Ripleys believe it or not Riddle of Master LU installiing Directions
Gerald hunt
I have lost my instruction booklet and need the installing directions. I
would thank you very much thanks. Just send them by email to
Gerald...@hotmail.com
THanks
GERALD
--
Posted via CNET Help.com
http://www.help.com/
Murray Peterson
<t9iqqd...@corp.supernews.com>:
>I need very urgently the instaling directions for the Riddle of Master
>Lu. I have lost my instruction booklet and need the installing
>directions. I would thank you very much thanks.
1. Put CD into your CD-ROM drive
2. Open a DOS window and run the INTSTALL.BAT program on the game CD
>Just send them by email to Gerald...@hotmail.com
Sorry, but I don't do that. You will have to read this post.
--
Murray Peterson
Email: murray_...@home.com (remove underscore)
URL: http://www.members.home.net/murraypeterson
Arne
INSTALLATION & SET-UP
The following is a walk-through of the Installation and Setup procedures for
The Riddle of Master Lu. For optimum game play, it is recommended you choose
the largest install your drive space will allow.
EASY INSTALLATION
1. If you have an external CD-ROM drive, turn it on first.
2. Turn on your computer and allow it to boot completely.
3. Place The Riddle of Master Lu game disk in your CD-ROM drive.
4. At the DOS command prompt, type D: (or whichever letter corresponds to
your CD-ROM drive). Press [ENTER].
5. Type INSTALL and press [ENTER].
6. When prompted, select EASY installation from the Install Menu. Click on
the Done button.
* NOTE: EASY INSTALLATION will search your drive to determine if you have
50MB free disk space. If so, the program will perform the MEDIUM install
(requiring 34MB free disk space); otherwise, it will default to MINIMUM
install (requiring 5MB free disk space). For MAXIMUM (620MB free space)
install, you must go through the ADVANCED installation procedure.
* NOTE: Under MINIMUM install, gameplay will be slower as the program will
have to read more frequently from The Riddle of Master Lu CD-ROM.
README.DOC FILE
During installation, the program will open the README.DOC file for you to
read. This document contains useful information. (We recommend you take the
time to read this file completely.)
ADVANCED INSTALLATION
Follow steps 1 through 5 of EASY INSTALLATION
1. When prompted, select ADVANCED installation from the Install Menu. When
finished, click on the Done button.
2. Choose the drive you wish to install the game on. Click on the Choose
button beside the Drive display window to proceed to the Choose Drive
sub-menu. Included in the list of choices is the amount of space currently
free on each drive. Click on the drive letter to select it, then click on
the Done button. (Continue to use the Choose and Done buttons as you select
other settings listed below.)
3. Select the install size. Choose between MINIMUM (requires 5MB free disk
space), MEDIUM (requires 34MB free space), or MAXIMUM (requires 620MB free
space) install.
4. Next, choose the directory in which you'd like the game installed. Click
on the Browse button beside the Directory display window, then select the
directory of your choice.
5. At the ADVANCED Install menu, click on Done.
* NOTE: A HELP button is available at each stage of the ADVANCED
INSTALLATION process.
SETUP
Once Installation is complete, you will be asked to configure your sound
card(s). The Riddle of Master Lu supports a variety of sound cards and
add-ons for music and digital sound.
1. Select your Music Card by clicking on the Choose button beside the Music
Card display window. At the Music Card sub-menu, choose a card that matches
your own or one that your card supports. Once you've made a selection, click
on the Done button. (Continue to use the Choose and Done buttons to select
other settings listed below.)
2. Select a Digital Sound Card that matches your own, or one that your card
supports. (If you only have one card, select that card for both music and
digital sound.)
3. Click on the DETECT SETTINGS button.
4. The program will attempt to autodetect settings for your card(s). When
finished, click on the Done button. If the program fails to correctly detect
your card settings, you will have to enter the settings manually.
