The Literary Circus
Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Gather 'round for the biggest show in the literary world! These seven goos of celebrated authors, each one inspired by a common circus performer, is the biggest thing under the big top. Grab some peanuts and prepare to be dazzled by their writing! And keep your eyes peeled: One of these is the lucky 7000th celebrity goo.
Gucci Mane
publication date: Thursday, September 11, 2025
category: 
Music
clue: His bestselling 2017 autobiography was written while this Trap(eze) Artist was spending approximately 7000 hours in prison.
explanation: Mane co-wrote The Autobiography of Gucci Mane. more…
intended difficulty: easy
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, and LaVonne Lemler
trivia: This was the 7000th celebrity goo.
E.L. James
publication date: Wednesday, September 10, 2025
category: 
Literature
clue: This former ice queen knows a thing or two (and a few dozen more) about Tightrope. Walker, her editor, is among many who have praised her work.
explanation: James wrote Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels, which involve a lot of bondage erotica. She initially published them online under the pseudonym Snowqueens Icedragon. James's U.K. editor is Selina Walker, publisher of the book imprints Century and Arrow. more…
intended difficulty: very hard
solved by: Russ Wilhelm and Steve West
C.S. Lewis
publication date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025
category: Literature
clue: As a Christ allegory, he created a talking Lion Tamer than any real-world big cat, who was the enemy of a witch on the other side of a wardrobe.
explanation: Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia. more…
intended difficulty: easy
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, and LaVonne Lemler
Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
publication date: Monday, September 8, 2025
category: 
Comics
clue: When their most famous character made his 1938 debut lifting a car over his head, it was clear that this writer-artist duo had created a super-popular new kind of Strongman.
explanation: Siegel wrote and Shuster illustrated Action Comics #1, the first appearance of their character Superman. more…
intended difficulty: easy
multiple: This goo was of multiple famous people. Players were required to guess all names for their answers to be correct.
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, and LaVonne Lemler
Laurent de Brunhoff
publication date: Sunday, September 7, 2025
category: Literature
clue: Continuing the work of his father, this French pachydermophile's books controversially implied that cities and civilization were the best Elephant Trainer.
explanation: de Brunhoff wrote and illustrated more than 50 Babar books, which began with The Story of Babar by his father Jean. more…
intended difficulty: medium
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, and LaVonne Lemler
trivia: Scott did not realize that Jean and Laurent were different people when he created the goo. It was originally supposed to be a goo of Jean, but Scott used an image of Laurent. When guesses for Laurent started coming in, Scott corrected the goo and added a day to its expiration deadline, per the game's rules -- but in the process, he changed it to be a goo of Laurent, and merely added the words "continuing the work of his father."
Stephen King
publication date: Saturday, September 6, 2025
category: Literature
clue: This horrifically successful author predicted that long after he's dead, the character that he'll most be remembered for will be a Clown that lives in a sewer. Who's the king?
explanation: King wrote It. more…
intended difficulty: very easy
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, and LaVonne Lemler
J.R.R. Tolkien
publication date: Friday, September 5, 2025
category: Literature
clue: His legendary trilogy of novels about a Ringmaster, and the fellowship charged with its destruction, introduced the world to a new kind of fantasy.
explanation: Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings. more…
intended difficulty: very easy
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, and LaVonne Lemler
