Scavenger Hunt 2000

Friday, June 2, 2000 at 5pm through Saturday, June 3, 2000 at 6pm

Before the Event

Here you will find the rules and the list of things to look for during the Eight Annual Greater New York Mensa Scavenger Hunt. ‘The Scavenger List' will be revealed only after 5:00 PM on Friday, June 2, 2000.
Refreshing this page at that time (click your browser's refresh button) will call up the updated page with the new rules and this year's List.

What we know today as the “scavenger hunt” found its origins amidst the mists of antiquity. Cave drawings from prehistoric times depict what clearly appear to be several people searching their pockets for expired Metrocards, or arguing over whether or not a padded immobilization splint in fact qualified as a “foam finger.”

The earliest recorded Latin term, “Huntus Scavengis,” appears in writings describing the sacking of villages during the reign of Julius Caesar, where victorious war captains would send their men out to scour what was left of the countryside for valuables like 10K gold, or local souvenirs such as tri-cornered hats. As time went on and these hunts became more formalized, they reflected the changes of the times. Items ranged from the mundane, like the whisk broom, to the musical, like Ravel's Bolero, to the unusual, like fuzzy dice. But creative scavenger hunts were always a sure way to have fun and make new friends, and maybe even new enemies.

A look back at the history of the scavenger hunt would be incomplete, of course, without paying homage to what was probably the most efficient and creative group of hunters ever assembled – namely, that 1999 team comprised of Stacey Greenberg, Ryan Martin, Greg Draves, and Leon Feingold. Who can forget their dominating performance of that year, memorialized forever in the annals of Mensa? A foursome which accomplished a feat never before dreamed: successfully scavenging every single item of the 53 listed, including several unattainable by any of the other pretenders to the throne. Who else possessed the cunning needed to create a box of 8 vanilla pop tarts by tossing a Spice Girls CD in a crate with a Bananarama 45? Who else possessed the sheer cunning needed to bring a weathervane which satisfied the judges, yet was small enough to aerodynamically fit in one's pocket, leaving plenty of space for a deviously designed “home plate” or a female Joker taken from a deck of Hello Kitty playing cards?

And only the most apathetic and callous of souls would fail to shed a tear while recounting the harrowing courses taken by the victors in their various quests for perfection: a perilous trek to Nyack in search for a trinket from a 5-star restaurant, a journey into deepest, darkest Brooklyn for a pawn shop ticket, even a nailbiting foray into a lawyer's office (oh, the humanity!) for what would eventually pass for a domestic partnership agreement.

Never before, and assuredly never again, might such an accomplishment be witnessed by eyes of mortals. The veteran patrons of Farrell's restaurant still swear that on some nights, the back room echoes with the laughter and tears brought about by that great conflict. Truly, it was the classic epitome of what scavenger hunting should be.

In commemoration of the one-year anniversary of their historic triumph, the victors have consented to attend a banquet held in their honor on June 3, 2000, modestly titled, “Mensa Scavenger Hunt 2000.” The quartet has even deigned to favor all Mensan admirers and attendees with a scavenger hunt of their own design, an item list to be provided via Internet, e-mail and/or fax a day ahead of time as per Mensan tradition. It is the fervent hope and expectation of these heroes that henceforth, this honorary banquet shall become an annual event, providing both entertainment, and tribute to the 1999 team ad nauseum - er, ad infinitum.

Those craving admittance should contact Greg Draves or Ryan Martin, as the location of the Mensa Scavenger Hunt 2000 will be a closely guarded secret, available to only those who petition these great champions, and are deemed worthy. The theme of the SHY2K, after being debated for some time, is even more closely guarded, and any heretic who presumes to impose upon any of the inner sanctum to reveal said secret shall be condemned to suffer eternal damnation (and will besides be fed convincing but completely untrue disinformation).

For those daring adventurers willing to attend, and match wits with those great masters of the Huntus Scavengis, we salute and commend you. We look forward to receiving you that Saturday, and promise you several years' worth of fun. May the best new team win.

