Key & Compass presents:
The Organ Grinder's Monkey
by Garry Francis

The Organ Grinder's Monkey is a Z-machine interactive fiction game written with Inform 6 and is © 2025 by Garry Francis. It was an entry in PunyComp 2025, where it took 6th place overall, and 6th place in all other categories.

In this short, pleasant, slice-of-life game, you play as the father of your three-year-old son, Tommy, who wants to go to the carnival. You don't like frivolous spending, but you don't want to be a bad father either. After consulting with the missus, you decide a trip to the carnival is worth the expense after all. The story begins with you and Tommy at the balloon vendor.

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.

SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.

Map
Walkthrough
Extras
- Characters, Credits, Inventory
Thank You to my Patreon supporters
Support me on Ko-Fi
External links:
- This game at Homepage, IFDB, and IFWiki.
- Follow me at Bluesky, Ko-Fi, Mastodon, Patreon, and Wordpress.

Map

Walkthrough

North End of Carnival

> about. x me. i. x wallet.

> x Tommy. x post. x vendor. x balloons.

> talk to vendor. talk to Tommy.

> buy balloon.

You buy a rainbow-coloured balloon, but Tommy loses his grip and the balloon's string gets caught on the top of the lamp post.

> climb post. (no)

> s.

Fountain

> listen. x fountain.

> x coin. take it.

> x water. drink it.

> s.

South End of Carnival

> x vendor. talk to vendor. buy floss.

> x floss. give floss to Tommy.

> n. w.

West End of Carnival

> x monkey. x vest. x fez. x cup.

> x grinder. x moustache. x barrel organ.

> talk to grinder. talk to monkey.

> put coin in cup.

The monkey now follows you.

> e. n.

North End of Carnival

> point at post. (The monkey fetches and gives the balloon to you.)

> give balloon to Tommy.

*** You have won ***

Extras

Characters

Tommy is your three-year-old son. You love him to bits.
A balloon vendor is selling balloons at the north end of the carnival. To you, he looks like Santa Claus as a farmer.
A fairy floss vendor is selling fairy floss at the south end of the carnival. She's a cheery young Black woman.
An organ grinder plays his barrel organ at the west end of the carnival. He looks foreign.
A cute capuchin monkey capers about near the organ grinder and holds a tin cup for donations.

Mentioned:

The missus told you she'll make it worth your while if you take Tommy to the carnival. That was all the incentive you needed.
Pigeons used the fountain. Nuff said.

Credits

This is the response to CREDITS:

Game design and coding by Garry Francis. Play testing by no one, as I didn't have time for that.

Inventory

your wallet. You're carrying it.

Don't worry about the cost of anything. Buy the fairy floss and the balloon from their vendors.

a coin. It's in the fountain.

At the west end of the carnival, put the coin into the monkey's tin cup. The monkey now follows you.

some fairy floss. At the south end of the carnival, buy some floss from the fairy floss vendor.

Give it to Tommy. He devours it immediately.

a balloon. At the north end of the carnival, buy a balloon from the balloon vendor.

When you buy the balloon, Tommy accidentally lets go of it and the balloon's string gets caught at the top of the lamp post there.
After befriending the monkey (see coin), lead it to the north end of the carnival and point at the lamp post. The monkey fetches the balloon for you. Give the balloon to Tommy.

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough is provided free of charge since the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations. Please consider it a thank you for your support!

I create larger walkthroughs too! Please visit my Patreon account if you're interested in helping me create more interactive fiction walkthroughs. I appreciate all the help I can get! Thanks again.

Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!

Key & Compass presents: The Organ Grinder's Monkey by Garry Francis