Answer: Pixel Puzzle #392

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",
    "0010000000000100",
    "0010100000010100",
    "0000000000000000",
    "0001000000001000",
    "0010002002000100",
    "0031104004011300",
    "0011111111111100",
    "0111331111331110",
    "0111113113111110",
    "0111111331111110",
    "0133111111113310",
    "0111113113111110",
    "0313110000113130",
    "0011100000011100",
    "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: 2 × white, 1 × yellow, 10 × white, 1 × yellow, 2 × white
• Row 3: 2 × white, 1 × yellow, 1 × white, 1 × yellow, 6 × white, 1 × yellow, 1 × white, 1 × yellow, 2 × white
• Row 4: 16 × white
• Row 5: 3 × white, 1 × yellow, 8 × white, 1 × yellow, 3 × white
• Row 6: 2 × white, 1 × yellow, 3 × white, 1 × white, 2 × white, 1 × white, 3 × white, 1 × yellow, 2 × white
• Row 7: 2 × white, 1 × green, 2 × yellow, 1 × white, 1 × navy, 2 × white, 1 × navy, 1 × white, 2 × yellow, 1 × green, 2 × white
• Row 8: 2 × white, 12 × yellow, 2 × white
• Row 9: 1 × white, 3 × yellow, 2 × green, 4 × yellow, 2 × green, 3 × yellow, 1 × white
• Row 10: 1 × white, 5 × yellow, 1 × green, 2 × yellow, 1 × green, 5 × yellow, 1 × white
• Row 11: 1 × white, 6 × yellow, 2 × green, 6 × yellow, 1 × white
• Row 12: 1 × white, 1 × yellow, 2 × green, 8 × yellow, 2 × green, 1 × yellow, 1 × white
• Row 13: 1 × white, 5 × yellow, 1 × green, 2 × yellow, 1 × green, 5 × yellow, 1 × white
• Row 14: 1 × white, 1 × green, 1 × yellow, 1 × green, 2 × yellow, 4 × white, 2 × yellow, 1 × green, 1 × yellow, 1 × green, 1 × white
• Row 15: 2 × white, 3 × yellow, 6 × white, 3 × yellow, 2 × white
• Row 16: 16 × white