Uncle Scrooge #242: "The Last Balaboo"

[arilou_skiff]

From the mind of the Venetian Wonder, the inimitable Romano Scarpa. This story was first published way back in 1960, but the scans are from Uncle Scrooge #242, published by Gladstone in 1990. I do have a swedish version from "Kalle Ankas Pocket" but I didn't use it because A) It's in swedish B) The swedish pockets used an odd system where only every other page is colored.




It all starts with Scrooge waking up with a word stuck in his head, in this case "Balaboo". It keeps slipping into his speech during the day. "That's fine Mrs. Quackfosters Balaboo!" it doesn't get him into trouble though until he runs into Brigitta McBridge.

I don't know how familiar you americans are with her, but she is one of Scarpa's creations that Barks really loved, and she is essentially Scrooge's stalker. (and nursemaid, and occasional business rival)

Note that there is at least one alternate-universe type story that shows that yes, if Scrooge married Birgitta he'd be significantly less wealthy. But also that he'd be a whole bunch happier.
Note that exclamation mark. It's significant.
Ooops! But a promise is a promise, so Scrooge has to find a Balaboo, and turn it into a hat for Brigitta.

He's in luck! there's apparently one surviving Balaboo! Or so the legend goes. Finding a single solitary animal in the big jungle does not dissuade the duck who has found so many legendary treasures however, so Scrooge is off, grumbling about the expenses every step of the way. (and the expenses pile up)
They find the last Balaboo... and the trapper sent by the sultan of Brunei to catch it. They also almost get eaten by crocodiles. The Balaboo ends up not only saving their lives but being generally pretty cool. So naturally Donald and the nephews object to turning it into a fur-hat! Some shenanigans ensue, but one does not easily outwit McDuck... Finally they realize that Brigitta might put a stop to it...
But a promise is a promise...




And we end with Scrooge ordering a universal dictionary so he can look up the meaning of words in case they get stuck in his head again...

This bonus page provies some extra info:
I love this story. Not only because Scrooge actually ends up spending a whole lot of money, but the fact that he is willing to go to great lengths to fulfill a promise. It's charming, occasionally very funny, and it's got a conservationist message way before it's time.

That said, I've always wondered what the heck Brigitta's hairstyle is supposed to be.

This is nine scans out of a 38-page story, +1 commentary page from the 60-ish page issue.

Comments

[terrykun]

Man... I remember buying and reading this issue. Still as delightfully irreverent as ever.

[freivolk.livejournal.com]

I always liked Brigitta (or Gitta Gans, what she was called in Germany) in the best stories with her she was Scrooge buisness-rival and always beated him on his own game. And all this just to win his love.

[fungo_squiggly]

"Here, take this live Balaboo to go with the dead, flayed Balaboo you're wearing on your head! They're a perfect match! Hell, that hat was probably made out of his grandma, in fact. May it always remind him of how his species was hunted to extinction in order to create fashionable apparel for us."

[arilou_skiff]

Yep, even as a kid that always struck me as more than a bit morbid.

[janegray]

To be fair, this story was written in 1960, wayyyyy before animal rights were recognized, let alone accepted. This story is actually very futuristic for its time.

[janegray]

That said, I've always wondered what the heck Brigitta's hairstyle is supposed to be.

IIRC, it's supposed to be a heart.

I've always felt conflicted about Brigitta. On the one hand, her constanltly stalking Scrooge can get pretty damn pathetic. On the other hand, she is often shown as very competent and intelligent.

[arilou_skiff]

I've always found it sort of amusing that most others simply seem to accept her as a member of the family: She's routinely invited to family gatherings and eg. crises, and she gets along well with most of the cast (even including Rockefellerduck, who finds Scrooge's discomfort hilarious, but respects Brigitta)

I think it is also interesting that she does something that was (for it's time, to a lesser degree so now) unusual in that she's actively trying to earn Scrooge's approval proffesionally: She's looking to be his partner in every sense of the word.