The Only Possible Prom Dress is a long, complex game. In this annotated walkthrough, you will be given instructions on how to run the game from start to finish. Many actions that are not strictly necessary, such as examining objects and conversing with NPCs, have been skipped. However, a few extra examinations and side trips have been included, where the information or the object may be useful later on. You’ll also solve a couple of problems along the way without ever having discovered the problem. That’s the disadvantage of a walkthrough.

Feel free to follow this series of commands faithfully, or take a few side trips to try things that might be interesting. But be careful: There are a couple of ways to make the game unwinnable.

The first four chapters of the sequence provided below have to be executed in order. After that, the game becomes considerably wider, and many different vectors through it will lead to the solution. The vectors described here are only one possibility. Technically, there is one three-part side puzzle that you can solve before you finish Chapter 1, but this walkthrough puts it in a more sensible place.

Chapter 1 begins at the very start of the game, in the Parking Lot. You will be getting your hands on the passkey that opens the locked doors of the shops in Stufftown. To do this, you will need an ally: the hairdresser (Betsy).

x pennants, s, look in trash can, take bag, take trumpet, look in bag, take note, read note, s, s, w, knock on window 
When you knock on the window, you will be moved into the beauty parlor. That happens automatically.
take nail polish, e, e, e, s, nw, lift lid, se, u, n, n, w
Now you’ve entered the Security Office.
tell guards about octopus, x corkboard, take key

Chapter 2 begins in the Security Office. You now have the key, but Betsy is sticking to you like glue, which will make it very difficult to use the key. So your second challenge is to get rid of Betsy.

e, unlock shop door, e
You’re now in the smoke shop. 
open case, take cigarettes, take matchbook, w, s, w, w 
Now you’re back in the beauty shop.
n, put matches and cigarettes on shelf, s, s, x elvis, n, tell hairdresser about cigarettes, lock closet door

In Chapter 3, you’ll be restoring electrical power to the locations in Stufftown that need it. Be careful not to venture into the wrong shops during this part of the story, as the guards are still keeping an eye on their video monitors! The commands for setting the switches properly can be deduced from the crumpled note you found in Chapter 1. The chapter begins in the beauty shop.

e, e, e, d, nw, sw, e, u, e
This detour to the lower level is necessary to get into the stairwell unobserved.
get screwdriver and oil can, w, u, u, n, d, d, e, s, nw, n 
You’re now at the north end of the lower concourse.
unlock light door, nw, take cable, se, s, se, s, s, w 
You’re now behind the building at the foot of a pole. For now, you can ignore the homeless man.
x box, open box, x square connector, take screwdriver, straighten square connector with screwdriver, put square connector in square jack, put round connector in round jack, switch a, switch c, switch d, switch f, switch g, switch i, switch l, switch m, switch n, switch p
At this point the box begins to hum. You’ve restored the power.

In Chapter 4, which starts at the foot of the pole, you’ll sabotage the guards’ video monitor system so as to be able to move freely in and out of any store in Stufftown without their spotting you and arresting you. To do this, you’ll need to get them out of the Security Office. Fortunately, the two shops you need to enter are not currently under video surveillance.

e, n, n, e, x machine, take oil can, oil switch, switch switch, w, n, n, unlock pottery door, ne, ne 
You’re now in the file room. You couldn’t have gotten there without switching off the HVAC.
se, s, take dart and bridge, n, n, sw, sw, n, n, w
You’re now on the patio.
unlock sandwich door, s, open cooler, get beer with bridge, get pizza with bridge, drop bridge, n, e, s, w
You’re back in the Security Office.
give beer and pizza to guards, x monitor, press blue, press green, press red, press blue, press green, press blue, press red, press blue, pour nail polish on panel
At this point you can open the Lost & Found box and take the flashlight if you want to, but the flashlight is not actually needed unless you go someplace you don’t need to go.

