Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Puzzle 078: Three Clowns Hints and Answer

Puzzle 078 is Three Clowns, a Multiple Choice puzzle that Juggles the clown gives you in the Merchant District of Monte d'Or, at night in Chapter 5. Emmy solves it. Three clowns share a hat, a drum and a ball, and each one says which colored box they keep each thing in. Each clown has put away one thing, the black and green boxes are empty, and you have to work out which box holds a ball: A, B or C.

Video: Three Clowns solved. It shows the answer, so skip it if you only want the hints.

This page covers story Puzzle 078 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS (US and UK English), using the North American text. If you're after Daily Puzzle 078 or Puzzle 78 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 078? below.

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Puzzle 078 Three Clowns: on the top screen, three clowns on a stage with teal curtains and a yellow starry backdrop. On the left, a long-haired clown with a red nose and a striped blue top hat stands next to a striped blue and white ball; in the middle, a clown in glasses and a green pointed cap has two drumsticks resting on a drum; on the right, a smiling clown in a red and yellow jester's cap sits beside a red and white striped cone. In front of them is a row of five chests: white, red, yellow, green and black. On the touch screen, a white, a red and a yellow chest on a gold striped background, with the buttons A, B and C under them — Illustration of the three clowns and five boxes on the top screen, and the three choices on the touch screen.

What Puzzle 078 is

Puzzle 078 at a glance
Name	Three Clowns (US and UK)
Type	Multiple Choice (tap A, B or C)
Picarats	30, 20 or 10
Location	Merchant District, Monte d'Or (at night)
Chapter	Chapter 5
Given by	Juggles, a clown
Solved by	Emmy
When it's there	From the night after you talk to Henry, when your objective reads "Continue the Investigation!", until it reads "Catch the Masked Gentleman!"
Reward	None besides the picarats
Previous puzzle number	Puzzle 077, Mishmash Map (Knickknack Alley)
Next puzzle number	Puzzle 079, The Shopkeepers (City Monument)

The question reads: "Three clowns are chatting about their three shared pieces of equipment." Then each clown speaks:

① "I keep my hat in the black box and everything else in the yellow box."
② "I keep my drum in the red box, my ball in the green, and my hat in the black."
③ "I keep my drum in the green box and everything else in the white box."

It ends: "The clowns have each put one thing into a box, and no two clowns put away the same thing. The black and green boxes are empty. Which box contains a ball?" The objective bar says "Where is the ball?"

The top screen shows the three clowns with a hat, a drum and a ball, and a row of five chests: white, red, yellow, green and black. The touch screen shows only three of them, the white, red and yellow chests, with a letter button under each: A for white, B for red and C for yellow. You tap the letter of the box you think holds a ball.

Puzzle names

Puzzle 078 names
Version	Puzzle name
North America	Three Clowns
UK	Three Clowns
Japanese	3人のピエロ (San-nin no Piero, "three clowns")

The UK version uses the same name. There, the question and hints are worded differently: the UK question says the clowns "have started tidying up for the night", and clown ③ is a "he" rather than a "she". The boxes, the choices and the answer are the same.

Wrong Puzzle 078?

Daily Puzzle 078 is Flight 01, from the Aerial View set.
Juggles's other puzzle is Puzzle 011, Backstage Blunder, at the City Monument in Chapter 1.
Puzzle 78 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours isn't about three clowns and colored boxes, you're in the wrong game.

Where you get it

Later in Chapter 5, after you talk to Henry, night falls on Monte d'Or and your objective reads "Continue the Investigation!" From then on, Juggles is in the Merchant District, the shopping street lined with shop fronts and a row of palm trees in the middle. He stands in the road in front of the palm trees. He greets Emmy and Luke with "Good evening, good evening! Did I wish you a good evening?" Emmy replies, "You did, and the same to you!" Juggles ends with "Surely you have time for a quick puzzle...?" and the puzzle starts.