* NOTES
If you're unsure about which sound cards you have, check your sound card
documentation.
If you've opted for MINIMUM or MEDIUM install, check that the CD-ROM Source
Drive setting is correct.
TO PLAY NOW
1. Type MASTERLU.
2. Strike [ENTER]. Enjoy!
TO PLAY LATER
1. Switch to the directory that contains The Riddle of Master Lu program.
2. At the prompt, type either CD\GAME\RIDDLE, CD\GAMES\RIDDLE or CD\RIDDLE.
(During installation, the program will have attempted to find a \GAME or
\GAMES directory under which to put the \RIDDLE program. If it discovered no
\GAME or \GAMES directory, The Riddle of Master Lu will be found in
C:\RIDDLE.
3. Type MASTERLU and hit [ENTER]. Enjoy!
ORION BURGER DEMO
We've included on The Riddle of Master Lu CD-ROM a sneak preview of
Sanctuary Woods' hilarious new animated game, ORION BURGER. This quirky
cartoon adventure pits you as an earthling named Wilbur against an alien
fast-food chain that wants to harvest Earth and serve humanity up with a
side of fries.
TO INSTALL THE ORION BURGER DEMO
1. If you have an external CD-ROM drive, turn it on first. Turn on your
computer.
2. If you haven't already done so, place The Riddle of Master Lu game disk
in your CD-ROM drive.
3. At the DOS command, type D: (or whichever letter corresponds to your
CD-ROM drive). Press [ENTER].
4. Type CD\BURGDEMO and press [ENTER].
5. Type INSTALL and press [ENTER].
6. When installation is complete and you have been returned to the DOS
prompt, type DEMO and strike [ENTER]. Have fun!
INTRODUCTION
The Riddle of Master Lu is an adventure game, where you control the actions
of Robert Ripley, the famous world traveler and collector of the bizarre,
and guide him as he attempts to unravel an ancient mystery surrounding the
tomb of the First Emperor of China, Chin Shih Huang-di.
You'll find the installation instructions in the following sections, and a
detailed explanation of the game interface and options. Here we'll just
provide a few general tips to help you get the most from the game.
Playing the adventure is largely a matter of wits, not reaction time. There
is no way to "lose" the game, except by not finishing it. From time to time
you may find that you just can't seem to accomplish anything, but we assure
you there is always some way ahead. Be prepared to enjoy The Riddle of
Master Lu over several days. It will take the average player an estimated 50
hours to complete the game.
There are six world locations for you to visit. Once Ripley has talked to
the Priest in the Hall of Classics, and Baron von Seltsam, most locations
are available to explore. To arrange travel, talk to the agent in any Posh E
xpress office. If you miss something in your explorations, you'll always
have the opportunity to come back for it later. Talk to everyone you meet
and learn as much as you can. If you find you are stuck at a certain point,
try travel to broaden your mind. Who knows? You might come across something
that may help!
As well as solving the mystery of the emperor's tomb, Ripley has a business
to run. The Odditorium is only recently opened, and not doing very well as
yet, so be on the lookout for more exhibits. Some of the things you will
come across are free for the taking; others must be bartered for. You can
send acquisitions back to the Odditorium from any Posh Express office, or by
returning to the Odditorium. If you've exhibited something you later find
you need for another purpose, you can retrieve it from the Odditorium.
Don't neglect to search for oddities, or Ripley's business partner, Feng Li,
won't be able to pay the Odditorium bills, and you may have an unpleasant
surprise waiting for you when you return to New York!
