Candy Cane Conundrum
Room Setup & Operations Guide
Complete Setup, Clue Placement, and Daily Operations
Purpose: This document provides complete instructions for setting up the Candy Cane Power Plant room, placing all clues and hidden objects, and running daily operations for all 30 shows.
Candy Cane Power Plant Room - Station Placement
8 Button Stations Layout
All 8 stations are placed in the Candy Cane Power Plant room:
- 2 Easy stations (clearly labeled "EASY" or with 1-star icon)
- 2 Medium stations (clearly labeled "MEDIUM" or with 2-star icon)
- 2 Hard stations (clearly labeled "HARD" or with 3-star icon)
- 2 Expert stations (clearly labeled "EXPERT" or with 4-star icon)
Station Spacing: Place stations 4-6 feet apart to avoid crowding. Guests should be able to play at adjacent stations without interfering with each other.
Recommended Layout:
- Easy stations near entrance (most accessible for families with young kids)
- Medium stations in middle area
- Hard and Expert stations toward back (adults can take their time)
- Ensure all candy cane tubes are visible from across room
Clue Placement - Easy Level
Challenge: "The Toy Building Order"
Location: Toy Assembly Room
Clue Type: 4 toy building stations with colored signs
Setup Checklist:
Station 1 sign with GREEN background (or GREEN text)
Station 2 sign with BLUE background (or BLUE text)
Station 3 sign with RED background (or RED text)
Station 4 sign with YELLOW background (or YELLOW text)
Stations clearly labeled with numbers "1", "2", "3", "4"
Stations arranged in visible order (left to right or around room)
Visual Reference: Players should easily see "Station 1 is GREEN, Station 2 is BLUE, Station 3 is RED, Station 4 is YELLOW"
Solution Path: Station 1=GREEN, Station 2=BLUE, Station 3=RED, Station 4=YELLOW → Press GREEN, BLUE, RED, YELLOW (Buttons 2, 3, 1, 4)
Clue Placement - Medium Level
Challenge: "The Gift Count"
Locations: 4 different rooms (Great Hall, Post Office, Santa Tracking, Elf Recreation)
Clue Type: Count colored wrapped gifts in each room
Setup Checklist:
Great Hall: 7 RED wrapped gift decorations (distinct, countable)
Post Office: 3 GREEN wrapped gift decorations
Santa Tracking Room: 5 BLUE wrapped gift decorations
Elf Recreation Room: 9 YELLOW wrapped gift decorations
Gifts should be clearly visible (not hidden)
Gifts should be distinct enough to count accurately
Part of general room decor (not game-specific props)
Adjustment Option: If actual counts need adjustment for room design, maintain the relative order: GREEN (fewest) < BLUE < RED < YELLOW (most). The exact numbers can change as long as the order stays the same.
Solution Path: Count gifts → GREEN=3 (least), BLUE=5, RED=7, YELLOW=9 (most) → Press GREEN, BLUE, RED, YELLOW (Buttons 2, 3, 1, 4)
Clue Placement - Hard Level
Challenge: "The Hidden Treasures"
Locations: 5 different rooms throughout venue
Clue Type: Small hidden objects with numbered tags
Object Specifications:
Small decorative objects (2-4 inches each)
Clearly identifiable type (ornament, bell, snowflake, star, stocking)
Tagged with "Production #1" through "#5"
Tucked into existing decor (not completely hidden, but require looking)
Durable materials for 30 shows
Hidden Object Locations:
| Object |
Room |
Hiding Location |
Tag |
| RED Ornament |
Post Office |
Tucked behind mailbox edge or under table lip |
"#1" |
| GREEN Bell |
Great Hall |
Hidden in table centerpiece or under plate |
"#2" |
| BLUE Snowflake |
Toy Assembly |
Attached under station sign or behind equipment |
"#3" |
| YELLOW Star |
Santa Tracking |
Placed inside star chart corner or behind prop |
"#4" |
| RED Stocking |
Scent Lab |
Behind scent container or under table edge |
"#5" |
Key Mechanic: Two objects are RED (Ornament #1 and Stocking #5). Object type distinguishes which red button to press:
• RED Ornament → Button 1 (first RED)
• RED Stocking → Button 5 (second RED)
Solution Path: Find all 5 objects → Match object type to buttons → Press in numbered order: Button 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5
Clue Placement - Expert Level
Challenge: "The Master Code" - Phase 1 Only
Location: Candy Cane Power Plant room (same room as stations)
Clue Type: 5 small candy canes with production tags, hidden throughout the room
Candy Cane Specifications:
Small decorative candy canes (4-6 inches each)
Bold colors: RED, GREEN, BLUE, YELLOW
Clearly identifiable stripe patterns: THICK vs THIN white stripes
Tagged with "Production #1" through "#5" attached securely
Plastic/resin materials (not edible, durable for 30 shows)
Hidden Candy Cane Locations (all in Candy Cane Power Plant room):
| Candy Cane |
Color |
Stripe Pattern |
Hiding Location |
Tag |
| Candy Cane 1 |
RED |
THICK stripes |
Tucked behind factory control panel |
"Production #1" |
| Candy Cane 2 |
BLUE |
THIN stripes |
Hidden under workbench edge or table lip |
"Production #2" |
| Candy Cane 3 |
GREEN |
THICK stripes |
Behind one of the giant candy cane tubes |
"Production #3" |
| Candy Cane 4 |
YELLOW |
THIN stripes |
Tucked into overhead rigging, pipes, or high shelf |
"Production #4" |
| Candy Cane 5 |
BLUE |
THICK stripes |
Inside/behind factory equipment or machinery prop |
"Production #5" |
Key Mechanic: Stripe pattern distinguishes duplicate colors:
• THICK stripes = Top row buttons (Buttons 1-4)
• THIN stripes = Bottom row buttons (Buttons 5-8)
Two candy canes are BLUE (one thick, one thin) to test this concept.
