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MITMH2022
Public Access

Solution to The Missing Piece

The Investigation

Answer: STAPLER
by Joe Cabrera
Art by Joe Cabrera

These are typical examples of Palindrome name badges; therefore each team name is depicted as a palindrome pictorially. (The name badges are presented in order by palindrome length.)

The years on the name badges give the alpha ordering for the team names.

The count of the symbols repeated at the top of each name badge marks the enumeration for the palindromic team names.

Each tag also has one or two of those symbols partially punched by a hole; any symbol touched by a hole is an answer letter to extract.

And the number of times each name badge lanyard overlaps itself determines the ordering for the extracted answer letters:

NUMBER OF TIMES LANYARD OVERLAPS ITSELFPALINDROME TEAM NAME DEPICTEDLETTER(S) MARKED BY HOLE PUNCHYEAR ON TAG (in alpha order of palindrome)
1L.A.'S REVERSALR E2027
2EGO DOGED2024
3YO BANANA BOY
(The Amazing World of Gumball)
O2037
4PUFF UP
(SpongeBob SquarePants)
F2032
5GIFT FIG
(Adam and Eve or Original Sin, Sacro Monte di Varallo)
F2026
6WAS IT A CAR OR A CAT I SAW
(My Neighbor Totoro)
I C2035
7SPIDER REDIPS
(Charlotte's Web (1973))
E2034
8GABE'S ON A NOSEBAG
(Penny Arcade)
S2025
9POPEYE'S EYE POP
(Fleischer Studios' Popeye the Sailor Man cartoons)
P2031
10SNACK CANSA2033
11CAMP MACC2023
12WE PANIC IN A PEW
(The Simpsons)
E I2036
13OMANYTE TYNAMO
(Pokémon video game series)
T2030
14NO LEMON NO MELON (also works with NO MELON NO LEMON)
(Mario Party Superstars)
E2029
15MOM OM
(Futurama)
M2028

The extracted letters in order spell out RED OFFICE SPACE ITEM, giving the answer STAPLER

Author's Notes

I've had the honor of drawing Palindrome's team name badges since 2009 starting with STAR RATS (!), and over the years we're delighted they've become part of our team's signature. It sure was fun using them in an actual puzzle for a change!

-Joe