The name's Samantha Spade: Private Investigator. The last part's my title, not my last name. My investigation has been getting tighter than a Tightwad's bags of cash, ever since the events of the last 26th. The Toon Resistance had been alerted of the existence of a top-secret Cog memo, but they had a big problem: they couldn’t find hair nor hide of it anywhere! (And trust me, they checked under every rock, in every nook and cranny.)

After some sleuthy investigation, it was concluded that the anomalies had intervened with the location of the memo and transported the memo somewhere outside of Toontown. Puzzling Patricia -- my informant inside the Toon Resistance -- was my second pair of eyes on the scene. Luckily, I seemed to have had my work cut out for me. Other sleuths on the scene were solving the puzzles even before I could! Let's check out their findings in a case I'm calling: The Cogbuck Conundrum.

A Flunky Introduction

Cogs, Inc. definitely did not want Toons to have all the fun at ReplayFX, as they had sent in one of their own in the hopes of getting free publicity for their own ends. A Flunky had wandered into the ToonFest booth, handing out fake Cogbucks filled with jargon, in hope of enticing Toons to join their corporation. That Cog was a despicable fellow, with his sneaky mumbo jumbo and enticing Cogbucks. Never trust a Cog, that's what I always say.

Luckily, the production line for these particular set of Cogbucks had been tampered with by the Toon Resistance, sneakier than an ant running across your bedroom floor. They always told me I was a good detective, but nobody's ever said my analogy skills are on point. Back on topic, the hijacking was a success, adding a hidden transmission for potential Toon Resistance recruits to spot directly on the Cogbucks.

They had been modified with a QR code, technology which is beyond even the greatest of detectives. Yet, when these codes were scanned, a message and a puzzle from Lord Lowden Clear was received. I may have not attended the event in person, but I could never pass on such a puzzle. This code allowed for Toons attending the event to use their detective skills to solve this conundrum.

Hidden in Plain Sight

These Cog memo pieces were not going to be found easily, as Toons had to find and solve 6 puzzles scattered around the convention center. Once a puzzle was solved, Toons and Resistance Representatives worked together to reveal each memo piece that was hidden behind each puzzle.

A multitude of puzzles tested Toons from all around, all right here:

• A stray piece of paper… and A mysterious grid: A matching pair, it seems that the contents of the paper have something to do with the grid and how to unravel it.
  
  
• Dimm's Dropped Debris: This puzzle is straightforward, as much as Doctor Dimm isn’t, to look at the different parts and see which one would fit right in his… er… P.O.C.K.E.T.
  
  
• Baker Bridget's Cupcake Creation: I’m no baker, but I can see a scrambled set of steps when I can see them. We’d need to look at other similar recipes to get anywhere with this. Or… maybe the torn pieces could be a hint, too?
  
  
• Circles and Symbols: Wowie zowie, I haven’t any symbols like these anywhere. Maybe covering up parts of it would show something familiar? Those circles probably have something to do with getting an answer, too.
  
  
• Punchy's Predicament and Larry's Levitating Library Shelves: Two tricksy predicaments that Librarian Larry and Fisherman Punchy have gotten themselves into. I’m sure it’s not so puzzling that we’d get stumped by it too!
  
  
• The Final Puzzle: The final puzzle isn’t quite a puzzle, but a quiz from Lord Lowden Clear himself! I hope you didn’t skip to the last puzzle, because you’ll need to know the previous puzzles to finish this one!
  
  

Under Lock and Key

At last, after several days of teamwork, some sharp Resistance Rangers had solved the puzzles and gathered all nine pieces of the puzzle to reveal the elusive Cog memo, but there was just one problem…

Drat! It seems that the Cogs have further encrypted their documents, as if they've gotten wise to our intercepting ways. Not to worry though, this should just be a little hiccup in stopping the Cogs from starting their plot.

Say, with this post being on the 26th -- maybe there's even an anomaly in my own investigation! I've seen stranger things from those Loony Labs folk, that's for sure. Either way, it's back to case cracking for me. I hear there's a runaway Clown Fish down at the dock, and I need to get my hands on him for a new trophy!