Puzzle 003 is Stumble's Banners (Bungle's Banners in the UK version), the poster puzzle you get from the clown in Gallery Plaza. It's an optional 30-picarat puzzle in Chapter 1. One of the three posters on the touch screen matches the poster wrapped around the pole on the top screen, and you have to find it. Tap a poster to zoom in on it, and slide the hand along the bar at the top of the touch screen to set the pole turning. The hints below open one at a time, and the answer stays hidden until you choose to show it.
This page covers story Puzzle 003 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS, using the North American text, with images rebuilt from the game's art. The UK English version has the same posters under a different name. If you're after Daily Puzzle 003 or Puzzle 003 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 003? below.
What Puzzle 003 is
| Name (North America) | Stumble's Banners |
|---|---|
| Name (UK English) | Bungle's Banners |
| Type | Select |
| Picarats | 30 |
| Location | Gallery Plaza, in front of the museum |
| Chapter | Chapter 1 |
| How you get it | Talk to Stumble the clown after the policeman has told you the museum is closed |
| Optional? | Yes. Stumble probably leaves the plaza once you check in at the hotel |
| Hints | Three hints and a Super Hint |
| Previous / next puzzle | 002 Where's Mother? / 004 Bumper Perspective |
The North American question reads: "Stumble was putting up posters in the plaza one evening when he received a terrible fright and dropped all of his posters! Can you help him find the poster that matches the one visible on the top screen?" It then explains the two controls: tap the posters on the Touch Screen to zoom in, and move the hand icon to rotate the poster on the pole.
Stumble's Banners, Bungle's Banners and other names
Stumble is the circus clown you already met in Puzzle 001, Stumble's Balloons. The UK version calls him Bungle, so the puzzle becomes Bungle's Banners there. The UK question and hints are worded a little differently, but the posters and the answer are the same.
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| English (North America) | Stumble's Banners |
| English (UK) | Bungle's Banners |
| German | Suchplakat |
| Spanish | El cartel cilíndrico |
| Italian | Enigma manifesto |
| Japanese | ポスターをはろう！ (Posutā o harō!, "let's put up the poster") |
Wrong Puzzle 003?
- Daily Puzzle 003 is a separate puzzle from the daily set. It's Ghouls and Guards 01, one of the ghost puzzles. It has nothing to do with posters.
- Puzzle 001, Stumble's Balloons, is the other early puzzle with Stumble, in Carnival Square. If you're counting balloons, that's the one you want.
- Puzzle 003 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If you don't see a poster pole and three posters, you're in the wrong game.
Where to find Stumble
- Solve Puzzle 002, Where's Mother?, in Carnival Arcade. Gallery Plaza opens on the map afterwards.
- Go to Gallery Plaza and talk to the policeman by the museum. He tells you the museum is closed.
- Stumble is now in the plaza, in front of the museum and to the left of the steps. Talk to him and the puzzle starts.
If Stumble isn't there yet, you haven't talked to the policeman. If you back out of the puzzle, Stumble sulks ("That's just how it goes for Stumble..."). Talk to him again and the puzzle starts over.
Don't leave it too long. Stumble probably leaves the plaza once you check in at the hotel, when your objective changes to "Go to Layton's Hotel Room!", so solve it before you check in. If you missed him, the puzzle isn't lost. It turns up with Nanna Grams (known as Elizabeth in the UK version), who keeps the puzzles you missed, at the start of Chapter 3.
While you're in Gallery Plaza, there are four hint coins to tap: at the foot of the left pillar, on the museum roof, on the pole on the right and on the tower on the left.
How to turn the pole and zoom in
- The hand icon sits on the bar at the top of the touch screen. Drag it left or right with the stylus to set the pole turning one way or the other. The hand doesn't pick a fixed angle: the pole keeps turning, and the closer the hand is to an end of the bar, the faster it goes. Keep it turning and watch it, so you see the parts that face away from you at the start.
- The posters are tiny at first. Tap one to open a large view of it on the touch screen, then compare it with the pole.
- Submit checks the poster you have open. When you've found the match, open it and tap Submit.
Hints, one at a time
These follow the game's own hints, in the same order, with a little more explanation. Open only the next one you need. In the game, Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two.
Hint 1: the approach
You don't have to prove which poster matches. It's easier to look for posters that don't match the one on the pole and cross them off.