In Chapter 5 you’ll do a bit of prep work that will allow you to get rid of Flogg and Grabby. You’ll collect a few things and then try to get the prom dress. Trying to get the dress will reveal the true extent of your problem. You will then gather some more stuff so as to be ready to forge an alliance. This chapter starts in the Security Office.

e, n, n, sw, get in lamborghini, release lever, out, e, press red button, e
You’re now in the Shipping Department.
open drawer, take card, open crate with screwdriver, search peanuts, take nightingale, s, put card in slot
Rather than go through the door you’ve just unlocked, let’s go back outside and around to the front.
n, w, w, ne, s, e, look behind stairs, e, take rope, w, search hedge, take egg, w, s, s, w, w, unlock closet door, n
You’re in the closet in the beauty parlor. Fortunately, Betsy’s boyfriend has silently released her and taken her away.
take matches, s, e, e, e, s, nw, n, n, search racks, s
Oh, dear. Now you have a problem! The mannequin has run off with the prom dress!
take key, unlock case, open case, take eau, s, s, se, s, s, se, n, search grass, s, s, s, s, w
You’re now in the wardrobe closet. (And locked in, apparently.)
x hat, take pin, look on shelf, take helmet and shoes and scarf, x scarf, e, put pin in latch keyhole, e, n, n, n, nw, w

In Chapter 6, you’ll enlist the help of the homeless man. He will enable you to get at an important item in Stuff World Headquarters and will also help you to find the fugitive mannequin. FYI, you can’t find the mannequin without his help. She’s in the mirror maze, but although you can map the maze (it’s mostly a classic lawful maze, though not entirely), she will elude you. At the start of this chapter you’re back at the foot of the pole.

tie rope to pole, drop rope over cliff, drop all, d, s, get stick, n, u, take all
The result of ‘take all’ is messy, so you may prefer to take the shopping bag and then ‘look’ to find what’s on the ground and take that stuff too. It’s up to you. BTW, as I’ve formatted this walkthrough, with commas, it appears that “joe, follow me” is two commands, but actually that’s one command: “give shoes to joe” is followed by “joe, follow me”. Same deal with “joe, hold flogg’s button”.
ask man about himself, give shoes to joe, joe, follow me, e, n, n, n, w, u, n, n, e
You’re now in Stuff World Headquarters.
tell flogg about lamborghini, e, look under flogg’s desk, look under grabby’s desk, joe, hold flogg’s button, press grabb’ys button, search safe, take u-shaped piece
Joe has wandered off, so you’ll have to go get him again.
w, s, w, d, e, s, s, s, w, take matches, take cigar, light cigar, take scarf, catch pixies in scarf, take ennui, pour ennui on pixies
No more pixies — what a relief!
give stick to joe, joe, follow me, e, n, n, nw, n, n, ask mannequin about herself, open purse, take phone, take photo of bianca, e, unlock shop door, sw

For a couple of upcoming challenges, you’re going to need a wagon to cart things around, so in Chapter 7 you’ll visit the toy store. While there, you may as well take a ride in the Virtual Capsule. This isn’t strictly necessary in a walkthrough, as the walkthrough could just give you the information you’ll need, but it’s a nice little scenic tour of Stufftown’s future as Flogg and Grabby fondly imagine it.

nw, get ladder, se, s, se, n, w, w, nw
You’re in the restroom.
drop ladder, unfold ladder, u, x keypad, press ro, press od, press kc, press ab, n
In the toy store, you’ll want to make friends with the purple dinosaur.
take easter egg, press pink nub, press yellow nub, press green nub, press blue nub, give jellybeans to dinosaur, move cartons, w, get in capsule
Are you ready for the virtual tour? Hope so. You may want to take careful notes on what you’re seeing. And while following this walkthrough, be very careful to z for the correct number of turns.    
push button, move lever right, z, z, z, z, move lever left, z, z, z, z, z, z, z, move lever right, z, z, z, z,
move lever left, z, z, z, z, z, out, e, unlock door, get top, pull wagon n

In Chapter 8 you’ll collect a couple of items from upstairs. Then you’ll go back downstairs to get the pterodactyl chow, which you can’t carry around without the wagon. Collecting the other stuff from downstairs will be convenient, and along the way we’ll meet a ghost.

