diff --git a/1987/wall/README.md b/1987/wall/README.md
index 6861fef25..c2af47573 100644
--- a/1987/wall/README.md
+++ b/1987/wall/README.md
@@ -19,22 +19,11 @@ make all
 ### Try:
 
 ```sh
-./wall | bc | ./wall
+./try.sh
 ```
 
-and input the following:
-
-```
-x*x
-c^2
-m*m
-
-# can you figure out what this does?
-500
-
-```
-
-You may also wish to try:
+You may of course run the commands manually and enter text as you wish. For
+instance you might try one or both of:
 
 ```sh
 ./wall | bc
@@ -50,6 +39,9 @@ x*x
 quit # for the cat version
 ```
 
+which the script does through a pipeline except that here you can enter more
+text if you wish, line by line.
+
 
 ## Judges' remarks:
 
diff --git a/1987/wall/try.sh b/1987/wall/try.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..b4356d589
--- /dev/null
+++ b/1987/wall/try.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# try.sh - demonstrate IOCCC winner 1987/wall
+#
+
+# make sure CC is set so that when we do make CC="$CC" it isn't empty. Doing it
+# this way allows us to have the user specify a different compiler in an easy
+# way.
+if [[ -z "$CC" ]]; then
+    CC="cc"
+fi
+
+make CC="$CC" all >/dev/null || exit 1
+
+# clear screen after compilation so that only the entry is shown
+clear
+
+read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: echo 'x*x' | ./wall | bc: "
+echo 1>&2
+echo 'x*x' | ./wall | bc
+echo 1>&2
+
+read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: printf \"x*x\\nc^2\\nm*m\\n\\n500\\n\" | ./wall | bc | ./wall: "
+echo 1>&2
+printf "x*x\nc^2\nm*m\n500\n" | ./wall | bc | ./wall
+echo 1>&2
+
+read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: printf \"x*x\\n2^x\\nquit\\n\" | ./wall | cat: "
+printf "x*x\n2^x\nquit\n" | ./wall | cat
+echo 1>&2
+
+read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: printf \"x*x\\n2^x\\n\" | ./wall | bc: "
+echo 1>&2
+printf "x*x\n2^x\n" | ./wall | bc
+echo 1>&2
+
+read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: printf \"500\\n\" | ./wall | bc: "
+echo 1>&2
+printf "500\n" | ./wall | bc
+echo 1>&2
+
+read -r -n 1 -p "Press any key to run: echo 500 | ./wall: "
+echo 1>&2
+echo 500 | ./wall
+echo 1>&2
diff --git a/thanks-for-help.md b/thanks-for-help.md
index 1215f90a1..145ded0c4 100644
--- a/thanks-for-help.md
+++ b/thanks-for-help.md
@@ -576,6 +576,8 @@ size constraints of the contest).
 
 [Cody](#cody) made this use `fgets(3)`.
 
+Cody also added the [try.sh](1987/wall/try.sh) script.
+
 
 ## <a name="1987_westley"></a>[1987/westley](/1987/westley/westley.c) ([README.md](/1987/westley/README.md]))