Celebrating Mystery Science Theater 3000 with a Special Crossword!

At this point, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is a comedy institution.

This simple idea — a man and his robot pals watching movies with the audience and gleefully poking fun at them — has spanned decades and generations.

And it’s been a good year for MST3K fans.

Not only has a copy of the last lost episode of the show been found — the KTMA-era version of Star Force: The Fugitive Alien 2,” which hasn’t been available since its original airing in November of 1988 — but the RiffTrax team of Bill Corbett, Mike Nelson, and Kevin Murphy have successfully crowdfunded a new quartet of episodes, MST3K: The RiffTrax Experiments.

A glimpse of the new set!

Over the years, this show has gone from local cable to Comedy Central, then to the Sci-Fi Channel. It left terrestrial cable for a while, until crowdfunding resurrected it. Then it streamed on Netflix, and moved to its own private streaming platform (The Gizmoplex, which is sadly shuttering soon). Along the way, it has toured with live shows, inducted new hosts and new robot voices into the cast, and now has constant livestreams running on YouTube.

It has spawned spinoffs like The Film Crew, Cinematic Titanic, and most famously RiffTrax, and new generations of fans are continuing to discover the show. (Plus a very lucky few joined the writing crew in some of the latest seasons.)

And new episodes on the horizon aren’t the only reason to celebrate.

Today marks the start of Halfway to Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving marathons have been an MST3K tradition going back to the ’90s, and the Turkey Day Marathon is so beloved that fans simply can’t wait until November to celebrate.

So Halfway to Turkey Day was born. A marathon of all the previous Turkey Day events, Halfway to Turkey Day starts today and will run through June 2nd. It’s available on Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, RokuChannel, the CW app, plus Samsung, LG, VIZIO and Google Smart TVs and more.

And I’ve been working on a puzzle celebrating Mystery Science Theater 3000, so what better day to share it than today, I ask you?

I hope all of the MSTies out there delight in a puzzly little journey through the history of one of my all-time favorite TV shows.

(Click here to download a PDF of the puzzle.)

I’ve tried to make it as inclusive as possible, so no matter who your favorite host is or what your favorite episode is, there should be something for you to enjoy. (Plus I couldn’t resist coloring in a few black squares when I spotted Gypsy/GPC in the grid.)

Happy puzzling, MSTies! And Happy Halfway to Turkey Day!

[Thank you to Jennifer Cunningham, Troy Bond, and Crossword Gentleman Doug Peterson for your testsolving and input!]

May the Fourth Be With You

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Happy Star Wars Day, fellow puzzlers!

I usually make brain teasers for Star Wars Day — check out these ones from 2021, 2018, and 2017 — but this year, I felt inspired to create a crossword puzzle!

Now, this 19x puzzle might be a little challenging if you’re not steeped in SW knowledge, since the theme involves bits of Star Wars-specific wordplay.

But hopefully the crossings will help you unravel what’s going on here!

[Click here to download a PDF of the puzzle.]

After decades of movies, TV shows, novels, comic books, and all sorts of adventures, the saga of Star Wars still remains one of my favorite fictional universes. And I’m happy to bring two of my most enduring passions — Star Wars and puzzles — together again today.

Happy solving, puzzlers!

A Logic Puzzle Worthy of the Fey for Monster Week!

Some of the many fey creatures that populate Dungeons & Dragons
(image courtesy of WOTC / Nerdarchy)

It’s Monster Week, a yearly celebration of the many creatures and beings that make the world of fantasy roleplaying games so immersive. Created by D&D content creators Ginny Di and Pointy Hat, Monster Week is a celebration of roleplaying game creativity, and this year’s theme is the Fey.

Otherwise known as fairies, fae, the fairyfolk, or a number of other names, fey are known for making bargains, outwitting unsuspecting mortals, and toying with tricky words and devious deceptions.

So naturally, I couldn’t resist crafting a puzzle celebrating fey bargains and fantasy-fueled frippery. Please enjoy this deduction puzzle loaded with D&D-friendly flavor!

And be sure to check out ALL the awesome fey-inspired content over on YouTube.


A party of adventurers stepped into a fairy ring and found themselves transported to another realm: the mysterious domain of the fey. Each sought to acquire something from this strange place, well aware of the dangers that come with bargaining with the fairyfolk, but hoping to escape without any dangerous debts or unpleasant consequences.

