Li'l Genius #27

When Uncle Smart complains that peddlers and visitors keep interrupting his time, Li'l Genius eagerly volunteers to invent something to discourage them—and gets to work building a series of increasingly elaborate contraptions to keep unwanted guests at bay. The young inventor's creations prove so effective that when Uncle Smart's own visitor arrives at the door, the poor fellow gets far more discouragement than he bargained for, leading Li'l Genius to wonder if maybe he should have asked a few more questions first.

When Li'l Genius decides a pup tent will bring him closer to the great outdoors, his plans for a peaceful camping retreat take an unexpectedly crowded turn—and things only get more complicated once he upgrades to a bigger tent. After a series of uninvited animal visitors and a creative (but questionable) scarecrow solution, our young camper learns that outdoor relaxation comes with its own set of hilarious complications. A charming five-page romp about the gap between camping dreams and backyard reality.

When Goofy Rabbit sets out to prove his intelligence by building a tree house before day's end, Roberta Rabbit watches his ambitious plans collide with reality in increasingly hilarious ways. From painted beehives and snapping branches to unexpected encounters with territorial tree dwellers, Goofy remains undeterred in his quest to construct the perfect elevated home—but success may look different than he imagined.

Timmy the Timid Ghost agrees to lose a race to his friend Maxie so that Maxie can impress a new ghost girl named Cassie, but things don't go quite as planned when an unexpected complication derails the scheme. In this two-page romp from 1960, good intentions collide with circumstance in true comic fashion.

Li'l Genius and Li'l Tomboy try to help their cousin Artie out of a creative rut by performing funny stunts and mishaps they think will inspire a new comic book story for his strip "Joey & Chloe"—but the punchline lands in an unexpected place when Artie reveals where his real inspiration has been all along. It's a clever little romp that shows these resourceful kids learning a lesson about where good ideas actually come from.