It’s Time for Calvinball! 👦🐯 AL Bonus
Calvin and Hobbes are at it again! After a lively round of Calvinball in Whitemarsh Park, they put together an Adventure Lab so you can join the fun. To unlock the location of this cache (the official Calvinball "Bonus Box"), you will first need to complete the It’s Time for Calvinball! 👦🐯 Adventure Lab and collect the code words and enter them into the checker. The Bonus Box is an extra stop for players who want a little more Calvinball spirit, but it is not required to find the final cache in the companion Calvin and Hobbes series also located in the park.
Calvinball comes from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip by Bill Watterson, where it is portrayed as a wonderfully chaotic game invented by the two main characters: six year old Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes. Calvin is an energetic, imaginative kid who can turn an ordinary day into an epic adventure, and Hobbes, who appears as a real tiger whenever the two are alone, is his best friend, sparring partner, and voice of wry common sense.
The defining feature of Calvinball is that it has no fixed rules. Players make up new rules as they go, often changing them moments later. It is a true unorganized sport. Masks, odd bits of sports equipment, and dramatic declarations are all part of the fun, but none of it follows any real world logic. Even the score is intentionally nonsensical; Calvin and Hobbes might announce something like “Q to 12” and carry on as if it makes perfect sense.
At its heart, Calvinball is a celebration of imagination and playfulness. It is not about winning or losing; it is about embracing creativity, spontaneity, and a little bit of silliness. This Adventure Lab uses that same spirit as a lighthearted theme, giving you a taste of the whimsical world Calvin and Hobbes created.
You can visit in any order but suggest starting at #1 and ending with #5.
When you have completed the Adventure Lab you will have the 5 code words to complete this puzzle. If you need to retrieve the clues later, you can reopen the adventure in the app, and view the journal entries for each of the 5 locations. Each clue is numbered.
Place the code words in order 1 to 5 into Certitude to get the coordinates for this bonus cache. For example, if the words are CALVIN, HOBBES, SWING, PARK, RULES (not the real code words) type them into certitude as:
CALVIN HOBBES SWING PARK RULE
You can validate your puzzle solution with
certitude.
Remember to bring your own pen!
Please make sure you place the cache back properly and cover well,
geocachers aren't the only people or animals who wander here.
Cache placed with permission from Tahesha Minor, City of Bowie Park Operations
Please follow all park rules and regulations. Park is open daily dawn to dusk.