How Did These Illustrations Spark a Worldwide Treasure Hunt?

WORKS CITED: (⭐ = Heavily referenced and should def check out!)
1) ⭐ bunnyears.net/k...
2) ⭐ www.filfre.net...
3) ⭐ www.filfre.net...
4) dreamsofgeronti...
5) anglotopia.net... (includes videos of Hareraiser prelude and finale)
6) ⭐ www.planetslade...
7) • Artist At Work - The M... Artist At Work - The Man Behind the Masquerade
8) • Kit Williams doc 1/6.mov Kit Williams doc 1/6
9) • Kit Williams doc 2/6.mov Kit Williams doc 2/6
10) • Kit Williams doc 3/6.mov Kit Williams doc 3/6
11) Kit Williams doc • Kit Williams doc 4/6.mov 4/6
12) • Kit Williams Doc 5/6.mov Kit Williams doc 5/6
13) • Kit Williams doc 6/6.mov Kit Williams doc 6/6
14) • Hareraiser (The Worst ... Hareraiser roast
15) ⭐ The actual book, Masquerade by Kit Williams
16) bunnyears.net/k...
17) www.vintagechil...
18) dreamsofgeronti...
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Catch me on Instagram and Tumblr at BianaBova.

[@lorrainem.swartzentruber3077]

I found Masquerade at a library book sale when I was young. I never could figure out the puzzle but was fascinated with it. It is a shame the real winners didn’t get the treasure.

[@neilonaniet]

We lived in Flitwick, and I went to school in Ampthill (which was literally just down the road). I used to go to Ampthill Park all the time, but never knew that the hard was buried next to the cross until I saw a TV programme about it years later 🙂

[@reith6699]

Just want to say, I so appreciate all of the effort you've put into this video! It's so well done. Even your placing of plants and flowers in the foreground and background makes the frame look like a page from Masquerade that Kit has painted. Thank you for your hard work!

[@SophiaGrausamArtwork]

This is SO cool!! I have never heard of this and now I’m obsessed! Thank you for making this! This video was so beautifully filmed and edited too! (Also, I just submitted my MassArt transfer application and portfolio today! Thank you for inspiring me and helping me find my dream school! 🥰)

[@BianaBova]

Thank you!! I really appreciate it TuT 💕 And OMG good luck transferring!!! I'm rooting for you! >:D

[@Snowmouse]

This video was such a trip! The way you present information in your videos, be it purely instructional or more as just a fun story like this is seriously so well done. I think the real happy ending of this story for me was the relationship between Barker and Rousseau. The whole time I was watching this video, I was waiting for something about the hare to come between them and cause some big drama, but it never did. The fact that the search for the hare stayed something that brought them together and genuinely made them happy is really nice.

[@BianaBova]

Thank you so much, friend!! And ohmygod, s a m e. When I first read about Barker going off to dig up the hare without Rousseau, I was convinced that he was gonna dig it up, claim the prize, and take full credit. The fact that they stayed good friends even decades later is so touching 🥺

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Superb video. thank you! ❤ I also spent a year of my childhood trying to solve the puzzle. Every square centimetre of every picture is somehow imprinted on my brain. So frustrating that the prize was taken by a villain and a charlatan. Kind of happy ending though. btw Gloucestershire is the county, pronounced gloss-tuh-shir but the city is called Gloucester (gloss-tuh). Wogan, ie Terry Wogan, is pronounced Wou-gn. I'm telling you these because after all your masses of research you deserve to know the British pronounciation! 😊

[@kylechong8168]

Wow! Such an in depth video. I love going down rabbit holes like this. Ironically, the artwork from the book reminded me of Alice in Wonderland for some reason. Again, such a good video. Love your content. 🧡

[@BianaBova]

Thank you so much!! ☺️❤️ Def check out the links in the description, I think you'll have a lot of fun ;D

[@Freetofreet]

I was born and grew up in Ampthill, we had the book and I was 9 years old and said to my family that it was in Ampthill Park. They ignored the little one in the house. We played and visited the park all the time and the picture of the hill is the view from Ampthill Reservoir.

[@weselsmith]

I LOVE this, it’s almost unbelievable!!! I knew nothing about this story before this video, and let me say watching it was quite the ride!:)

[@BianaBova]

IKR?! What a freaking roller coaster 😂 So glad you liked the vid! :D

[@DrMotivate.]

