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| ©Berkeley Breathed |
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay was the lucky recipient of $10,000 thanks to a clever Florida man and a penguin.
Stephen Allen of Lutz, Fla., correctly guessed where Opus would end up in his final appearance in a comic strip.
The contest winner was able to donate a $10,000 grant (funded by Berkeley Breathed and The Humane Society of the United States) to an animal shelter of their choice, and Allen chose the Tampa Bay shelter "because of their long history in the community and their commitment to try and find a home for every adoptable cat and dog that they shelter," he said.
Long-Time Fan
"I've been reading Opus since it started, and I've been a fan of Berkeley Breathed's previous two comic strips—'Outland' and 'Bloom County,'" Allen said.
"I don't recall reading the strip where Opus was introduced, but I distinctly remember laughing when Bill the Cat first appeared!" Allen has an orange cat, Tanner, who was originally a stray and taken in by a friend of a friend.
The Opus contest was announced on The Humane Society of the United States's (HSUS) website, Pet of the Week enewsletter and in Berkeley Breathed's Opus comic strip on Oct. 12. You can view the final frame of the comic strip at www.humanesociety.org/opus.
Choosing the Winner
"I had to fight back panic for weeks, wondering whether my clues were too obvious (6,000 correct guesses) or hopelessly obtuse (6,000 guesses that Opus lives forever in Fiji)," said Breathed. "Fifty-five correct guesses were sublimely perfect to fill an Opus hat, from which my kids chose the winners.
"I congratulate both Mr. Allen, the Humane Society of Tampa and especially all their dogs and cats who will now be getting, at the least, some high-end celebratory snack treats before they find their new homes."
How He Guessed the Ending
Before the contest was announced, Allen said he'd noticed the "Goodnight Moon" book and some wall art from the book cover in the background of a couple of the Opus strips.
"We used to read Goodnight Moon to our kids regularly at bedtime when they were younger, and it has a unique color palette, so I guess it kind of caught my eye," he said. "When the contest was announced, I went online and looked again, and picked up a couple of additional clues (recurring wall graffiti of a cow jumping over the moon) so that kind of convinced me where Opus had decided to go."
"I'd like to thank Mr. Breathed for his generous gift and the opportunity to bring it to my community to help all the cats and dogs of Tampa Bay."
According to its website, The Humane Society of Tampa Bay was established in 1912 as the Hillsborough County Humane Society with the mission "to enforce the law applicable to the prevention of cruelty to children and cruelty to all animals of any description, capable of suffering, and to do everything and anything which is legal to prevent cruelty and harsh treatment to children and animals." It is one of the oldest corporations in the state of Florida.