QUICK REFERENCE
Key:
Spacebar/right mouse button/"F" letter key
Function:
Causes Ripley to "jump" across screen (Click destination first)
Key:
"T" or "A" letter key
Function:
Changes cursor into "TAKE" icon
Key:
"U" or "S" letter key
Function:
Changes cursor into "USE" icon
Key:
"L" or "D" letter key
Function:
Changes cursor into "LOOK" icon
Key:
ESC
Function:
From game screen, brings up the Game Menu
From Game Menu, returns you to game screen
From Options Menu, returns you to Game Menu
In Save Game dialogue box, cancels save
In Load Game dialogue box, cancels load
Key:
ENTER
Function:
From Game Menu, returns you to game screen
From Options Menu, returns you to Game Menu
In Save Game dialogue box, initiates save (if you've clicked on a slot)
In Load Game dialogue box, initiates load (if you've clicked on an active
slot)
Key:
ALT-Q, ALT-X, CTRL-Q or CTRL-X
Function:
Quits to DOS
Key:
F2 Key
Function:
Brings up Save Game dialogue box
Key:
F3 Key
Function:
Brings up Load Game dialogue box
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PLAY
Everything in The Riddle of Master Lu can be done with the mouse. All
references to "clicking" in the following sections are to the left mouse
button.
GETTING AROUND
To move Ripley around the Screen, click where you want him to walk. To go to
a different screen, move the mouse until the cursor becomes a pointing
finger, then click. To climb ladders and other climbable objects, first
click on the USE icon, then click on the object you wish Ripley to climb.
It is often possible to save time by "jumping" Ripley across the screen. To
do this, click on Ripley's destination, then press the SPACEBAR or click the
right mouse button, or hit the "F" letter key. You may have to repeat this
more than once to get all the way across some larger screens. This method
can't be used to bypass barriers; all it does is skip some animation frames.
PLAYING AROUND
There are four buttons in the bottom let corner of the screen. The first
three all work in exactly the same way. Notice that as you move the cursor
around a location, short text descriptions of various objects and features
appear above the buttons.
1. Click on "Hand Icon with the Palm Down" if you want to TAKE an object.
2. Click on "Hand Icon with the Palm Up" if you want to USE/MANIPULATE an
object.
3. Click on "Magnifying Glass" if you want to LOOK at an object.
4. Click on "Ripley's Amazing Steamer Trunk" to open/close inventory.
5. Click on "Pointing Finger" to bring up the Game Menu.
If you want Ripley to TAKE something, click on the hand icon with the palm
down. The cursor will become the icon. Now click on the object you would
like Ripley to pick up. If he can comply, he'll pick it up. A closer view of
the object will pop up on screen. When you've admired it long enough, click
anywhere on the game screen, and the object will appear in your inventory.
If Ripley can't pick up the object (for example if it's too heavy or nailed
down), he'll tell you why he can't follow your instructions. (You can also
use the "T" or "A" keys to change your cursor into the TAKE icon.)
The second button is a hand icon with the palm up. Click on it if you want
Ripley to USE or MANIPULATE something. When this convenient button is
selected, he can OPEN and CLOSE things like doors and drawers. He can also
MOVE onscreen objects, and OPERATE machinery. In general this button allows
Ripley to interact with any inanimate object in a screen. Just click on the
object with this button, and Ripley will do the rest. If for some reason, he
can't do what you ask, he'll explain why. (You can also use the "U" or "S"
keys to change your cursor into the USE button.)
To USE an INVENTORY item, click on it. The cursor will become the item.
Click that item on another object either in the scene, or in the inventory.
Ripley should be able to figure out what you have in mind, and perform the
appropriate action.
To USE an ON-SCREEN object with something else on-screen (an inventory or
background object), click on the USE button. Now, click on the object you
wish to use. The cursor will become that object. Click on the second
(inventory or background) object and Ripley will spring into action. If he
cannot perform the function you've requested, he'll explain why.
If you want Ripley to LOOK at something, click on the magnifying glass
button. The cursor will become the magnifying glass. Now click where you
would like Ripley to look. He'll be happy to describe what he sees. If
Ripley has nothing to say about a particular item, he will describe his
general surroundings. (You can also use the "L" or "D" keys to change your
cursor into the LOOK at button.)