You are a beautiful dream Come true ❤❤❤

[@stuhh]

The only other British treasure hunt which kept my interest was the computer game Pimania published by Automata where the prize was a £6,000 Golden Sundial. To win that prize you needed to be at a certain location in England on a certain day of the year at a certain time to meet the creators. A clever idea as it avoided the problem of people endlessly digging up random bits of parkland!

[@razza1171]

OMG aha it's Glos - ter - sheer!

[@omblae]

Enjoyed your take! Gloucestershire is a county in the UK, which means it's pretty big and not a village. Type in "Gloucester cheese rolling" for a hilarious traditional English passtime

[@erik_carter_art]

This video is so fantastic and well put together!!! Would you consider doing a similar video for two other popular treasure hunts called 'The Secret' by Byron Preiss, and 'A Treasure's Trove' by Michael Stadther? :D

[@DeniseHoukMedia]

I love this book, the artist and the art. I really do not like this video and making fun of Kit. It's really annoying. Oh he's crazy, his eyes... etc. You know he went out of public view because of people like you. Ha ha ha you're so funny- not.

[@suburbanhomestead]

Love this video format, Biana.

[@BianaBova]

Thank you!! :D

[@VomitPalace]

Greate video! Wonderful story telling! Keep up the good work!

[@BianaBova]

Thank you so much!! 🥰

[@labradormcgraw]

What an utterly gripping video. I had that book as a child, but I never understood a word of it. I've just watched your hour-long video from start to finish - I never knew about all the history. Thank you so much for the enlightenment. Fascinating. Love from London.

[@cuteantics]

I think you really did the story justice. it was so interesting learning about this treasure hunt & it's a shame it didn't turn out the way Kit envisioned. Thompson is definitely on my shit list, but I'm glad Kit was reunited with his creation & able to put it on display. I'm also happy the hare ended up in the hands of someone who actually treasured it & not some asshole that didn't deserve it to begin with. it's still bittersweet though, because I wish Kit could've reclaimed it at the auction. in any event, I'm glad I stumbled upon this video & I praise you for informative & enticing storytelling.

[@DQ_ArtGroupie]

I was planning to do this in ten minute increments. Fast-forward to now, I watched the whole thing at once! You did a great job with the telling of this many-faceted detective story. Your connection to the book explains your passion for the mystery which surrounded it. Well done!! ...and btw, I've confirmed that Gloucestershire is pronounced "GLAA-ster-sher" by us, and "GLAA-stuh-shuh" by Brits.

[@andrewb293]

Really good video. Inability to pronounce English towns makes it even more fun.

[@delawarepro3539]

Great content 👌🏻 Throughly enjoyed your swearing 😉

[@Willy_Milano]

It’s fine if you don't pronounce the names of those places correctly. We all know how grueling the task of finding out the right way to say two or three words is, especially if they're English words for English speakers.

[@KieraJo]

This was fascinating, and I really loved the format!

[@danielmelgar8918]

A good show was made up from this event. Utopian was created in England as a show based on this.

[@YAYAisme]

I was more into this than the DaVinci code Why isn't there a movie about this???

[@aroundinriyadh1165]

This is my first time hearing about all of this, I enjoyed the video alot, thank you

[@BianaBova]

So glad you liked the vid! 🥰

[@monkey93xf]

Anyone else's eyes hurt from trying to 'train your eyes' to different directions?

[@bubsnicket]

Great video. Deserves a lot more comments and views!

[@yanikkendler]

my god i didnt look at the timestamp and only as you said it noticed that i watched a fucking hour of this

[@pinkplatypus7010]

This is such a wonderful and fascinating video! The book itself looks so beautiful and the story behind it was a ride. I’ve been slowly getting out of a creative funk, and this gave me some of the inspiration I needed. Thank you for another great video!

[@BianaBova]

YAYYYYY I'm so glad this vid sparked some inspo! It definitely gave me a good jolt of creativity, that's for sure. Glad you liked the vid!! :D

[@toriazheng3598]

This is such an incredible journey! Thank you for comminiting your time researching and presenting it to us. I was totally hooked :D

[@BianaBova]

Thank you!!!! I knew I couldn't be the only one engrossed in this story 😂

[@nightstar1219]

I was not prepared for this... wow.