-signed, the Fabulous Four

(Stacey Greenberg, Ryan Martin, Greg Draves, Leon Feingold)

Contact Ryan Martin at martinra@bigfoot.com to reserve your place in GNYM Scavenger Hunt history!

During the Event

Release the hounds...
The hunt is on!

The Rules

This year's Scavenger List contains 40 items created in, inspired by, or reminiscent of the 1980s. For each year, we have chosen four representative headlines and asked for an item related to each. Some will be easy to find, some hard, and some absurd. Remember, you are not expected to have every item, and the idea is to have fun. We're looking for a healthy mixture of frustration and laughter here.

1. Teams will consist of 1 to 4 Hunters. At least one member of each team must be a current member in good standing of Greater New York Mensa. Non-members are welcome, but only teams including a member are eligible to win.

2. Each headline on the list is followed by a description of the item(s) that we will accept for credit. Some descriptions are narrow, others are broad. Within the scope of each description, we encourage creativity and lateral thinking. Puns and humor may triumph where brute force fails.

3. You may bring several items to try to get credit for a single headline. If you're not sure that a given item fills the requirements, bring backups. In no case will credit be given more than once for matching a single headline.

4. Definitions:

a) Prerecorded means just that - when purchased the media in question must have already contained the required content. Proof of this will be ascertained by examining the packaging or labelling of the item.

b) 3D means "not flat." When a 3D item is requested, no flat representation will be accepted. Books, magazines, and newspapers do not count as 3D, as the pages are flat. Likewise, silkscreened or otherwise printed clothing is not 3D, as the printing/silkscreening is flat. A physical object is acceptable - printing on that object is not.

c) Original means no reproductions. You must bring a professionally printed item, not a photocopy.

5. Computer printouts will not be accepted for any item for any reason. No exceptions! CD-ROMs and the Internet weren't widely available in the 80s.

6. Each team is allowed one photocopy or facsimile. These will only be accepted for items that do not specify prerecorded, original, or 3D.

7. Scoring. Some items are clearly more difficult than others, but some are easier than they seem, and some harder. Nevertheless, all headlines are of equal value. Each successfully satisfied headline is worth one point. For each year in which all four headlines are satisfied, your team will receive a bonus point. Finally, there is the tiebreaker in 1982. In the event of a tie, the team with the oldest satisfactory item will be awarded a bonus point to break the tie. Therefore, the maximum score will be 40 headlines + 10 years + 1 tiebreaker, or 51 points.

8. Decisions of the judges are, as always, arbitrary, capricious, and final.

Greetings Hunters!

This is a message meant for those who have stated their intent to attend the judging party at the end of this year's GNYM Scavenger Hunt. Some of you are hunting, some just observing. Here's the scoop.

The party will run from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Saturday June 3, 2000. We'll be meeting at:

The restaurant is on Jericho Turnpike between Lakeville Road and Little Neck Parkway, on the south side of the street. Dinner will cost $21.95 + tip & tax, price fixed.

Past Events

Want to know more about the "Coveted Godfrey Award"? Well, its unique origins and history are explained at each year's closing dinner, so we hope to see you next time!

The 1999 Scavenger Hunt

The prized Godfrey being passed on to the winners
of the Eight Annual GNYM Scavenger Hunt
at the after-the-hunt dinner in June of 2000.

For pictures of Mensans at play,
visit the Greater New York Mensa
Photo Album

Scavenger Hunt 2000

Friday, June 2, 2000 at 5pm through Saturday, June 3, 2000 at 6pm

“The 1980s”

The Scavenger List:

