A question regarding the plot in 204, could somebody help me?
 

Why does the scanner print out 1 birthday per person and why exactly the one you get? Is there some logical explanation? At least, as I was playing it, I didn't get it.

Probably no other reason than for the required locations for the puzzles to be solved... After all, Superball does say he's visited by the Mariachi in Sep 2008, but you have to get him to visit Superball in 1963 as well to complete a puzzle.

What's interesting is that Grandpa Stinky can't be scanned... so does he even have a birthday?

My guess is that the scanner didn't work on him, because he doesn't have a soul. (Sold it to the devil).

Sounds quite reasonable. Though when I first played the episode, I thought it was a pun on Old Stinky's love life. You know, they had just talked about what bad luck Stinky has had with the ladies, and then we find that the carbon dater doesn't work on him.

(Am I overthinking these things? ;))

I think they just didn't want to make things anymore complicated by adding stinky to the mix. Easier to just say it didn't work. Or he's what hatched from the egg, that'd explain it I guess, because then he wouldn't have a birth date.

Who else can't you get a timecard from?

Featherly and the Mariachis. Havent' checked the Moai Heads yet. I liked the Mariachi's excuse about how it is their curse never to have a birthday of their own. :D

To answer the question, if you talk to the Mariachis enough, you will find out that the date is suppose to be a special day, not just their birthday. In the case of the Soda Poppers, that date was the day their careers starting to climb back up. Bosco was the first Test-Tube baby, which was a special day in that respect. Ms. Bosco's was the trip to the White House.

From that information, I just assumed that they went on those days as a way of making the special days more special.

The Mariachis and Featherly.

This confused me a bit as well. I'm still not sure about Grandpa Stinky. I took it as a reference to his untimely death, but there's not really a basis for that explanation.

and Grandpa Stinky

well.. you do get a time card from featherly, buts its just another blank one

I figured since that is who was originally being asked about I didn't need to mention him again.

I remember it being a combo of it being both their birthday and a special day in their lives. I could be wrong tho.

Thanks, that explains it. So Max's birthday ought to be a special day too. Since the two haven't appeared yet, I guess it will occur in 205 or 301 (or further on, depends on, when they will be back at the office), maybe his special birthday will be in hell and the mariachis will play him a jolly tune.

And I also think, Stinky sold his soul to, or even is the devil (or it's unexplainable and not to be questioned EVER AGAIN)

Don't forget, that Sam's still carrying Mr. Featherly around, maybe the mystery to Mr. Featherly's birthday is yet to be solved.

Max's birthday was the one in Stinky's where they were playing w/ Bluster Blaster.

ah ha

Talk to the characters in each time period before you summon Pedro to sing to Superball in 1963. You'll learn thatn one of T-H-E-M was already there, which means Max already got his birthday song, as did Ms. Bosco, Sam, and Superball in 2008.

Given what happened in 203 with the Jurgen's Monster, Bosco had his song the moment he popped out of the Baby Maker.

But if T-H-E-M only appear on "special" birthdays, they shoudn't appear on Superballs "made" birthday, shoud they?
I know, this is pedantic, but we're all nerdy pc adventure assholes after all.

I'm not one of the designers so I could be totally off base, but I believe the Mariachis mention that they go to all birthdays, but do it in such a way that you completely forget about it until next year. As for the Birthdater, they go to all birthdays but not necessarily in chronological order, so most likely it is selecting the next birthday that they need to sing.

Which falls in nicely to the whole "you justed miss T-H-E-M" lines you can hear during the second act of the came.