04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Fliers with a mysterious cartoon are papering S.F. streets. We found out why
Cryptic fliers started appearing on San Francisco telephone poles this week, offering little more than a smiling cartoon figure, a website and a phone number to text.
The analog approach to getting the word out marks the return of Pursuit, the city's favorite scavenger hunt. The 15 friends who designed the clues would prefer to remain anonymous, and that every element of the hunt be a surprise. But there is one thing organizers do want you to know:
There's absolutely no catch.
'We don't have any ulterior motive here,' said Pursuit co-creator Riley Walz. 'It's family-friendly. It's totally free. We want people to have a good time, meet new friends, explore San Francisco and maybe visit a few (small) businesses along the way.'
Walz is known to San Franciscans as the creator of the Bop Spotter, a Shazam-enabled solar-powered phone planted in the Mission District, auto-curating a Spotify playlist of a street corner's music. He was also part of a team of pranksters that created demand for an imaginary New York steak house with a flood of fake reviews, then made it real for a night.
Pursuit is arguably the most ambitious project yet. Last year, the month-long game, with a few clues doled out per week, ended with more than 1,000 participants. Three hundred of them gathered to celebrate the scavenger hunt (and San Francisco) at Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park.
Since March, the group has been thinking up a dozen or more clues for this year's hunt that require city exploration, a little problem-solving, and a lot of joy. There's no leaderboard, and everyone's a winner. (There's also no cash prize, as there allegedly was in an unrelated Reddit treasure hunt in May.)
Organizers declined to disclose what surprises this year's Pursuit holds. Players are instructed to simply text 415-888-9518, and then wait until July 12.
But last year was a blast, filled with city discoveries and creative flourishes that reflect the creators, many of whom work in tech.
One clue was a simple YouTube livestream looking out of a second-story apartment window; players had to inspect the video to pick up clues — including one barely visible street sign — and find the location.
'It was funny, because as you were watching it, you could see the players ahead of you, looking at the camera, pointing and solving it in real time,' Walz said. 'It was also proof to us that people were actually doing this.'
Another clue came from a series of working telephones planted in businesses, including a hamburger-shaped phone in Flippin Burger on Haight Street. And yet another involved a fill-in-the-blanks worksheet on Waverly Place, which led viewers a few blocks away to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. At that popular tourist spot, 500 cookies with special scavenger hunt-specific fortunes were waiting for contestants who asked for 'Percy.' (The group's name for the cartoon character in the fliers.)
The cynicism-free event, Walz said, offers proof that San Francisco is still a very fun place. Over half of the businesses approached to participate, sometimes with very strange requests, were more than game. Organizers last year witnessed players gathering as the clues were distributed, making new friends, and patronizing nearby businesses. The meet-up in McLaren Park had the vibes of a happy reunion.
The group's small budget is covered by anonymous sponsors, including hundreds of dollars to print physical fliers. New clues will drop every week, but they're not sequential, so players can set their own pace.
Walz said the group will be excited to see the turnout, hoping to double last year's participation. Strong curiosity on Reddit should help get to 2,000 players or more. But ultimately he said Pursuit is about the journey, not any marketing goals or target numbers.
'I don't think this could really happen in many other places in the world,' Walz said, 'where you just put up fliers and get this whole almost cult-like horde of people that are trying to (complete) your puzzle.'