The fourth icon is Ripley's amazing steamer trunk: the one essential piece
of luggage he needs in his travels. This is the INVENTORY where Ripley keeps
all the objects he picks up in the course of the game. You can put an
incredible amount of things in there, big and small, yet they will never
slow Ripley down. Believe it or not! If you accumulate too many inventory
objects to see at one glance, a scrolling bar will appear. Click on the
scrollbar arrow to browse through your collection of objects. Click on the
trunk, and it will open, revealing its contents. Click on it again, and its
contents will be hidden from view.
Ripley is always ready for an adventure. Inside his steamer trunk you'll
find pocket money (U.S. dollars) that can be exchanged for local currency at
any Posh Express office. The second object in Ripley's trunk, his WWI
photograph, is a piece of nostalgia he keeps with him at all times. Ripley's
journal is his other constant companion (see Ripley's Journal section for
more details).
The cursor will default to the most logical action when it passes over
something of interest. Like the pointing finger that appears over a door or
other exit, the magnifying glass will appear over something you might want
to LOOK at, and a talking mouth icon will appear over characters you may
want to TALK to. To change this default momentarily, simply select a
different button from below.
Click on the pointing finger icon in the bottom right corner of the screen
or press ESC to bring up the Game Menu.
TALKING AROUND
Luckily for Ripley (and you) most of the major characters in the game speak
English. Some don't, but Mei Chen speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese, so
she'll be able to translate.
When you click the talking mouth icon on a character two things may happen.
If Ripley has something he wants to say, he'll say it. When he's at a loss
for words, however, you can help. A menu of dialogue entrees will appear in
the upper left corner of the screen. Choose a statement or question that
interests you, and Ripley will say it to the character. A short conversation
will ensue, sometimes only a line or two, sometimes more. Then one of two
things will happen. Either an entirely new menu of choices will replace the
first, or several choices from the previous menu will reappear. It really
depends on the flow of the conversation.
You will have to direct Ripley through some conversations in their entirety,
but for most, if you no longer want to talk to someone, you'll be able to
choose a polite goodbye for Ripley to pass along. You may immediately talk
to characters again, wait until later, or ignore them completely. However,
many characters may have information that will make your quest easier, so
it's best to be sociable.
You can never make a "wrong" choice that will permanently bar your progress
in the game. However, how you choose to proceed in a conversation does make
a difference in how characters respond to you. You can choose to be polite,
or try and drive someone crazy just for the heck of it, but you must be
prepared for the consequences.
RIPLEY'S JOURNAL
As you discover clues to The Riddle of Master Lu, Ripley will jot them down
in his journal. Refer to the journal regularly to check your progress. To
see inside the journal, use the LOOK at button. To turn pages once in the
journal screen, click on the pointing hand button at the bottom right of the
page. Exit the journal by clicking on the finger that points away from the
journal (anywhere along the perimeter of the page).
You can also direct Ripley to sketch things of interest by PUTting the
journal on places/objects on the active game screen. If the place or object
is worthy of a Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoon, he'll promptly sketch
it. On Ripley's next visit to New York, look in the Cartoon Room to see the
new sketch on display.
LETTERS, NOTES AND RADIOGRAMS
Use the LOOK at button to re-read any of the letters and notes in your
inventory. Click on the letter or note of your choice and a popup will
appear as Ripley begins to read it aloud. If you decide you've heard as much
as you need to for the moment, click outside the popup (on the active game
screen) and Ripley's voice over will cease.
Ripley also keeps a log of the messages he receives at the Posh Express
offices. To listen to these, place the LOOK at button on the message log
icon in inventory. Select the radiogram you wish to hear from the menu that
appears on screen and Ripley will read it for you.
POSH EXPRESS OFFICES
No matter which world location Ripley visits, there'll always be a trusty
Posh Express office nearby.