pull wagon e, s, take harp, look behind piano, n, pull wagon sw, pull wagon s, pull wagon w, sw, take telescope, ne
Now it’s time to use the elevator.
press button, pull wagon w, press bottom button, pull wagon e, open wide door, pull wagon e, pull wagon s, open fur door, pull wagon w, x cage, open cage, take coin
Hmm, that didn’t work. Okay, let’s do it the right way.
take egg, press orange nub, press green nub, press red nub, press violet nub, take silver key, take nightingale, wind up nightingale, take gold coin, put chow in wagon, pull wagon e, e, take gold paint and scissors, n, take book, ask man about himself, take sheet, show tall mirror to man, take book, n, open desk, point u-shaped piece at cubbyholes, take coin from desk, take parchment, x parchment, ne, take cloak, s, unlock shop door, w, s
Now we’re back where we left the wagon.
pull wagon n, pull wagon w, pull wagon w, press top button, pull wagon e, pull wagon n, pull wagon n, pull wagon n, pull wagon ne

Chapter 9 begins in the Octagonal Room. Using the levers and buttons, you’ll navigate one by one to the places you need to go.

press green button, pull black lever, g, press red button, pull black lever, go through rose door, take candle
Don’t be tempted to go further, just get the candle and go back into the Octagonal Room.
se, pull white lever, g, g, press red button, pull black lever, g, press green button, pull white lever, g, go through ivy door, take miraklgro
Another good try that doesn’t work. To solve the problem:
take scissors, take cloak, cut cloak with scissors, give scraps to marionettes, take miraklgro, go through arch, go through rose door
Now you’re on the balcony.
x card players, look at card players through telescope, s, press green button, pull white lever, press red button, pull white lever, g, pull black lever, g, go through rose
Now you’re in the garden.
give harp to angel, take crystal ball, x card players, tell men about cheating, take cards, nw, pick marigolds, se, go through arch, press green button, pull white lever, g, press red button, pull white lever, g, pull wagon through ivy door, pull wagon s

The first thing to do in Chapter 10 is to befriend the wizard. (Clearly, the difficulty you’ve encountered with the mannequin will require the services of a wizard!) 

open sack, pour sack into trough, ask man about himself, tell wizard about bianca, give crystal ball to wizard, pull wagon north, pull wagon northwest, press red button, pull white lever, pull black lever, pull wagon through ivy door, pull wagon southwest, pull wagon south, pull wagon west, pull wagon west, press middle button, pull wagon east, pull wagon east
Okay, that’s a lot of wagon-pulling. We’re not done with the wagon yet, but let’s take a break and do some other stuff.
take screwdriver, x diorama, crawl under diorama, unscrew plate, reach into square hole, out, n, n, nw, search urn, take coin, se, s, s, take egg, press green nub, press pink nub, press blue nub, press violet nub, take coin

The first thing to do in Chapter 11 is to gather a bit of useful information. It’s almost time for a trip to the jungle — but you’re nowhere near ready for that, so you’ll need to pick up a bunch of other stuff. Here again, as in the explanation above of how to issue a command to Joe, “madame, summon the ghost” is a single command.

se, x woman, ask her about herself, give cards to woman, show book to woman, madame, summon the ghost, read page 327 in book
Aha! Useful information.
n, u, s, se, look in box, take pill, eat pill, take vial, n, sw, take wine box, e, u, n, x shed, x grille, look in gap, take needle, slide needle into gap, take putter, n, take golf ball, drop ball, hit ball with putter, e, take tooth
A dragon tooth is bound to come in handy sooner or later. Maybe sooner.
sw, d, d, e, d, nw, sw, take belt, ne, w, x tank, take helmet, catch fish in helmet, e, se, u, n, nw, x man, ask man about himself, pour helmet into birdbath, ask archie about paintings
Useful information. When you get to the scrimshaw shop be careful to press the down button the correct number of times.
n, take paintbrush, s, se, s, drop egg, u, n, nw, x machine, read instructions, put tooth in hopper, close lid, put coin in slot, g, g, g, g, read LED, press down button, g, g, g, press red button, open hopper, take tooth, x tooth, se, e, ne, take bamboo, take envelope, take biobgone bottle, sw, se, take saw, nw, n, w, d, e, e
At this point you’re in the pub. The question which photo to take may seem unfair if you’re doing the walkthrough and haven’t been to the jungle yet, but if you were playing the game in the usual way it would only require a tiny bit of inside knowledge. Madame Bloviatsky might already have given you a broad clue.
x bartender, x photos, greet bartender, show tooth to bartender, take goodall photo, w, ne