• 1980
  • "Reagan Defeats Carter"
    Bring any prerecorded media featuring Ronald Reagan.
  • "Rubik's Cube Debuts In The West"
    Bring anything made by Rubik other than a cube.
  • "Who Shot J.R?"
    Bring any Southfork Ranch memorabilia or an original article commemorating this television event.
  • "U.S. Boycotts Moscow Games"
    Bring any souvenir or memorabilia from the 1980 Summer Olympics.
• 1981
  • "Olivia Newton-John's 'Physical' Hits Top 40"
    Bring a pair of leg warmers.
  • "Columbia Becomes First Reusable Space Vehicle"
    Bring a 3D model of the Space Shuttle.
  • "Charles Weds Diana"
    Bring any memorabilia from England's "Royal Wedding."
  • "Cable's MTV Debuts"
    Bring any prerecorded media by (or featuring) The Buggles.
• 1982
  • "Steven Spielberg Directs E.T."
    Bring your favorite stuffed alien doll.
  • "Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats Debuts"
    Bring an original ticket stub from this long-running favorite.
  • TIEBREAKER!
    1 point to the team with the oldest ticket stub in the event of a tie.
  • "Fitness Tapes In Video Stores Everywhere"
    Bring a prerecorded exercise video featuring Jane Fonda.
  • "Bell System Dismantled"
    Bring a bill from New York Telephone (not NYNEX).
• 1983
  • "Chrysler Introduces Minivan"
    Bring a yellow "...On Board" sign.
  • "Hitler Diary Hoax"
    Bring a diary written by someone not on your team.
  • "Cabbage Patch Kids Introduced"
    Bring the original adoption papers from one of these Coleco creations.
  • "Monchichis Saturday Morning Cartoon Airs"
    Bring a Monchichi doll.
• 1984
  • "Big Brother Is Watching You"
    Bring a copy of George Orwell's (or Van Halen's) 1984.
  • "Trump Tower Completed"
    Bring something promotional from any
    Manhattan landmark opened in the 1980s.
  • "Acid-washed Jeans Introduced"
    Bring a pair of acid-washed jeans.
  • "Apple Introduces Macintosh"
    Bring a prewritten Mac system (startup) disk. The disk must be a double-density or 720K floppy.
• 1985
  • "Chicago Bears Shuffle Off To Super Bowl"
    Bring any Chicago Bears souvenir.
  • "Artists' Designs Featured On Swatch Watches"
    Bring one of these stylish Swiss timepieces.
  • "Garbage Pail Kids Parody Cabbage Patch Craze"
    Bring an original Topps Garbage Pail Kids card or sticker featuring the name of one of your team members.
  • "A Car For Under $4,000?"
    Bring an original owner's or technical manual from a Yugo.
• 1986
  • "Statue Of Liberty Centennial"
    Bring a souvenir from New York's most famous torch-bearer.
  • "Mets Win Fall Classic"
    Bring a team photo of the 1986 Mets.
  • "The Oprah Winfrey Show Premieres"
    Bring any book featured on Oprah's Book Club.
  • RESEARCH REQUIRED!
    Bring a representation of Time magazine's 1986 "Man of the Year."
• 1987
  • "The A-Team Cancelled"
    Bring anything featuring Mr. T.
  • "The Tracey Ullman Show Premieres On Fox Network"
    Bring a Simpsons doll.
  • "Sistine Chapel Gets Facelift"
    Bring a postcard featuring artwork by Michelangelo.
  • "Budweiser Introduces 'Original Party Animal'"
    Bring any Spuds McKenzie memorabilia.
• 1988
  • "Bush Defeats Dukakis"
    Bring any 3-D representation of lips not on a person or doll.
  • "Benetton Begins As Clothing Retailer"
    Bring any Benetton magazine ad.
  • "Eli Lilly Introduces Prozac®"
    Bring a bottle or can of Mello Yello.
  • "Sony Capitulates, Manufactures VHS Machine"
    Bring any prerecorded video in Betamax format.
• 1989
  • "Iron Curtain Crumbles"
    Bring a Soviet flag or other memorabilia featuring the hammer-and-sickle.
  • "Pan Am Airlines Files For Bankruptcy"
    Bring something from any airline not currently in business.
  • "Bush OK's S&L Bailout"
    Bring a passbook or other account document from a Savings & Loan institution (not a bank!).
  • "Berlin Wall Comes Down"
    Bring something from the Berlin Wall.