It is here Ripley can send and receive radiograms, arrange to have oddities
sent home, exchange U.S. dollars for local currency and travel to new
locations. To make the necessary arrangements, simple talk to the friendly
Posh Express agent behind the counter.
Booking Passage
Select the conversation option "I'd like to book passage." The locations
available to Ripley at any given point in the game will appear as text on
the upper left corner of the screen. Once you've talked to the right people
and obtained the necessary documents, all game locations will be available
for exploration.
Sending Oddities Home
Direct Ripley to tell the agent he'd like to send a parcel to New York. A
menu of all the oddities you've collected will appear at the bottom right of
the game screen. Select the object you wish to send to Feng Li. When you
next visit New York, you'll find it on display in the Odditorium!
Local Currency
Choose "I'd like to buy some...(marks, yuan, etc.)." No matter how badly
Ripley's financial situation is at home, he'll always have enough pocket
money to get by.
Withdrawing Money
Ripley can ask to withdraw the money in his account, however until the
Odditorium is overflowing with new oddities, he may have to end up paying
his way in cash.
Be sure to look around each of the Posh Express offices and talk to the
agents. Even here you might find something that could help Ripley in his
quest.
GETTING RIPLEY KILLED
If you should make a move that gets Ripley killed, don't worry. The game's
"auto-resurrect" feature will restore you to the point just before you made
the fatal mouse click. Nevertheless, it's still a good idea to save your
game frequently. (Be especially sure to save the game before entering the
Baron's laboratory at the Ace of Spades castle. This is an advanced
puzzle--you cannot exit the laboratory without having first solved it.)
MAIN MENU
The first time you run the game, you'll see the introductory sequences and
proceed right into gameplay. The second (and subsequent) times you run the
game, you'll go to the Main Menu.
Introduction
Allows you to see the game's opening sequences. Clicking either mouse button
will fast forward you to the end of the introduction.
New Game
Starts the game from the beginning, bypassing the introduction.
Resume Play
Returns you to the game at the spot from which you left it.
Load Game
Presents a dialog box with a list of all your saved games. Select a slot and
then click on Load, or strike the ENTER key, or double click on the selected
slot.
Credits
Runs the closing credits of the game.
Quit to DOS
Returns you to DOS. The game is automatically saved to a special file that
is loaded when you choose the Resume Play button from the Main Menu. You can
also quit to DOS by typing either ALT-Q, ALT-X, CTRL-Q or CTRL-X, however
using this method may cause the Resume Play function to behave erratically.
GAME MENU
At any time during play you can click on the pointing finger icon in the
bottom right corner of the screen or press the ESC key to bring up the Game
Menu.
The choices on this menu are:
Main Menu
Returns you to the Main Menu described above.
Options Menu
Takes you to a menu where you can adjust sound volume and turn scrolling on
or off.
Resume Play
Returns you to the game at the spot from which you left it. You can also
press the ESC or ENTER keys to resume game play.
Save Game
Presents a dialog box that allows you to describe the game and save it. The
dialog box can also be reached directly from the game by pressing F2. Click
on a slot, then type any combination of letters, numbers, and spaces into
it. To the right of the game description you'll notice an image of the game
screen you just left. This image will be saved along with the game
description so that it will be easy for you to identify the point at which
the game was saved. If you choose an occupied slot, the previously saved
game in that slot is erased. To delete an old game description either hit
the DELETE key or backspace. To complete the save, click on the Save button
or press the ENTER key. To cancel the save, press the Cancel button or the
ESC key. You can save up to 99 game positions.
Load Game
Presents a dialog box with a list of all your saved games. This dialog box
can also be reached directly from the game by pressing F3. As you pass the
mouse along an active slot, you'll see to the right of the dialogue box a
miniature screenshot of the point at which you saved the game. To select a
slot, click on the description of your choice, then press the Load button,
strike the ENTER key, or double click on the selected slot. (If no saved
games are detected, the Load Game button is disabled.) To cancel a game
load, press Cancel or the ESC key.
