Comic Transcripts

[[Gerald sits at a table, working on a large QR code. Reginald approaches.]]

Reginald: Working on a puzzle?
Gerald: Kind of! I’m engaging with Viral Marketing.

Gerald: It’s a giant QR code puzzle. I’ve been printing out pieces all month.
I got the image files from a bus stop ad for Tic Tacs. Every day while I wait for the bus, I view that day’s portion of the ad through my special Tic Tac Viewer app, which links me to a downloadable puzzle piece PDF.

Gerald: I knew about the viewer because I happened to peel off the label on a box of Tic Tacs. Printed on the inside was a rebus that resolved to an App Store URL.
I love how companies take risks with viral promotions! I like Tic Tacs just fine, but what I like even more are puzzles. I like feeling like someone believes I’m smart enough to figure this out.

Gerald: And that’s the last piece! Let’s see where this QR Code takes us?
It’s a GIF! Animated letters! Y?O?U?A?R?E?W?A?S?T?I?N?G?Y?O?U?R?L?I?F?E?I?T?S?J?U?S?T?T?I?C?T?A?C?S?
What does that spell

{{header: dig deep into WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{alt-text: Gerard peels back every label on every single thing, each time holding his breath and HOPING a mystery like this is waiting.}}

#813; The Tic Tac Treasure transcribed by in

[[Gerald sits at a table, working on a large QR code. Reginald approaches.]]

Reginald: Working on a puzzle?
Gerald: Kind of! I'm engaging with Viral Marketing.

Gerald: It's a giant QR code puzzle. I've been printing out pieces all month.
I got the image files from a bus stop ad for Tic Tacs. Every day while I wait for the bus, I view that day's portion of the ad through my special Tic Tac Viewer app, which links me to a downloadable puzzle piece PDF.

Gerald: I knew about the viewer because I happened to peel off the label on a box of Tic Tacs. Printed on the inside was a rebus that resolved to an App Store URL.
I love how companies take risks with viral promotions! I like Tic Tacs just fine, but what I like even more are puzzles. I like feeling like someone believes I'm smart enough to figure this out.

Gerald: And that's the last piece! Let's see where this QR Code takes us?
It's a GIF! Animated letters! Y?O?U?A?R?E?W?A?S?T?I?N?G?Y?O?U?R?L?I?F?E?I?T?S?J?U?S?T?T?I?C?T?A?C?S?
What does that spell

{{header: dig deep into WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{alt-text: Gerard peels back every label on every single thing, each time holding his breath and HOPING a mystery like this is waiting.}}

Gerard peels back every label on every single thing, each time holding his breath and HOPING a mystery like this is waiting.

#813; The Tic Tac Treasure

  — March 20th, 2012

[ Tags: , ]       Permalink: https://wondermark.com/c/813/

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Applications open for Genius Northwest – an IRL gaming competition

May 8, 2026 by David Malki !

Last year, I participated in Genius Northwest, a gaming competition inspired by the Korean gameshow The Genius and its ilk.

It’s a reality show without the cameras — a 3-day, all-inclusive weekend retreat structured around a series of challenges and puzzles, in which personalities and dealmaking matter as much as playing games.

It’s truly a remarkable thing. I came in dead last in the competition, but I still had a great time participating.

The event is held annually in the Pacific Northwest (hence the name) and applications are now open to participate in the 2026 competition!

Learn more — and apply — at GeniusNW.com.


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