The Merchant District at night in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask: a curving street between lit shop windows, a yellow corner shop on the right, a green building with a yellow awning on the left, a row of palm trees in a planter in the middle and searchlight beams in a purple sky. A gold ring with the name plate Juggles, Puzzle 078 marks a spot in the road in front of the palm trees, and four hint coin spots are numbered 1 low on the front of the yellow corner shop on the right, 2 high in the sky where the balloon is, 3 by the hanging plant on the right-hand building and 4 on the wall lamp on the green building on the left — Illustration of the Merchant District at night. The gold ring marks where Juggles stands, and the numbers mark the four hint coins in the list below.

Juggles stays in the Merchant District while your objective reads "Continue the Investigation!", "Follow the Officer to Carnival Square!", "Go to the Scorpion Casino!", "Go to Pumpkin Park!", "Investigate the Attractions!" and "Head to Topsy Tower!", and his puzzle is gone once you're told to "Catch the Masked Gentleman!". The story doesn't need it. If you miss it, it goes to Nanna Grams (known as Elizabeth in the UK version) at the start of Chapter 7.

The Merchant District has four hint coins, all in the normal view.

The side of the shop on the right, low down on the front of the yellow corner shop.
The balloon in the sky.
The plant on the right, hanging on the right-hand building.
The street lamp on the wall of the green building on the left.

Each coin can be collected only once. These are the same four coins as on your Chapter 3 visit for Puzzle 029 and your earlier Chapter 5 visit for Puzzle 067, so if you tapped them then, there's nothing left to pick up here.

When you're stuck

You're trying to match the clowns to the drawing. You don't need to. The question numbers the clowns ①, ② and ③, and only what each one says matters.
You think a clown put away everything. Each clown put away just one thing, and no two clowns put away the same thing.
You're looking at the black and green boxes. They're empty, and they aren't among the choices. Use them to rule things out.
"Too bad." That's the start of the game's wrong-answer message: "Which one could it have been?" With only three choices, a guess is tempting, but a wrong answer can cost you picarats.
You can't find the puzzle. Juggles is in the road in the Merchant District at night, from after your talk with Henry until your objective becomes "Catch the Masked Gentleman!".

Hints, one at a time

These are the game's own hints, word for word from the North American version and in the same order. 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 empty boxes

The empty black and green boxes are the keys to solving this puzzle.

You need to work out which clown put his or her ball in one of the remaining boxes.

Hint 2: the hats

Both ① and ② said they would put their hat into the black box, but the black box is empty. Since there's one of each item in the boxes, that must mean that ③ put her hat in one of the boxes.

Hint 3: what ② would do

From Hint 2, you can work out that ③ put her hat in the white box.

Now look at what ① and ② said. Where would ② put his ball if he was going to put it away?

Super Hint: the green box

If ② had put his ball away, it would be in the green box. However, you know that the green box is empty.

So who put away a ball and into which box?

Answer and full solution

The answer below covers the right box and the reasoning step by step, with a chart and a picture of the solved puzzle. Open it when you're ready.

Show the answer

The answer is C, the yellow box. Clown ① put her ball in it.

Three Clowns chart: one row for each clown, numbered 1, 2 and 3, showing the box each one uses for the hat, the drum and the ball. Clown 1: hat black, drum yellow, ball yellow. Clown 2: hat black, drum red, ball green. Clown 3: hat white, drum green, ball white. Every black and green box is crossed out. Clown 3's hat in the white box, clown 2's drum in the red box and clown 1's ball in the yellow box are framed in gold, and the last column reads Ball in yellow, Drum in red and Hat in white — Illustration of where each clown keeps each thing. Crossing out the empty black and green boxes leaves one thing for each clown.

