How to complete the door puzzle in Tell Me Why

tell me why door puzzle
(Image credit: Tell Me Why)

Stuck on the Tell Me Why door puzzle? Mary-Ann has quite the security system for her room, and it's a far cry from the regular lock-and-key combination that most of us are used to. There are a selection of cute creatures to choose from, but only the perfect arrangement will see the door swing open. 

Let's save you some time spinning these decorative wheels, and get you back to Tyler and Alyson's story. The Ronan twins have places to be, and so do you. In a few moments, you'll know how to complete the Tell Me Why door puzzle, granting you speedy passage into Mary-Ann's room.

How to solve the Tell Me Why door puzzle

Upon reaching Mary-Ann's door you'll notice that there are a selection of woodland creatures blocking your path. While it's possible to force your way through, it would be a shame to break down such an ornate door.

There are five animals to choose from, and narrowing down the answer requires a spot of light reading. If you're just looking for the answer, the Tell Me Why door puzzle solution is:

  • Moose -> Bear -> Pelican

Interested in how we arrived at that conclusion? It just takes a little detective work. Tyler  carries the Book of Goblins, which happens to feature similar animals to those found on the wheels of the door. You're looking for 'The Princess's Party' chapter, which is on page 15. On the left page, we can see three images: A torch, sword, and a bag of coins. Now it's just a case of finding which animals gave these gifts to the Princess.

Here are the excerpts from The Princess's Party for each animal:

  • "The Bear invited her to ride on his back, promising no wolf would harry her path".
  • "There was a buffet of seafood the Pelican had served from her never-emptying beak".
  • "The air was filled with winking fairy lights the Moose had arranged".
  • "The gregarious Frog mixed up fizzing drinks".
  • "Only the Muskrat had done nothing in particular".

The torch can be traced back to the Moose as it arranged the fairy lights—the only light mentioned. The sword is most likely a present from the Bear as we know this animal is keen to protect the Princess. Finally, the bag of coins can only be from the Pelican as the story highlights the fact that its beak is "never-emptying", similar to the bag of coins "that always provided money" in the story.

Emma Matthews

As PC Gamer's guides writer, Emma is usually juggling several games at once. She loves competitive first-person shooters like CS:GO and Call of Duty, but she always has time for a few rounds of Hearthstone. She's happiest when she's rescuing pugs in Spelunky 2.