Answer: Pixel Puzzle #372

The hidden picture is a pixel creature!

The picture as Python

Here is the same picture stored as numbers in a Python list. The program reads each number and prints a symbol for it, so you can see the picture appear in the Python shell.

picture = [
    "0000000000000000",
    "0000000000000000",
    "0000011001100000",
    "0221010000101220",
    "0122111111112210",
    "0012213113122100",
    "0011214114121100",
    "0011112222111100",
    "0111211221121110",
    "0011001221001100",
    "0011111001111100",
    "0000000000000000",
    "0011111001111100",
    "0000011001100000",
    "0000000000000000",
    "0000000000000000",
]
symbols = " #@*o"

for row in picture:
    line = ""
    for number in row:
        line = line + symbols[int(number)]
    print(line)

When you run it, it prints:

     ##  ##
 @@# #    # #@@
 #@@########@@#
  #@@#*##*#@@#
  ##@#o##o#@##
  ####@@@@####
 ###@##@@##@###
  ##  #@@#  ##
  #####  #####

  #####  #####
     ##  ##

Squashing the picture smaller

Computers often save space with a trick called run-length encoding. Instead of storing every pixel, they count how many of the same colour are in a row. Here’s this picture written that way:

Show the run-length code

• Row 1: 16 × white
• Row 2: 16 × white
• Row 3: 5 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × white, 2 × teal, 5 × white
• Row 4: 1 × white, 2 × pink, 1 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × teal, 4 × white, 1 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × pink, 1 × white
• Row 5: 1 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × pink, 8 × teal, 2 × pink, 1 × teal, 1 × white
• Row 6: 2 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × pink, 1 × teal, 1 × white, 2 × teal, 1 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × pink, 1 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 7: 2 × white, 2 × teal, 1 × pink, 1 × teal, 1 × navy, 2 × teal, 1 × navy, 1 × teal, 1 × pink, 2 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 8: 2 × white, 4 × teal, 4 × pink, 4 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 9: 1 × white, 3 × teal, 1 × pink, 2 × teal, 2 × pink, 2 × teal, 1 × pink, 3 × teal, 1 × white
• Row 10: 2 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × white, 1 × teal, 2 × pink, 1 × teal, 2 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 11: 2 × white, 5 × teal, 2 × white, 5 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 12: 16 × white
• Row 13: 2 × white, 5 × teal, 2 × white, 5 × teal, 2 × white
• Row 14: 5 × white, 2 × teal, 2 × white, 2 × teal, 5 × white
• Row 15: 16 × white
• Row 16: 16 × white