If you’ve woken up baffled that your friends have mysteriously transformed into weird contorted giraffes (some are really quite cute) overnight, then this might be an eye-opener for you. The riddle started spreading like wildfire a couple of days ago, and I mostly ignored it until last night.
The riddle goes something like this (there are some variations but the essence of the riddle is the same):
So here’s the deal.
The deal is I give you a riddle. You get it right you get to keep your profile pic. You get it wrong and you change your profile pic to a Giraffe for the next 3 days.
MESSAGE ME PRIVATELY ONLY SO YOU DON’T GIVE OUT THE ANSWER.
Here is the riddle: 3:00 am, the doorbell rings and you wake up. Unexpected visitors, it’s your parents and they are there for breakfast. All you have is strawberry jam, honey, wine, bread and cheese. What is the first thing you open? Remember… message me only. If you get it right I’ll post your name here. If you get it wrong, change your profile pic!
Judging from my Facebook profile pic, well…
It’s been fun watching friends and family participating and getting it wrong. I think the wrong-to-right ratio’s something like 80:20 (see, the 80/20 rule applies to everything!).
But wait, I’m pretty sure you’re as curious as I am on how this started, where and why.
The story behind the giraffe riddle
With a little bit of digging (thanks Google), I found a news article by the BBC dated 30 October 2012. It tells the tragic story of a nine-month old girl who died after choking on food. Her name was Millie Elizabeth Josephine Thompson, born on 12 January 2012. On 23 October 2012, she could not be saved from a choking incident at Ramillies Hall School and Nursery at Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, England. Ramillies is a small school that offers education for children aged 6 months to 16 years.
In tribute to the loss of Millie, Millie’s Trust was established by Millie’s parents in December 2012 to raise awareness in Paediatric First Aid. The trust is open to everyone, and encourages all to take part in a First Aid Course, no matter how young or old.
Wait, that doesn’t explain the giraffe bit
Hang on, we’ll get there. Chester Zoo celebrated the birth of a rare giraffe on 25 March 2013 – the Rothschild giraffe, the world’s most endangered sub-species of giraffe. Conservationists believe there are now less than 670 Rothschild giraffes left in the wild, having lost their natural habitat in native Kenya and Uganda. The zoo decided to name the rare giraffe calf, Millie, in memory of Millie Thompson.
Subsequently, Millie’s Trust is supporting Chester Zoo, and encouraging people to visit Millie the Giraffe as she grows, as does the charity. Millie’s Trust is hoping to raise money for Chester Zoo to help support Millie the Giraffe’s upbringing.
So who’s behind the riddle?
It’s strange, but nobody really knows the origin of the riddle, whether it was from Millie’s Trust directly or Chester Zoo. But what’s clear is that it raises awareness for both the charity, and Millie the Giraffe. Whoever concocted the viral campaign though, one word – brilliant.
So, don’t feel bad if you got the riddle wrong. You’ve done it for a good cause.
In memory of Millie Elizabeth Josephine Thomson
(12 January 2012 – 23 October 2012);
And to a strong and healthy Millie the Giraffe!
Special thanks to Sharifah Fauziah Aslree for helping me kickstart the uncovering.
Sources and links:
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-20135386
- https://www.facebook.com/milliestrust/
- http://milliestrust.com/
- http://www.chesterzoo.org/must-sees/zoo-news/rare-giraffe-born-march-2013
- http://www.geekgonegirly.com/2013/10/uncovering-facebook-giraffe-challenge.html
- http://www.ramillieshall.co.uk/
