(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
As a kind of variant of Outside Sudoku, in this puzzle there are strings of connected numbers that must be placed back into the grid all at once. It can make for a very fast solve if you figure out how to do the packing.

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Author/Opus: This is the 12th puzzle from Bill Murphy, part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) team.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules (Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region). Also, the clues outside the grid represent strings of numbers that must appear in order in adjacent cells, reading from top to bottom if given above the grid or from left to right if given to the left of the grid. (E.g., in the first row, 4-8-7-2 must appear in a contiguous set of four cells from left to right.)

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 7:00; One party hat (🥳): 13:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: TBA T-Rex (for now).

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:47, with SudokuPad replay file shared as a download for now (requires loading via settings menu with improvements expected before people should use this regularly).

Solution: PDF; solving video with explanation to be added later from GAS team.

Note: Follow this link for other less common variations of Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Daily GAS discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.