19 November 2023 , 15:00
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A confusing new riddle has been completely stumping graduates from a top university, even though many children are able to work it out in just a few minutes.
Jack Fanshawe shared a video on TikTok detailing the baffling puzzle, and claimed that 97% of people who graduated from Harvard - one of the top schools in the US and in the world - could not reach the solution, but insisted that 84% of kindergarteners, who are children aged between five and six, could solve it "in six minutes or less". Before launching into the brain teaser itself, the 22-year-old asked viewers if they were "up for the challenge", and captioned the video stating that he "needs answers" to the mind-bending question.
The riddle, shared to Jack's @jack_fanshawe account, read: "I turn polar bears white, and I will make you cry. I make guys have to pee, and girls have to comb their hair. I make celebrities look like normal people and normal people look like celebrities. I turn your pancakes brown, and I make your champagne bubble. If you squeeze me, I'll pop. If you'll look at me, you'll pop. Let me know if you can solve this riddle."
Commenters on the video were divided over what the potential answer could be, with some claiming the solution is "the sun", and others saying it could be "water" or "pressure". But one of the most popular answers among commenters was "time". One person wrote: "The answer is time," while another said: "Maybe time? I guess, I mean all of those things happen with time, so...", and a third added: "Time!"
Others were left so confused they didn't even attempt to come to a conclusion, with one person posting: "You lost me at polar bear," and another joking: "I think it's, uh, I think it's a carrot."
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So, what is the actual solution to the riddle? And why can children work it out faster than some of the smartest minds among us? Well, it's actually a lot more simple than you think. All you have to do is focus on the last few words of the puzzle.
Known as the 'I turn a polar bear white' riddle online, the baffling question is a very common brain teaser. Usually, the last line is "can you solve this riddle", and even in Jack's wording, he asks people to "let him know" if they can solve the riddle. Simply, the answer is: No.
You can't solve the riddle as there is no single thing that can make all of those things happen. The reason children are able to reach a solution so quickly is that they are more likely to give up and admit they can't solve it - which is actually the correct answer - compared to a Harvard graduate who is more likely to be determined to find a "proper" solution.
Some commenters did pick up on the real answer, as one person said: "There's literally no right answer, so I'm guessing it's nothing because little kids would say nothing," while someone else posted: "There's NO answer. That's why the kids are getting it correct a lot. While Harvard students try too hard, kids say, 'Ugh there's no answer.' "
Did you manage to work it out? Let us know in the comments!