In Chapter 12 we’ll make that run to the jungle. We start in the travel agency.

in, read page 327 in book, x panel, press 5, press 6, press 3, press 9, press 1, press 2, press trip, out, s, take blowgun and knitting needle, clean blowgun with needle, take dart and vial, put dart into dimple, take blowgun, put dart in blowgun, point blowgun at ocelot, blow into blowgun
Fortunately, the anesthetic used by a dentist seems to have a salutary effect on the ocelot. When you reach the next location your purse should already be open (because you took out the cell phone to snap a photo of the mannequin).
s, take purse, hold mirror in sunbeam, aim beam at buddha, e, x monkeys, show goodall to monkeys, sign follow, w, n, in, press 1, press 0, g, g, g, g, press trip, out
Now you have some monkeys. But what to do with them?
sw, n, n, n, e, u, s, show instruments to monkeys, n, d, w, s, s, e, d, s, w, put disc in dvd player, take trumpet, sign play, press play, sign play, play trumpet, e, n, nw, n, ne, sign wait

Only a few more important chores to do. In Chapter 13 we’ll get the mirror ball spinning and invite the handsome soldier downstairs. Again, “soldier, follow me” is a single command.

sw, s, se, u, n, ne, x wheel, x motor, unscrew cap, pour wine into motor, take belt, attach belt to gears, switch motor on
The mirror ball is now spinning.
take pot, sw, n, n, w, open grate with screwdriver, x ooze, pour biobgone on ooze, search ooze, e, e, u, drop shopping bag, put pot and screwdriver in bag, put purse in bag, take parchment, take candle and matches, light candle, drip wax onto parchment, press ring into wax, blow out candle, put candle and ring and matchbook into bag, take bag, sw, w, take cell phone, photograph soldier, play trumpet, soldier, follow me, show parchment to soldier, soldier, follow me, e, n, d, w, d, s, n, u, s, s, s

In Chapter 14 we’ll acquire the mummy’s toe. To do that, we’ll need the wagon, and also some dirt.

pull wagon w, pull wagon sw, press bottom button, pull wagon e, g, pull wagon s, pull wagon se, pull wagon s, g, pull wagon se, put pot in wagon, take helmet, fill pot with dirt
And now it’s time to go down to the crypt.
pull wagon nw, pull wagon n, g, pull wagon nw, pull wagon n, pull wagon w, g, take screwdriver, x brass plate, loosen screws, push plate down, press bottom button, pull wagon e, take mallet, pull wagon n
But how to open the sarcophagus?
hit lid with mallet, g, g, take envelope, open envelope, put seeds in pot, take saw, saw mummy\s toe
No, that didn’t work. Okay, buster, hold still!
take miraklgro, pour miraklgro in pot, saw mummy\s toe, s, w, press top button, e

In Chapter 15, all that remains is to generate some fake identity papers for the soon-to-be-happy young couple. Fortunately, you’ve planned ahead by taking photos of them with your phone. So let’s go to the bookstore.

s, touch shakespeare, x slim volume, take it, open it, look in it, x tablet, type unclasp a secret book
Aha! A secret door! (By the way, the walkthrough doesn’t reveal the source of the critical phrase “unclasp a secret book.” To work it out you would have to decipher the anagrams on the marquee in front of Stufftown and then work out which letters are missing from the anagrams. The order of the missing letters is on the menu board in the snack bar. Once you enter the secret room, you’ll use the code you picked up while observing the signs in the ride in the Virtual Capsule. 
s, x machine, attach cell phone to cable, press 3, press 8, press 1, press 5, pull lever, take folders
Now you’re ready for the grand finale. There will be a bit of automatic transportation here, relocating you and the wizard to the night club.
n, n, e, se, give marigolds to wizard, give toe to wizard, give toy top to wizard, give paintbrush to wizard, give gold paint to wizard, give pink folder to wizard, give blue folder to wizard
You’re in the night club, and Bianca is waiting:
w, tell bianca about lieutenant

See? That wasn’t so hard, was it? (Don’t answer that.)