Ali Baba or Indigo or The Forty Thieves? Finally: Indigo and the Forty Thieves. The search for a title was not the only confusion that was resolved just a few days before the world premiere on February 10, 1871, at the Theater an der Wien. The "competition" between Offenbach and Strauss in early 1864 (Evening Papers vs. Morning Papers) was utilized by Jetty Strauss to put pressure on her husband, the "Waltz King," through a strategically released press announcement. However, due to a fruitless search for a libretto, Strauss only secured his first contract in 1870, when he managed to enlist Richard Genée for collaboration at the Theater an der Wien. Without Genée, there would be no operetta composer Strauss. Through analyses of the surviving score parts, orchestral parts, and other materials, the author succeeds in meticulously demonstrating Genée's significant contribution.