Step by step:

All three things are in boxes. Each clown put away one thing and no two put away the same thing, so the hat, the drum and the ball were each put away once.
The hat. Clowns ① and ② keep their hats in the black box, which is empty. So clown ③ put away the hat, in the white box.
Clown ②. The hat is taken, and ② keeps the ball in the green box, which is also empty. So ② put away the drum, in the red box.
Clown ①. The hat and the drum are taken, so ① put away the ball. Clown ① keeps everything except the hat in the yellow box, so the ball is in the yellow box: C.

The game's message when you're right starts "Correct!" and then explains: "It's the yellow box. Since the black box is empty, neither ① nor ② put their hats into it, which means ③ must have put away her hat in the white box. The green box is also empty, meaning that ② can't have put his ball in it, so he must have put his drum in the red box. That leaves ①, who put her ball in the yellow box."

Three Clowns solved: on the top screen, the clown in the striped top hat opens the yellow chest to show the striped blue and white ball inside, with a speech bubble showing the yellow chest and the letter C, while the other two clowns play with colorful balls; on the touch screen, the yellow chest and the C button are framed in gold — Illustration of the puzzle after choosing C.

Picarats, hints and hint coins

The puzzle can award 30, 20 or 10 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value. If you quit, Juggles says, "If you never take a break, all of the puzzles will just pass you by." When you come back to try again, he says, "It's just one quick puzzle!"

Hints cost hint coins, not picarats. Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two, five in total. The Merchant District's four coins aren't enough for all four hints, even if you haven't collected them yet, but you can use the free hints on this page.

Does it unlock anything?

No. Nothing is handed over in the scene. You get the picarats, and the puzzle counts toward your total.

Versions

Nintendo 3DS family: this page covers the 3DS game (US and UK English). You tap A, B or C on the touch screen.
US and UK English versions: the name, the boxes, the choices and the answer are the same. The question and hints are worded differently, as described under Puzzle names.

The scene around the puzzle

Layton isn't in this scene; Juggles talks with Emmy and Luke. When Emmy returns his greeting, he muses, "Yes, but is it one? Or do we just perceive it to be one? With all the colors and lights... It's difficult to see the truth." Luke answers, "Yes. That does seem to be the truth here in Monte d'Or." Emmy says, "Conducting an investigation here has been rather difficult. Hopefully you will be able to spread your...cheer while we work." Juggles replies, "You both are hardworking, selfless, and responsible individuals. Your parents must be so very proud." and "I shall spread the fun that I am known for throughout the city while you investigate!"

Once the puzzle is solved, Juggles asks, "How was it? Was it fun? What is..."fun"?" Emmy says, "It was! Thanks, Juggles!" He adds, "With all of the chaos lately, I've had to work extra hard to make people smile! I'm not sure if it's working."

Talk to him again and he says, "Want to know why they call me Juggles? Because that's what my parents named me." and "If you would like to see a clown juggling... you can come here and observe."

FAQ

Where is the answer to Puzzle 078?

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 078 called?

Three Clowns, in both the North American and UK English versions. In Japanese it's 3人のピエロ.

Where is Puzzle 078?

In the Merchant District of Monte d'Or, at night in Chapter 5. Talk to Juggles the clown in the road in front of the palm trees.

Why can't I find Juggles?

He only appears after your talk with Henry, once night has fallen, and he's gone once your objective becomes "Catch the Masked Gentleman!". If you've gone past that, the puzzle goes to Nanna Grams at the start of Chapter 7.

Do I have to solve Puzzle 078?

No. The story doesn't need it, and it has no reward besides the picarats.

Are there hint coins in the Merchant District?

Four, all in the normal view: the side of the shop on the right, the balloon, the plant on the right and the street lamp. They're the same coins as on your earlier visits, so they're gone if you collected them then.

How many picarats is Puzzle 078 worth?

The puzzle can award 30, 20 or 10 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.

Is Daily Puzzle 078 the same as Puzzle 078?

No. It's a different puzzle, listed under Wrong Puzzle 078?. Story Puzzle 078 is Juggles's clowns-and-boxes puzzle in the Merchant District.

More Miracle Mask puzzles

For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.