NOTE: If you load a new game without having first saved the current game,
the current game will not be saved.
Quit to DOS
Returns you to DOS. The game is automatically saved to a special file that
is loaded when you choose Resume Play from the Main Menu. You can also quit
to DOS by typing either ALT-Q, ALT-X, CTRL-Q or CTRL-X, however using this
method may cause the Resume Play function to behave erratically. If you quit
the game using any of the above keystrokes, and wish to resume that game
later, be sure you quit at a time when the menu system would normally be
available to you. For example, quitting in the middle of running dialogue,
signified by the watch cursor, will prevent the game from being saved.
OPTIONS MENU
Digital Sound Volume
You can adjust the volume of the speech, sound effects, and digital music by
dragging the slider with the mouse.
Midi Sound Volume
You can adjust the volume of the midi music by dragging the slider with the
mouse.
Scrolling (On/Off)
Certain scenes in the game are more than one screen wide, and when Ripley
moves across the scene the camera moves with him. If you have the scrolling
switched On, the scene will scroll as Ripley moves. If you have it switched
Off, the camera will simply jump to a new position. Selecting this button
will switch scrolling between On and Off modes.
GAME MENU
Returns you to the Game Menu described above. Hitting the ESC or ENTER keys
will also bring you back to the Game Menu.
FACT AND FICTION IN THE RIDDLE OF MASTER LU
Robert Ripley took great pride in the fact that none of the incredible
assertions he presented in his daily cartoon were ever proved false. So we
feel we owe it to his memory to sort out the purely fictitious from the
factual in our story. We won't give away the solutions to any puzzles, but
just the same you may prefer not to read what follows until you've played
the game.
First, all the characters are either entirely fictitious or, like our
Ripley, simply inspired by real-life people. Mei Chen was suggested by
Robert Ripley's fondness for Chinese women. Feng Li, the Candle Man, is
based on an authentic Ripley discovery, but his real-life counterpart never
worked in the Odditorium.
Most of the unusual objects in the story are based on Believe It or Not!
cartoons, but some of these are from the post-Ripley era.
The New York Odditorium was not actually founded until several years after
the date of our story. At one point the Odditorium did feature a man setting
the record for rocking in a straight chair.
The objects in our Odditorium are for the most part "Ripley-inspired" rather
than the real things. We've had a little fun with the idea that Ripley
hasn't been able to acquire anything more interesting than a stuffed cow
with a map of Ireland on its hide, or a giant matchstick made entirely out
of toothpicks.
By the way, if you take a look at the pictures hanging on the wall in our
Odditorium, you'll at first find some real Ripley cartoons. As the game
progresses Ripley will send back new cartoons. Some will be authentic;
others are based on his new adventures. So be sure to check back now and
then.
Our pre-Inca city of Mocha Moche is entirely fictitious, but it is just the
kind of mysterious place Ripley would have loved. He did travel widely in
South America and featured some of the ancient ruins in cartoons.
The Baron's house with the ace of spades theme is inspired by a similar
house in England built in honor of the ace of clubs. The premature-burial
alarm is drawn from similar devices documented in the Ripley archives. The
cursed emerald of the Romanovs is also to be found in one of the cartoons.
Microscopic messages were part of Ripley's stock-in-trade; he once received
a letter of 1,615 characters written on a grain of rice.
Ripley visited Easter Island long before it became a major tourist
attraction. It's unlikely he knew anything about the mysterious script that
has survived on a few wooden tablets found in caves there. For the purposes
of the story we've made this script far older than it is actually thought to
be; in fact, Easter Island was probably not populated until many centuries
after the time of Master Lu.
In the 1930s Sikkim, today a province of India, was an independent kingdom.
