Case Study: Catch That Ghost

The National Museum of Mathematics has run a number of puzzle events for adults, but until 2018, they had never run one for kids or families. They commissioned an event from Eric, who in October of 2018 challenged the kids to catch nine ghosts haunting New York City.

The museum wanted an event that would take the kids all around the neighborhood, so Eric worked closely with businesses in the Flatiron District, many of which allowed themselves to be “haunted” for the day. On the day of the event, families went from location to location, solving puzzles in order to determine the “bait” that would capture that particular ghost. A successful solve earned the team a custom-made token, depicting an adorable ghost surrounded by the letters of the correct answer, as if captured by that answer.

After teams had captured eight ghosts, they were deemed ready to take on the ninth and final ghost — the one haunting the National Museum of Mathematics itself. Teams needed to use all of the tokens they had collected to solve one final, tricky puzzle. Successful teams earned a beautiful final token, with a glittery golden ghost on one side and the MoMath logo on the other.