Solution Path: Find all 5 candy canes → Match color + stripe pattern → Press in numbered order: Button 1 → 7 → 2 → 8 → 3
Phase 2 (Memory Challenge): No setup required - programmed into Arduino
Daily Operations - Pre-Show Setup
Pre-Show Checklist (60 minutes before guests arrive):
Power on all 8 button stations
Verify all displays show correct instructions (Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert)
Test 1-2 button presses on each station (confirm responsiveness)
Check all candy cane tubes light up (green and red)
Verify all clues/objects are in correct locations:
- Toy Assembly: 4 colored station signs visible
- 4 Rooms: Correct counts of colored gift decorations
- 5 Rooms: Hard level hidden objects in place
- Candy Cane Power Plant: Expert level 5 candy canes in place
Replace any damaged/missing clue objects
Clear any paper/notes left by previous players
Check floor around stations for any debris
Quick Test Sequence: Press correct sequence on one Easy station to verify full system works (button input → validation → candy cane lights green → auto-reset).
Daily Operations - During Show
Staff Responsibilities
Zero Active Staff Required: This game is fully self-guided and automated.
Monitoring Tasks (Roving Staff):
- Occasionally check Candy Cane Power Plant room for station issues
- If a station appears frozen, power cycle (unplug, wait 10 seconds, plug back in)
- If a clue object is moved/displaced, return to correct location
- Answer guest questions if asked (but game is designed to be self-explanatory)
Common Guest Questions
| Question |
Answer |
| "How do I know which difficulty to try?" |
"Start with Easy if you're here with kids, or Medium/Hard for a challenge. Expert is our hardest puzzle for adults!" |
| "I got it wrong, can I try again?" |
"Absolutely! The station resets automatically. Read the instructions carefully and explore the venue to find the clues." |
| "Where are the clues for [difficulty]?" |
"The instructions on the screen tell you where to look. Easy is in Toy Assembly, Medium is in 4 different rooms, Hard is throughout the venue, and Expert is hidden in this room." |
| "What do the green/red lights mean?" |
"Green means you got the correct sequence! Red means try again - make sure you found all the clues and pressed buttons in the right order." |
Troubleshooting
| Problem |
Solution |
| Station display blank/frozen |
Power cycle the station (unplug, wait 10 seconds, plug back in). If issue persists, mark station as "Out of Order" and direct guests to duplicate station. |
| Button not responding |
Check if button is stuck (press firmly and release). If still not working, power cycle station. If one button consistently fails, mark station as "Out of Order". |
| Candy cane tube not lighting |
Check power connection to LED strip. If lights don't work but buttons/display do, station is still playable (sequence validation still works, just no visual feedback). |
| Guest says sequence is correct but shows red |
Ask them to walk through their solution with you. Common mistakes: pressing buttons in wrong order, missing a clue, or misidentifying object type (Hard/Expert). |
| Hidden object missing (Hard or Expert) |
Check floor/nearby areas (may have been knocked down). Replace from backup objects. If no backup, temporarily mark that difficulty as "Out of Order" until object is found/replaced. |
| All stations in Candy Cane Power Plant room offline |
Check main power supply/circuit breaker for room. If power issue affects whole room, close room temporarily and notify technical staff immediately. |
Post-Show Teardown
Post-Show Checklist (after final guests leave):
Power off all 8 button stations (or leave powered for next day)
Check all clue objects are still in place:
- Hard level: 5 hidden objects (ornament, bell, snowflake, star, stocking)
- Expert level: 5 candy canes in Candy Cane Power Plant
Replace any damaged objects immediately
Note any technical issues for repair before next show
Clean station areas (remove any player notes, trash)
Maintenance Schedule: Perform full system test every 5-7 shows to ensure all components still functioning properly. Test each button, display, and candy cane tube on all 8 stations.
Backup Supplies
Keep These Items On Hand:
- Backup clue objects: 1-2 extra of each Hard/Expert hidden object
- Backup buttons: 2-3 spare buttons (most likely to fail from repeated use)
- Backup Arduino: 1 pre-programmed Arduino (each difficulty level) for quick swaps
- Power supplies: 1-2 backup 5V power supplies
- Extension cords: In case station needs to be moved
- Tape/adhesive: To re-secure hidden objects if they fall
- "Out of Order" signs: For marking broken stations
Critical Backup: Since there are 2 stations per difficulty, losing one station to technical issues is acceptable - guests can use the duplicate. However, losing both stations of same difficulty means that difficulty level is unavailable for the show.
Estimated Gameplay Capacity
Per Station Play Time:
- Easy: 3-5 minutes
- Medium: 5-8 minutes
- Hard: 10-15 minutes
- Expert: 8-15 minutes
Throughput Estimate (per 2-hour show):
- Easy stations: 24-40 plays per station × 2 stations = 48-80 plays
- Medium stations: 15-24 plays per station × 2 stations = 30-48 plays
- Hard stations: 8-12 plays per station × 2 stations = 16-24 plays
- Expert stations: 8-15 plays per station × 2 stations = 16-30 plays
Total Capacity: 110-182 game plays across all 8 stations per show. With 100 guests per show, there is sufficient capacity for guests to try multiple difficulty levels.