We chose it as a setting because of its unique mixture of Hindu and Tibetan
Buddhist cultures. Prayer wheels are the subject of several Ripley cartoons,
and he even had a prayer wheel on board his famous junk, the Mon Lei. The
Temple of the Hidden Way is a complete fabrication however. If it weren't,
most of the game players here at Sanctuary Woods would have already made a
pilgrimage or two.
The basket of severed heads to deter thieves in Beijing (known as Peiping in
the time of our story) is from a Ripley sketch of 1927. The original basket
contained speeders.
The Hall of Classics, where the great works of Chinese literature are
engraved on stone tablets, is authentic. Ripley's cartoon on the subject
suggests that the existence of these tablets enabled the classics to survive
the great destruction of books by the First Emperor; but other sources state
that the tablets were not set up until later, to prevent a repetition of
that disaster.
As far as we know, there is no tablet set up by Master Lu, but that ancient
sage is based on a historical personage who did in fact journey abroad, on
the orders of Chin Shih Huang-di, in search of the elixir of life. Lu
advised the emperor on many things, and could well have had something to do
with designing his fabulous tomb.
Ripley seems not to have know anything about the tomb, but if the scanty
historical sources are to be believed, it is one of the greatest "believe it
or nots" of all time. The huge burial mound, know as Mount Li, has never
been opened, but literary sources tell us that the entrances were
booby-trapped with crossbows, and describe the interior much as we have
pictured it. The thousands of clay soldiers guarding the mound were not
discovered until 1974. For the game, we've taken the liberty of ignoring the
damage done in the years of chaos immediately following the emperor's death,
when this remarkable army was stripped of its weapons and buried under the
ruins of its burned-out quarters.
Finally, the great seal of Chin Shih Huang-di was not really buried with the
emperor but was handed down from one ruler to the next throughout the Han
dynasty before finally disappearing from sight.
ROBERT L. RIPLEY
THE MAN AND HIS WORK
The man whose name was to become synonymous with the unbelievable was born
LeRoy Ripley (he added the Robert later) into a poor family in Santa Rose,
California, on December 26, 1893.
As a child he had two main interests: sports and drawing. A fine athlete in
his own right, he might have had a career as a baseball player, but instead
he was able to combine his interests when, with the help of a family friend,
he landed a job with the San Francisco Bulletin as a sports illustrator.
From there he moved to the Chronicle, and when he was fired by that paper
after asking for a raise he headed east, where he ended up at the New York
Globe.
From 1913 to 1918 Ripley produced a daily sports cartoon for the Globe. His
vigorous style was well suited to the subject matter, and he was well
paid--around $100 a week, enough to help out his widowed mother while
leaving him enough to lead a lively bachelor's life in the big city. Despite
his buck teeth and natural shyness, Ripley was a ladies' man, and it was his
haste to get away from the office for a date with a showgirl that led to the
creation of the first Believe It or Not! cartoon.
According to the oft-repeated story--and no sketch of Ripley's life would be
complete without it--he was struggling to find a subject for his cartoon in
the late afternoon of December 18, 1918. At last he decided to assemble some
snippets of unusual athletic accomplishments--backwards jumping,
rope-skipping, three-legged racing, and so on--that he had been collecting.
He sketched nine items and headed them "Champs and Chumps." After some
discussion with the editor, he changed the heading to "Believe It or Not!".
The cartoon was well received, the editor asked for more, and before long
Ripley had expanded his subject matter beyond sports and was producing a
daily collection of miscellaneous odd facts.
In 1923 the Globe folded and he moved to the Post. His cartoons enjoyed
limited syndication until 1929, when the word came down from William
Randolph Hearst, owner of King Features Syndicate: "Get Ripley!" Ripley was
got, and his fortune was made. His cartoons would eventually be published in
over 300 newspapers with a readership of 80 million people, and Ripley's
earnings would rise to a staggering $500,000 a year during the Great
Depression, when the dollar was worth many times what it is today.
