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Time Teasers is the forty-third episode of DuckTales 1987.
Synopsis[]
When Huey, Dewey, and Louie are late for breakfast one morning, Scrooge almost gives them a little pointer which they’ve already learned from him; "The early bird catches the worm". Scrooge reminds the nephews that they have to make deliveries for Gyro’s Invention of the Month Club in the morning, but it conflicts with their plans to see the Duckburg Mallards' baseball game. Scrooge then tells the nephews that they need to help him with his inventory in the afternoon, filling up the rest of their schedule.
The nephews arrive at Gyro’s at ten, just as the ballgame would’ve started. Gyro greets the nephews and shows them his featured invention for the Invention of the Month Club; a combination hairdryer/popcorn maker. He then shows the nephews his invention for the following month; a special stopwatch he calls the Time Teaser. Using the Time Teaser, Gyro disappears, and quickly reappears holding the nephews’ hats. Gyro explains that he was moving too fast for the nephews to notice, and gives them a hands-on demonstration by using the Time Teaser on himself and the nephews. From their perspective, the rest of the world appears to have stopped moving, although they’re just actually moving at a super-fast speed. Afterwards, when Gyro gets back to work, the nephews decide to use the Time Teaser so that they’ll have time to do their chores and see the ballgame.
The nephews use the Time Teaser to complete all their deliveries right away and then head to the stadium. Though they have to restart time to enjoy the game, the lousy Mallards are already losing 0-16, and it’s only the first inning. Huey then gets an idea; use the Time Teaser to help the Mallards so that they don’t strike out, and to sabotage the Garfield Ganders. The nephews help the Mallards out until the last inning, when Louie points out that the time is now 11:45, and that they need to be at the Money Bin by noon. Since the Mallards are now winning 32-16, Huey figures that there’s no way they can lose, and the nephews leave.
With the Time Teaser activated, the nephews catch Bankjob and Babyface robbing the ticket booth on their way out. They take advantage of this by returning the money, replacing Bankjob’s gun with a hot dog, tying their shoelaces, untying the guard and giving him the gun. When time restarts, the Beagle Boys are startled, and flee for their getaway car, where Bugle awaits them. Since they failed to rob the ticket booth, Bankjob suggests that they rob the Money Bin again.
At the Money Bin, the Beagle Boys see that movers are working about which gives Bankjob an idea. With one minute left until noon, the nephews use the Time Teaser to reach the Money Bin in time, where they startle Scrooge by restarting time as he dives into his money. Before the nephews can explain what’s going on, Gyro shows up. Dressed up as movers, the Beagle Boys pass through the Money Bin and into Scrooge’s office, where they eavesdrop on Gyro explaining the Time Teaser to Scrooge. Once Gyro gives a demonstration of the Time Teaser to Scrooge (and the Beagle Boys), Bankjob swipes it out of his hand, and uses it on himself and his brothers.
With time slowed down for them, the Beagle Boys empty the vault load by load, and are seemingly unstoppable. Eventually, the Beagle Boys load Scrooge’s entire fortune onto a steamboat, where they have to restart time in order to move the boat. Fortunately, the Beagle Boys left a trail of coins for Scrooge and the others to follow, which leads them to the docks. Bugle soon spots Scrooge and the others heading towards them in a motorboat, pressuring Bankjob into using the Time Teaser. Babyface however, wants a turn to use the Time Teaser, and gets into a fight with Bankjob. Bankjob drops the Time Teaser and it breaks, sending the Beagle Boys and the entire steamboat through a time warp.
Gyro explains that the Beagle Boys had to have been warped into another century, and sure enough, they are soon attacked by a pirate ship, led by Captain Blackheart. Though the advanced currency is of no value to the pirates, they take the Beagle Boys hostage regardless, and end up talking them into providing some entertainment for Captain Blackheart’s birthday party.
Back in the present, Gyro explains that the Beagle Boys burnt a hole in the fabric of time, and he uses his Time Thermometer to discover that they’ve gone back to 1687. He then uses his Time Tub to take Scrooge and the nephews back in time, where they find themselves face-to-face with the pirates. Captain Blackheart demands that they too serve as entertainment for his party, and on top of that, Gyro can’t seem to get the Time Tub working again.
That night, at Captain Blackheart's beach birthday party, Gyro theorizes that he might be able to send the entire ship back to the present if he hooks up the controls from the Time Tub. Scrooge and Gyro are the first to perform, but are quickly booed off the stage. While the nephews perform, Scrooge plots to have Gyro work with the Time Tub when the Beagle Boys perform, and promises not to leave them behind. While the Beagle Boys distract the pirates by singing classic songs all night, Gyro manages to hook up the controls to the ship by dawn.
When Scrooge signals the Beagle Boys with the foghorn, the pirates learn of their plan, and chase the Beagle Boys up a waterfall. Babyface falls down the waterfall, which seems likes the quickest route down, so Bankjob and Bugle join him. The Beagle Boys swim back to the ship as the pirates shoot at them, and just as Gyro pulls the lever, he experiences a short circuit. However, he manages to get the controls working and returns the ship to the present before the pirates can blast them.
Afterwards, Scrooge is relieved to have his money back in the Money Bin, and to have the Beagle Boys back in jail. While listening to the news, the reporter announces that the Ganders scored seventeen runs in the final inning, winning with a score of 33-32, meaning the nephews’ efforts to help them earlier turned out to be worthless.
Cast[]
- Peter Cullen as Bankjob Beagle
- Brian Cummings as Bugle Beagle
- Terry McGovern as Babyface Beagle
- Will Ryan as Captain Blackheart
- Hal Smith as Gyro Gearloose
- Russi Taylor as Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck
- Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck
Video releases[]
VHS
- "DuckTales: Masked Marauders" (US release)
Laserdisc
- "DuckTales: Fearless Fortune Hunters / Masked Marauders" (US release)
DVD
- "DuckTales: Volume 2" (Reg. 1)
- "DuckTales: 2nd Collection" (Reg. 2)
Trivia[]
- A plot set-up similar to this episode was used by Don Rosa for the Donald Duck comic story "On Stolen Time" (published in Donald Duck Adventures #24). According to Rosa, however, it was a concept he had played with since childhood.
- One of the movers also appeared in "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. McDuck", and as a locksmith in "Scrooge's Pet".
- A few clips from this episode appear on the Carl Barks documentary featured on the Walt Disney Treasures DVD set The Chronological Donald, Volume 2.