The Think Box Bollix

"The Think Box Bollix" is a 1952 comic story written and illustrated by Carl Barks.

A remake of this story was later published as part of the comic This is Your Life, Donald Duck (1960), written by Vic Lockman, penciled by Tony Strobl and inked by Steve Steere.

Plot


Donald sees Gyro Gearloose, Huey, Dewey, and Louie riding Gyro's new invention, a "jet-powered baggage buggy". Donald considers that vehicle one of the most normal things that Gyro ever invented, and laughs at him because of that. Gyro crashes it on a tree, and states that he did so on purpose: he didn't perfect the baggage buggy because he was busy inventing think boxes. (In the remake, Gyro merely parks the buggy without crashing, and then introduces the think boxes.)

Gyro and Donald's nephews place two think boxes on the field. Donald learns that Huey, Dewey, and Louie are working as Gyro's assistants and that the boxes were designed to make animals think and talk like human beings.

Back in Donald's house, Donald is worried that his nephews are working for a crackpot, but Huey, Dewey, and Louie believe in Gyro and compare him to Edison and Marconi. According to the three ducklings, these famous inventors also were thought to be crazy until their inventions were proven to work.

Donald gives up trying to convince his nephews to change their minds, and instead decides to deceive and scare them. The next day, Donald dresses up in a wolf costume, and pretends to be a wild wolf. Donald, dressed with the wolf costume, says to Gyro and his nephews that he is a wolf endowed with intelligence and speech from the thought boxes. He adds that, as a result, he lost his taste for raw food such as chickens, and that he intends to eat cooked food, meaning roast ducklings.

Donald (as the wolf) attacks his own nephews, but a man appears and stops him, and says that he will defend them from the wolf. Donald takes off his costume and reveals that he was just dressed up to scare his nephews. The man takes off his "man" costume and reveals that he was a real wolf all along, and that ironically he got intelligence and speech from the think boxes and therefore really wants to eat Donald. Exactly like the fake wolf said before, the real wolf ceased to like raw food, and now wants cooked food, a roast duck.

The wolf ties Donald with a rope, and prepares to light up a fire. Huey, Dewey, and Louie discover that Donald was kidnapped because they see tracks on the ground indicating a struggle. A talking rabbit that was affected by the think boxes warns Huey, Dewey and Louie that their uncle is in danger. (In the remake, the rabbit does not appear and Donald's nephews find him by themselves.) They bring Gyro to the place where the wolf took Donald. Per Huey, Dewey, and Louie's request, Gyro is able to reverse the effect of the thought box and cause the wolf to abandon Donald and resume thinking like a wild animal.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie are glad because they proved that Gyro's invention worked, and Donald looks angry because of that experience. (in the remake, Donald looks expressionless and thoughtful rather than angry) The talking bunny asks him "Can you spare a dime for a bunch of carrots?", and Donald says: "Oh, shut up!" (In the remake, the talking bunny does not appear. Instead, Donald is seen trying to tell random people on the street that a wolf talked, but the people think that he is crazy or a liar.)

Characters

 * Donald Duck
 * Gyro Gearloose
 * Huey, Dewey and Louie
 * Thomas Edison (mentioned)
 * Guglielmo Marconi (mentioned)
 * a costume shop owner (only in the original)
 * a talking wolf
 * a talking bunny (only in the original)
 * Graham Bell (mentioned)
 * people passing on the street (only in the remake)