Answer: Pixel Puzzle #383

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",
    "0001000000001000",
    "0011111001111100",
    "0012111001112100",
    "0211111001111120",
    "0111113113111110",
    "0112214004122110",
    "0111111111111110",
    "0111111111111110",
    "0000021221200000",
    "0011111221111100",
    "0001012112101000",
    "0001111111111000",
    "0011121001211100",
    "0000011001100000",
    "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: 3 × white, 1 × purple, 8 × white, 1 × purple, 3 × white
• Row 3: 2 × white, 5 × purple, 2 × white, 5 × purple, 2 × white
• Row 4: 2 × white, 1 × purple, 1 × pink, 3 × purple, 2 × white, 3 × purple, 1 × pink, 1 × purple, 2 × white
• Row 5: 1 × white, 1 × pink, 5 × purple, 2 × white, 5 × purple, 1 × pink, 1 × white
• Row 6: 1 × white, 5 × purple, 1 × white, 2 × purple, 1 × white, 5 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 7: 1 × white, 2 × purple, 2 × pink, 1 × purple, 1 × navy, 2 × white, 1 × navy, 1 × purple, 2 × pink, 2 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 8: 1 × white, 14 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 9: 1 × white, 14 × purple, 1 × white
• Row 10: 5 × white, 1 × pink, 1 × purple, 2 × pink, 1 × purple, 1 × pink, 5 × white
• Row 11: 2 × white, 5 × purple, 2 × pink, 5 × purple, 2 × white
• Row 12: 3 × white, 1 × purple, 1 × white, 1 × purple, 1 × pink, 2 × purple, 1 × pink, 1 × purple, 1 × white, 1 × purple, 3 × white
• Row 13: 3 × white, 10 × purple, 3 × white
• Row 14: 2 × white, 3 × purple, 1 × pink, 1 × purple, 2 × white, 1 × purple, 1 × pink, 3 × purple, 2 × white
• Row 15: 5 × white, 2 × purple, 2 × white, 2 × purple, 5 × white
• Row 16: 16 × white