For our older child’s fourth birthday, he asked for a theme of “A Rainbow of Funny Animals”, inspired by the magnetic mix-and-match animal toy shown above. I made this puzzle to go with the theme, branching off of my typical guess-the-thing-from-the-emoji genre of party puzzle.

Puzzle

1. Pet fabled to have a 3-second memory that is often found in bowl and featured in Jaws
2. Signifier of a rare event that a clownfish might live inside
3. Ostracized family member who appears to be wearing a tuxedo
4. Mischievous cartoon creature foiling Inspector Clouseau’s plans, featured in Ratatoullie
5. Avian vodka mascot that feeds on leftovers at the beach
6. Bouncy, seed-eating state bird of Washington that is a “measuring” caterpillar
7. “How now, __ __?” Or should we say, “Hoo, now…”?
8. Energy Drink mascot that wears red pajamas in an Anna Dewdney children’s book
9. Wakandan superhero that’s aquatic and has a long neck
10. Radio-era superhero with sidekick Kato, who is associated with warts
11. Nocturnal insect typically found inside, and often eaten with cocktail sauce
12. Late creature in Alice in Wonderland that is a striped domesticated cat
13. Mascot for “Gourmet Burgers and Brews” American chain, and the smaller variety of long-trunked animals
14. Symbol of a misleading clue, with circular stripes on its fluffy back appendage
15. Titular creature in an Earl Carle-illustrated book who upon seeing a red bird, wriggles into the dirt in terror
16. U.S. military helicopter fond of eating eucalyptus
17. Not to be confused with a black-and-white bear, this raccoon-like animal is actually a wiener dog
18. One of the hallucinated creatures “on parade” in Dumbo who likes to consume insects found in colonies
19. Bus company mascot that quacks
20. Middle Earth tavern mascot that lives underwater and has a long “horn” that is actually a tooth
21. Acorn-loving rodent that is a large deer
22. A special forces member of the U.S. maritime service branch who hears “see you later”
23. The largest mammal (which is actually a spotted wildcat)
24. American seafood restaurant mascot that might eat the wood in your home

Solutions