source: Came p. 103
     b) Snake with peg body.              Source: Gallery3 p. 162
     c) Elephant with peg trunk.          Source: NONE
     d) Pirate with peg head.             Source: Valley p. 67
     e) All of these have been done.      Nope.

     I've never seen an elephant with a peg trunk.  Have you?

  8) What do kangaroos use when they have a broken leg?

     A pogo stick.
     Source: Night p. 86

  9) Which one of the following alien life forms have NOT been depicted?
     Shaped like...
     a) a fire hydrant.                   Source: Daily Calendar 11/25/92
     b) a walk/don't walk signal.         Source: Wiener p. 86
     c) Zsa Zsa Gabor's head.             Source: Unnatural p. 7
     e) the North American continent.     Source: Personal observation. I'll
                                                  find it - in January. It
                                                  was their "man on the moon"
     f) a fence post with a can on it.    Source: Personal observation.
                                                  A hunter with bad vision
                                                  shot at them.
     g) All of these have been done.

     Yes, they've all been done.  I think this is one of his most bizarre
     themes, and one of the funniest.

 10) Which of the following body deformations have been shown?
     a) Man with banjo on his knee.           Source: Personal observation.
     b) Man with feet on his head.            Source: Gallery3 p. 140
     c) Forearm larger than body.             Source: Personal observation.
     d) Man with Buick on his head.           Source: Personal observation.
     e) Man with giant kneecaps.              Source: Personal observation.
     f) Man with Buick on his head.           Source: (See d. ...oops)
     g) Tree growing from top of man's head.  Source: Personal observation.
     h) Boy with excess fat.                  Source: Personal observation.
     i) Woman with an extra long neck.        Source: Personal observation.
     j) All these have been shown.            Source: Personal observation.

     I *meant* to put NOT in the question, and clearly didn't spend enough
     time on this one. Sorry. The answer as the question was posted
     is j) All these have been shown.  They really have, I just can't prove
     it - yet.  By the way, h) is a joke.  The challenge is to find
     charecters that *aren't* fat!

 11) Which of the following characters from other strips has NOT been
     parodied.
     a) Gumby                             Source: Wiener p. 7
     b) Lucy (Peanuts)                    Source: Gallery3 p. 45 & Night p. 39
     c) Popeye                            Source: Gallery3 p. 131
     d) Superman                          Source: Several, but personal obs.
     e) Dumbo (Disney character)          Source: Wiener p. 47
     f) Rocky the Flying Squirrel         Source: PreHistory p. 71
     g) Bill the Cat (Bloom County)       Source: NONE
     h) Mark Trail                        Source: Cows p. 26
     i) Garfield                          Source: Gallery1 - Poster in middle
     j) Blondie                           Source: Unnatural p. 12
     k) All have been parodied.           ALL BUT Bill the Cat.

     I've never seen Bill the Cat, have you?  I expect a challenge to this one.

 12) Name at least three of question 11's characters that were dead
     (or as good as dead) when they were shown.

     Rocky    - (Stuffed)
     Lucy     - (A fossil found by archeologists)
     Garfield - (Eaten by a snake)

     Wrong answer:
     Gumby    - The point of the cartoon is that the rack is inneffective,
                kind of like the mobster with a wiffle bat.

 13) Name at least two of question 11's characters that were in
     trouble with the law when they were shown.

     Mark Trail - (Busted for poaching)
     Popeye     - (On trial: Question> "What kind of monster are you?"
                               Popeye> "I yam what I yam.")
     Half credit to some stretch answers:
     Gumby      - Attempts to torture him on the rack, but are they the law?
     Dumbo      - Terrorized flyways as a rogue, but is it illegal?

 14) What letter did Zorro's younger and less astute brother's name
     start with?

     G - Gomez (He had a difficult letter to write on the bull before
     it got mad.)
     Source: Wiener p. 92

 15) Why did the "Texas longnose" cow become extinct?

     Certain cultures thought the nose was an aphrodisiac.
     Source: Cows - center section.

- Jim Kuiper, the Far Side fanatic.

+-------------------------+--------------------------+
| Jim Kuiper              | "Hey! Look what Zog do!" |
| jim@spatial.eid.anl.gov |            - Gary Larson |
+-------------------------+--------------------------+