June 04, 2025
Tina Dillon/For PhillyVoice
Eric the Puzzler (second from left) discusses puzzle mechanics with a team of particpants.
Eric Dale's once-niche Instagram challenges have evolved into a highly sought-after service, and the Philly graphic designer will be launching his second citywide treasure hunt Friday.
Known online as Eric the Puzzler, Dale has built a strong local following since he began creating missions in 2020 to get people exploring the city.
Every month, he hides a key somewhere in the city and posts clues to its location. His nearly 22,000 Instagram followers are then sent to find it and claim an unusual sponsored prize — which have included a LOVE statue candle, anime-inspired socks and fish fossil. The winner also gets featured on his page for bragging rights.
Dale's puzzle-making mind has been commissioned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Mural Arts Philadelphia, South Street Headhouse District and even the Philly airport.
But for someone who builds puzzles for a living, Dale admits he's not much of a puzzle-solver himself, but he says playing with Legos as a kid helped him develop those skills.
"With Legos, I sort of had this supply of pieces, but it was up to me to put them together in a fun configuration," Dale said. "Puzzles feel kind of the same, where I'm taking the real world and turning it into an adventure."
Dale became entrenched in Philly's public art scene shortly after his move to the city in 2015, and many of his clues and checkpoints involve murals, sculptures and dedication plaques.
"When I moved to Philly, I was pretty quickly struck by how there's just art everywhere," Dale said. "I feel like it's an important part of the city, so I love to highlight and play with that. It makes spots that would otherwise be boring, interesting. You put a piece of art on a wall, that's suddenly a specific, identifiable location."
Dale will kick off his second year of the treasure hunt Friday, and the puzzles will be available all summer long. Teams of up to 10 players can register for a team. The hunt will be structured around digital checkpoints around the city, and prizes will be given to the top 10 teams with the fastest times.
Dale revealed to PhillyVoice that the first-place team will receive a two-night waterfront staycation package from the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation — including a two-night stay at a hotel, two front-row tickets to a concert of the winners' choosing and a priz fixe dinner for six people.
Although Dale describes his newest puzzle as challenging, elaborate and perplexing, he also clarified that participants should not be intimidated.
"This is designed for everyday Philadelphians to have a nice puzzle activity they can sink their teeth into this summer," Dale said. "If you're excited and devoted to it, you will be able to do this. But if you don't solve it fast enough, you will still get enjoyment out of it, and that's just as valid an experience."
Dale created these puzzles with a simple goal in mind: to get people outside.
"There's a lot of world out there," he said. "Even right here in Philadelphia, there's so many wonderful spots that you would never know about unless you happen upon them. I love giving people missions that get them out of the house, see somewhere they've never been before and use their brain in a way they haven't before."
Dale's puzzles take place year-round, while his key hunts are on pause until the treasure hunt is completed. For more information about his work, commissions and sponsorships, visit his website.
