Modern Inventions

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Modern Inventions is a Donald Duck cartoon. Released on May 29, 1937, and directed by Jack King. Donald visits "The Museum of Modern Marvels", which showcases various futuristic electronic appliances and inventions. In the museum, Donald encounters and struggles with many strange and whimsical machines, all of which seem to be against him. A running gag throughout the picture has the Robot Butler appearing to take away Donald's hat, with the words "Your Hat, Sir." After encountering a robotic hitch-hiker, a wrapping machine and a fully-automated baby carriage, the short ends when Donald attempts to scam a robotic barber chair and winds up getting a haircut on his behind and a shoe-shined bill.

Contents

[edit] The machines

Donald struggles with various inventions and robots throughout the cartoon, including:

  • Robot Butler
  • Hitch-Hiker's Aid
  • Automatic Bundle-Wrapper
  • Robot Nurse Maid
  • Mechanical Barber Chair

[edit] The hats

Throughout the cartoon, Donald magically pulls hats out of thin air to replace those taken by the Robot Butler. These include:

  • Top hat
  • Napoleonic officer hat
  • Civil War kepi
  • Baby bonnet
  • Derby

[edit] Trivia

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  • This is widely considered Donald's very first completely solo appearance.
  • Donald exhibits his trademark fist-shaking temper tantrum for the first time.
  • This short appeared on the Walt Disney Cartoon Classics VHS tape "The Continuing Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale featuring Donald Duck", although Chip 'n Dale do not appear in the cartoon (nor had they been created then).
  • When this cartoon debuted, the face of Mickey Mouse was seen at the beginning, despite the fact that he does not appear in the cartoon.
  • The cartoon's ending was submitted by Carl Barks (who was bumped into the story department afterwards). This sequence was mentioned on an episode of House of Mouse.
  • According to Matt Groening, the inspiration for the suicide booth in Futurama was this cartoon.[citation needed]

[edit] External links

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