Keep the pole turning and watch it go round, so you've seen every part of it. A slower turn, with the hand nearer the middle of the bar, makes small details easier to follow.
Hint 2: poster A
Zoom in on poster A and look at the balloons. Compare them one by one with the balloons on the pole.
Hint 3: poster C
Zoom in on poster C and look at the people in it. Which way are they facing, and what are they wearing?
Super Hint: where to look
On poster A, part of the large clown balloon is different from the pole. On poster C, the trumpet player in the middle is different.
Once you've found both, only one poster is left.
Answer and full solution
The answer below names the matching poster and shows exactly where the other two differ. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
The answer is poster B. Tap poster B so it's zoomed in, then tap Submit. Posters A and C each have one small difference from the poster on the pole.
- Poster A is wrong. Look at the large clown balloon at the right of the poster. The end of its tail isn't the same shape as on the pole.
- Poster C is wrong. Look at the trumpet player in the middle of the parade. His hat is a different shape from the one on the pole.
- Poster B matches the pole in every detail, so it's the one Stumble needs.
If your answer keeps failing:
- Another poster was open when you submitted. The game checks the poster you have zoomed in. Open B, then submit.
- You only looked at the front of the pole. The tail on A is easy to miss until the pole turns that part of the design toward you.
A wrong answer gets "Too bad. Compare each of the posters very closely," and you can try again straight away.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Stumble's Banners is worth 30 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value. Hints cost hint coins, not picarats: one coin each for the first three hints and two for the Super Hint, so opening all four costs five coins. Gallery Plaza has only four coins, so they don't pay for all four hints on their own. You don't need any coins here, though, since every hint on this page is free.
Versions and systems
- Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and New 3DS: no difference. The pole turns with the stylus, not with motion controls.
- US and UK English versions: same posters, same answer. The clown's name, the puzzle name and some of the wording change.
- Japanese Miracle Mask Plus: the 2013 Japan-only re-release added new content, but this puzzle appears to be unchanged.
- Other systems: Miracle Mask is a 3DS game. There's no Switch, mobile or PC version of it.
The scene with Stumble (story spoiler)
Spoiler warning: this section covers the conversation around the puzzle. Stumble is grumbling about having to put up posters when Emmy says "Oh, excuse me?" and he jumps, dropping the lot. Layton offers to help pick them up. Stumble explains that he was putting up replacements that had to match the originals exactly, and now they're all mixed up. When the puzzle is solved, he invites everyone to the circus, with "animals jumping through flaming hoops and everything", and says it's more popular than ever despite the strange goings-on in town. Luke asks if they can go, and Emmy says it would be a splendid treat once the case is solved. Talk to Stumble again later and he's still complaining about the Masked Gentleman and the posters left to put up.
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 003?
It's in the Answer and full solution section above, hidden until you open it. If you only want a push, open the hints one at a time first.
What is Puzzle 003 called?
Stumble's Banners in North America and Bungle's Banners in the UK. In Japanese it's ポスターをはろう！.
Stumble isn't in Gallery Plaza. What now?
If you haven't talked to the policeman by the museum yet, do that first and Stumble appears. If you've already checked in at the hotel, he's gone by then, and the puzzle is with Nanna Grams from the start of Chapter 3.
How do I turn the poster on the pole?
Drag the hand icon left or right along the bar at the top of the touch screen. That sets the pole turning one way or the other, faster the closer the hand is to an end, and it keeps turning. Watch it go round rather than looking for one fixed position.
How many picarats is Puzzle 003 worth?
30 picarats.
Is Puzzle 003 missable?
Not for good. Stumble probably leaves when you check in at the hotel, but the puzzle can then be picked up from Nanna Grams in Chapter 3, so you can still complete the puzzle list.
Is Daily Puzzle 003 the same as Puzzle 003?
No. Daily Puzzle 003 is Ghouls and Guards 01, a ghost puzzle from the daily set. Story Puzzle 003 is Stumble's poster puzzle.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 001: Stumble's Balloons
- Puzzle 002: Where's Mother?
- Puzzle 004: Bumper Perspective
- Puzzle 005: Robot Factory
- Puzzle 60: Dangerous Holes
- Puzzle 100: Gate to the Ruins!
- Puzzle 113: Chip Champions
- Puzzle 118: Evenly Matched 3
- Puzzle 122: Kitty Solitaire 3
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.