Can you determine what each adventurer sought (one adventurer is Ludo the Quick, one adventurer sought the gift of eternal youth), in which order they were forced to bargain with the fey for their goal, and what cost or promise they made in exchange?

  1. On the night of the first day, while they were setting up camp for the evening, one adventurer promised a year of their life to the fey. It wasn’t Makavia Magehound, although Makavia also made their bargain that first night.
  2. On the morning of the second day, one adventurer made their bargain, promising to perform a song that would lure others into the fairy ring. Later that day, both Handsome Jak Two-Axe and the adventurer who sought a bountiful harvest made their fey bargains.
  3. On the second day, one adventurer made a pact with the fey, promising to spread a harmful rumor around his city when he returned. On the same day, the adventurer who sought an enchanted lute that could bring fame and fortune made their bargain with the fey.
  4. One adventurer promised their firstborn child to the fey. This was sometime after the adventurer who sought eternal beauty, but before Elowen Sharpthistle made their bargain.
  5. Either Bethany the Bold (who wasn’t the adventurer who sought a bountiful harvest) or the adventurer who sought a rare medicinal flower from the fey bargained away a treasured memory (which was not the first or second bargain made), and the other promised to perform a song that would lure others into the fairy ring.
  6. The adventurer who sought the rare medicinal flower did not make their bargain immediately before or immediately after Bethany the Bold.

Did you unravel my fey-filled logic puzzle? Do you have a favorite fairy or fey creature in your game? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you.

American Crossword Puzzle Tournament Weekend!

Good luck to everyone participating in Stamford and at home in this year’s Nerd Olympics, aka the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament!

The mix of camaraderie and competition is so unique at ACPT, and there’s a general joyfulness that permeates the entire event. (Yes, even during the dreaded Puzzle #5.)

While I was unable to attend this year sadly, I did celebrate in my own way… by constructing a puzzle for you to enjoy!

Consider this a VERY easy icebreaker to shake off any puzzly ring rust you might have before diving into the devious and delightful puzzles of this year’s tournament!

[Click here to download a PDF of the puzzle.]

This is probably my fastest turnaround ever for a puzzle, from initial idea to finished product, and I hope you enjoy.

Happy puzzling, friends and competitors! Break a leg!

Wait, that’s for actors. What’s a good luck term for cruciverbalists? Break a pencil tip? That seems like a cruel jinx to put on someone.

Possible options:

  • May all your crossings not be cross!
  • Get your fill!
  • Happy rebus hunting!
  • Grid and bear it!

Wow, those are awful. Anyway, good luck and enjoy the puzzle!

Farewell, Sam.

Sam Kieth is a comic book artist, writer, and storyteller who isn’t as well-known as he should be. He wrote and drew for the Hulk, Wolverine, Batman, and many other notable characters, and also co-created The Sandman with the intolerable Neil Gaiman.

He has sadly passed away at the age of 63 after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia.

When I was younger, his comic The Maxx (and the MTV Oddities cartoon adapted from the comic) were brain-meltingly creative influences on me.

He opened my mind to the possibilities of storytelling, and I still count his works alongside those of Dave Barry, Terry Pratchett, Connie Willis, and Douglas Adams, when it comes to how impactful they were.

And I want to pay tribute to him the best way I know how, so I created a little acrostic puzzle in his honor.

[Click here to download a PDF of the puzzle.]

I hope you enjoy solving it, and take a little time to explore the works of Sam Kieth. He leaves a long and varied creative legacy behind him, and much of it holds up to this very day.

Farewell, Sam. And thank you.

A Seasonal Puzzle Contest from Michael Hanko and George Barany!

Hello puzzly friends!

Today is indeed your lucky day, as I have a second puzzle to share with you, courtesy of constructors Michael Hanko and George Barany!

They’re hosting a puzzle contest and asked me to help spread the word to my fellow puzzle enthusiasts.

The challenge before you? Solve the crossword below, titled Calendar Arithmetic, and complete both the grid and the bonus message (a timely warning!) at the bottom of the grid.

[Click here to download the puzzle!]

Once you’ve printed and solved the puzzle, either photograph or scan the completed grid.

Send it AND the timely warning to barany@umn.edu for a chance to win a prize, like puzzle books or complimentary custom puzzles to be worked out with the constructors!

Submit your entry by the vernal equinox for your chance to win: Friday, March 20, 2026, 9:46 AM. (Okay, just checked, and they’re offering a grace period, as long as you get the puzzle in by midnight on Sunday, March 22nd.)

Good luck, and happy puzzling!