[@BianaBova]

It's a trip from start to finish 😂

[@chrisgorgon3629]

Whaooooaooaoaoa

[@shayb.5233]

miss you biana❤

[@melanellie_art]

Learned about this book from Wait Wait Don't Tell Me a couple weeks ago and was immediately interested, can't believe your video only has 6k views! Really well put together, you deserve more

[@InimicusSolitus]

we had the book and always wondered if it had been solved. I do remember the hands pointing to letters, but never figured out any of the puzzle. Thanks for the video, what drama!

[@NumericFork]

Clay can't stop a metal detector. Burying the rabbit deep enough would work though.

[@LittleSpaceCase]

Wow incredible video, thank you for sharing.

[@alejandraflores2069]

Amazing video. Beautiful, interesting and well explained. Thank you so much 😍

[@richardryley3660]

My first encounter with this concept was a module for the game The Fantasy Trip called "Treasure of the Silver Dragon." Apparently, the game map was based on a real place, and clues in the game would lead you to a silver dragon. The first person to find it would win $10,000. Soon after this, though, I learned of Masquerade and guessed that it was the inspiration for the game. I was too late to search for the rabbit but was intrigued by the artwork. I wish I'd bought a copy.

[@Mac_an_Mheiriceanaigh]

Thank you for this incredible telling of this crazy story!!

[@barbaratimmons5510]

Hi Biana, I have tried to contact you via email but my information has been returned so where can I pass on the stuff I think you would be interested in . I was one of the active seekers of Masquerade in 1980. There is so much you might like to know which would open up a new aspect for you to consider.

[@abitofajoke4708]

Wow, when i watched this i assumed it would have had 3mil, not 3k views! I rarely ever comment but i had to say this was outstanding, im so glad i got recommended this! I already knew the story but you told it so well it was impossible to stop paying attention!

[@ИмяФамильев-ж9ш]

Great! Entertaining video and underrated story. Also, you look very beatiful👍

[@beverleyhicks2952]

Loved this vid. Thank you. I’ve been hoping for years that a KZbinr would do a deep dive on this story.

[@saramartinez8747]

I feel like I have heard of this before, but I can't pinpoint when, where or from who. Either way this is so much fun!!! You really killed it with this video essay!!!!

[@camilabarranco5435]

This was such a ride! Can't believe I haven't heard about Masquerade before. You did such an amazing job with this video, it was so engaging and nice to watch. Must have been a lot of work!! You're awesome

[@HoiiPolloii]

I've seen that big hare illustration so many times. I never knew where it came from or anything about this! This whole thing is fantastic! And now I'm glad I know about Kit Williams!

[@ahobimo732]

I remember an elementary school teacher introducing this book to our class when I was a kid. He explained the whole treasure hunt back story. It was fascinating, but it really did feel far beyond anything that mere mortals were capable of tackling. As a kid, I could tell there was no way I would ever solve it.

[@ahobimo732]

This would make a great movie.

[@noahweaver35]

Love the editing and theme!

[@veenecksweatrz6520]

I'm still in the process of finishing the video, but did you use a pic of Beyonce for Veronica Roberts 😂

[@BianaBova]

LOL no, I just googled "80s model, long curly hair" and used whatever came up. But god, now I want to exclusively use Beyonce pics, regardless of what the person actually looked like 😂

[@yull6331]

great work !

[@hipr8]

What an amazing video! This was all new to me and now I kinda want the book now. What an amazing story!

[@BianaBova]

Thank you!! And god, same, I want Masquerade AND the Bee Book as little mementos for this crazy journey. And even though the solutions are all over the internet, it was still a ton of fun following all the steps Barker and Rousseau took :D

[@catherinemaestro1577]

This is such a great video! ❤

[@BianaBova]

Thank you!! :D

[@peronkop]

If any of these guys looking for a metal object underground had a freaking metal detector.

[@RukoHanaji]

I first heard of Masquerade in the late 1980s when I was in my teens. I loved the illustrations, and considering it was around '85-86 when I saw it I assumed the Golden Hare had already been found. That didn't stop me from trying to figure it out myself! It's nice to know that my hunch about some of the recurring animals being clues, even if I couldn't pinpoint how. Now as an adult I have a copy of it again, as well as the Bee book; I'll have to pull them out and pour over the art again. (Also, as a Masshole, I'm sorry but everytime you murder Gloucestershire I die a little. It's GLAW-STUH-SHEE-AH.)

[@daveweeks4748]

Nicely researched, but too much swearing just spoils it.