Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunts are a type of physical, creative, or social task/challenge often present in large-scale puzzle hunts. Scavenger hunts are a staple of the MIT Mystery Hunt, with its version of a scavenger hunt taking many forms over the decades since its first instance.

Party Games
Scavenger hunts have existed as folks games for decades, but the modern "party game" scavenger hunt dates back to 1927, when gossip columnist Elsa Maxwell hosted a party in Paris that featured one such game. Similar to today, the original scavenger hunts required participants to collect as many items from a list as possible and return with them to a predetermined location. However, as Maxwell was a socialite in a period known for extravagant parties amongst the social elite (in a city known for extravagance already), the hunt itself was fittingly extravagant. Among other items, attendees had to collect a shoe belonging to French singer Mistinguett, a distinctive red pom-pom from a French naval hat, and a live black swan from the Bois du Bologne park. These items alone resulted in a shoeless performance that night from Mistinguett, multiple hospitalizations due to swan attacks, and a high-profile accusation of theft by the French navy. According to multiple sources, the hunt caused even more disturbances throughout the city that night.

These disturbances did not prevent further iterations (also organized by Maxwell), and in fact may have contributed to the inclusion of even more oddities in the ensuing lists (and partially inspiring the 1936 film My Man Godfrey). In future events, mostly hosted in New York in the 1930s, items included:


 * A live monkey
 * A live goat (non-political)
 * A red street lantern (in a year when police were in on the hunt)
 * A speeding ticket (in a year when police were not in on the hunt)
 * The future Mayor of New York City (or his signature)
 * Jimmy Durante's shoe

Over time, scavenger hunts became popular outside of the social elite, and became popular party games for the masses, albeit with much less disruption to entire cities.