In 1933, at the suggestion of a promoter called C.C. Pyle, Ripley assembled
a collection of unusual people and objects in his first "Odditorium" at the
Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago. At an admission of 40 cents (25
cents for children) the Odditorium packed in the customers, and Ripley was
to boast that a hundred a day fainted at sights like a man driving nails
into his sinus cavities. In eight months the exhibit brought in over $1
million, and the success prompted Ripley to open similar Odditoriums in
Dallas, San Francisco, and San Diego.
In the midst of all this show business Ripley found time to become one of
the greatest globetrotters of all time, earning the epithet "the modern
Marco Polo." He traveled to almost every part of the world--with a little
fudging of definitions he was able to claim that he had visited 201
countries--but the place he kept going back to was China. Ripley was
enthralled by Chinese history, Chinese customs, Chinese cooking, and Chinese
women. He decorated his homes in the Chinese style, sometimes affected
Chinese dress and the signature "Rip Li," and owned the western world's only
authentic Chinese junk, a 50-foot Foochow river fishing boat called the Mon
Lei.
As he traveled he collected, and his collections ended up not only in the
Odditoriums but in his homes: his big house in upstate New York, called Bion
(an acronym of Believe It or Not!), his lavish apartment in New York City,
and the estate on Lake Worth in Florida that he bought in his last years.
Another thing Ripley collected was mail. He actively solicited material for
his cartoons, and it arrived by the truckload--a million or more letters a
year. "That's one for Ripley" became the byword for any strange event or
unusual accomplishment. If your cousin Myrtle could touch her forehead with
her tongue, or if your grandfather had shaved for forty years without
missing a day--well, that was one for Ripley.
The variety of the cartoons astonishes in itself. Tribal customs,
coincidences, matchstick puzzles, natural rock formations that look like
animals, feats of strength executed with earlobes or eyelids, remarkable
survivals, contortionists, optical illusions, predictions that came true,
the cruelty of kings, unusual names--whatever was out of the ordinary was
grist for Ripley's mill.
The cartoons and exhibits contained their share of deformed animals and
double-jointed people, but Ripley forbade his staff ever to use the word
"freak" to describe one of his "oddities." This avoidance of the term was
partly to elevate the Ripley image--remember, this was the heyday of the
carnival sideshow with its phony Lizard Boys and geeks biting the heads off
chickens. But the fact is that the merely freakish was not his thing.
Disgust, horror, and morbid curiosity are but single strings on the
emotional instrument; Ripley's range was much wider.
Despite his insistence that every fact presented in his cartoons was
documented, it has to be acknowledged that some of Ripley's material was of
dubious authenticity. The sources for some of his historical anecdotes, for
example, were semi-legendary accounts that would never be taken seriously by
scholars. Some of his assertions were simply untestable--at least at the
time--such as his statement that the Great Wall of China is visible from the
moon (it isn't), or that a golf ball can be driven two miles "uphill" on a
clear stretch of river ice.
When he was not traveling or working, Ripley was partying. His grand homes
were seldom without guests, and they never went hungry or thirsty. Many of
these guests were young women. Ripley remained a very eligible bachelor till
the end, and he made the most of it.
The high life took its toll. In his last years his health rapidly failed and
he began to experience mental lapses. In 1949, at age 55, he checked into a
New York hospital and promptly died of a heart attack. His body was returned
to Santa Rosa, where it lies, appropriately, in the Odd Fellows cemetery.
Every day for 30 years, Robert L. Ripley had stimulated the minds and
aroused the wonder of millions. His legacy remains even in the jaded world
of today, where firewalking has become a suburban pastime, and the wearing
of earrings by men is not considered in any way remarkable. The Ripley
organization continues to syndicate a Believe It or Not! cartoon feature
with original material. Compendiums of the cartoons, new and old, continue
to appear regularly, and Believe It or Not! museums draw crowds in many
cities around the world. Now, Robert Ripley is back on his travels in a
medium that even he could not have imagined: the personal computer. We think
he would have been amazed.