MOST MAGICAL STUDIOS
FIELD NOTES → KEEP SCROLLING

YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.
WE DID TOO.

So we went looking for answers.
Here’s what we found:

HIDING ONE WAS NEVER GOING TO BE ENOUGH

270+ACROSS THE TOLEDO METRO
~200PARTICIPANTS IN 2025
60%RETURNED IN THE 2026 SCANNER COHORT
FIRST-FINDERSCOMPLETIONISTSVARIANT COLLECTORSPRIZE-MOTIVATED PLAYERSPEOPLE WHO LEFT FINDS FOR OTHERS

WE BECAME INTERESTING TO
INTERESTING PEOPLE AND PLACES.

DROP PHOTO HERE
CASE FILE 01

TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART

2 ACTIVATIONS

Exhibition opening + Block Party.

DROP PHOTO HERE
CASE FILE 02

TOLEDO MUD HENS

9-GAME HOME STRETCH

Professional baseball.

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CASE FILE 03

SYLVANIA CHAMBER

DOWNTOWN PUBLIC EVENT

Place + business community.

HOLD ON.
DID SOMEONE ACTUALLY…?

LEAVE WORK TO FIND ONE?yes.
TRY TO BE FIRST EVERY TIME?also yes.
TRY TO COLLECT THEM ALL?absolutely.
END UP SHOPPING FOR AN ENGAGEMENT RING?we have the messages.
START LEAVING FINDS FOR OTHER PEOPLE?yep.

EVEN THE BIGGEST CITIES
WERE INTERESTED.

So we took the experiment somewhere without an established player base, local audience or local network and watched what happened.

FIELD REPORT / MAY 2026

LOS ANGELES

50STARS BROUGHT
30HIDDEN
12FOUND
4ASKED FOR THE GAME TO RETURN

THIS FILE STAYS OPEN. MORE CITIES GET ADDED AS WE GO.

ALL OF IT WAS ACTUALLY MEASURABLE…
AND PRETTY IMPORTANT.

We thought we were tracking who found what. We actually found something much more useful.

RESPONSE + LOCATIONWHAT GETS ATTENTION — AND WHAT DOESN’T?
REWARDS + BEHAVIORWHAT ARE PEOPLE ACTUALLY WILLING TO MOVE FOR?
REAL PARTICIPANTSWHO ACTUALLY ENGAGED — AND WHAT ARE THEY INTO?

“I NEVER KNEW THIS WAS HERE.”

“I’VE DRIVEN PAST THAT A HUNDRED TIMES.”

“I DIDN’T KNOW THIS PLACE EXISTED.”

“WHERE IS THAT?”

REAL PEOPLE / REAL ACTIVITY / REAL PLACES

WHAT IF THE GAME ISN’T JUST
GETTING PEOPLE TO MOVE?

WHAT IF IT’S CHANGING HOW THEY PAY ATTENTION?

At some point the question stopped being “do people like the game?” and became “what is the game actually doing?”

ANTICIPATION+CURIOSITY+PLAY+REWARD LOOP

WHAT IF CHANGING HOW SOMEONE LOOKS AT SOMETHING FAMILIAR CAN CHANGE HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT IT?

WE CREATE THE CONDITIONS FOR PEOPLE TO DISCOVER THE MAGIC THAT WAS ALREADY THERE.

MAYBE EVEN FALL IN LOVE WITH THEIR CITY ALL OVER AGAIN.

THAT’S THE HYPOTHESIS.

Exploration → attention → noticing → a different perspective on something familiar → potentially, a different emotional experience of the same place.

BORING BRAIN STUFF →