Spectrum #38: Order these Muppets by debut — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from September 21, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these Muppets by debut, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Miss Piggy
- Kermit
- Cookie Monster
- Elmo
- Big Bird
- Abby Cadabby
Abby Cadabby was already in place; Miss Piggy opened 3 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Kermit is the earliest of the six at 1955 and Abby Cadabby the latest at 2006. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Elmo (1980) and Abby Cadabby (2006) — 26 years apart. Everything above that line belongs on the earliest side and everything below it on the latest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Cookie Monster (1966) and Big Bird (1969) are only 3 years apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Earliest to Latest | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kermit | 1955 |
| 2 | Cookie Monster | 1966 |
| 3 | Big Bird | 1969 |
| 4 | Miss Piggy | 1976 |
| 5 | Elmo | 1980 |
| 6 | Abby Cadabby | 2006 |
Previous: Spectrum #37 (Sun, Sep 20) · Next: Spectrum #39 (Tue, Sep 22)
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.