History Main / ThinkingWheels

** In [[https://www.woodenplankstudios.com/comic/pywrath-everyone-is-home/ "Pywrath"]], Mythra gets this when meeting Sephiroth, remembering that he sent a fake [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Smash]] invitation to Rex. She then switches to Pyra, who caves his skull in with her sword.
** In [[https://www.woodenplankstudios.com/comic/cranky-king-everyone-is-home/ "Cranky King"]], Kazuya and Incineroar need Life Balloons from Cranky Kong to revive Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, but have no Banana Coins to buy them. Cranky gets some gears when asked if he'll accept another form of payment. [[spoiler: He settles for Kazuya's pants and what's left of Incineroar's fur]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thinking_brain_image_23_2147489990_9.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The other type of gearhead.]]

* ''The Close Shaves of Pauline Peril'': Snodgrass [=McViper=] usually gets these when coming up with a scheme to get rid of Pauline. He literally ground gears on his head in the fourth issue, though it was likely just a visual gag.

* ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'': The undead EvilGenius Nirai Kujen appears as an [[TheShadowKnows abnormal shadow]] on his [[WillingChanneler human host]], full of intricate gears that transform to and from the Nirai faction's MacabreMothMotif as they spin.

* ''WesternAnimation/ZigAndSharko'': In "Magical Jellyfish", Sharko takes the jellyfish (transformed to look like Marina) from Zig, who attempted to switch it with the real Marina. When Sharko tries to figure out which Marina is the real one, turning gears appear over his head.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''
** In "Patrick [=SmartPants=]", the top of Patrick's head comes off after he falls off a cliff. When [=SpongeBob=] replaces it, the brain plugs into its socket, causing the cobweb-covered gears to spin and make the starfish intelligent.
** In "Sing a Song of Patrick", Patrick tries to write a song. He gets the underused gears in his brain to work, though he is clearly straining. They also produce a foul-smelling smoke detected by Squidward.
--->'''Squidward:''' What is that horrible smell? Is Patrick thinking again?
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': In "Hoss Delgado: Spectral Exterminator", Hoss tries to destroy Grim for holding Billy and Mandy hostage, until Grim tells him it's the other way around. When trying to comprehend, the inside of Hoss' head shows a mouse running on a hamster wheel.

* One episode of ''Mr. Baby'' has gears shown inside Rudy's head.
* ''WesternAnimation/LarryAndSteve'' is a concept "pitch" cartoon by Creator/SethMacFarlane about a dimwit named Larry that adopts an intelligent dog named Steve. Arriving at Larry's home, Steve notes some deficiencies in the decor, and mentions that these problems need to be addressed. The thought balloon above Larry starts with two cogs meshing, but slowly and with much creaking, followed by a square peg failing to nestle into a round socket. Clearly, Larry doesn't do thinking very well.

* ''WebComic/WoodenPlankStudios'': In [[https://www.woodenplankstudios.com/comic/pywrath-everyone-is-home/ Pywrath]], Mythra gets this when meeting Sephiroth, remembering that he sent a fake [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Smash]] invitation to Rex. She then switches to Pyra, who caves his skull in with her sword.

* ''WebAnimation/RoosterTeethAnimatedAdventures'': In "Booger's Big Blowout," Chris recalls when his brother's dog Booger had diarrhea in the car and got some on himself. Between freaking out, Booger is shown looking at his tied leash with gears in his head, trying to figure out what to do since he can't move too much.

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-->'''Scott:''' I gotta pee on her!... I mean, I gotta pee. Pee time.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': In "Hoss Delgado: Spectral Exterminator", Hoss tries to destroy Grim for holding Billy and Mandy hostage, until Grim tells him it's the other way around. When trying to comprehend, the inside of Hoss' head shows not gears, but a mouse running on a hamster wheel.

Sometimes, people have to think long and hard about something, whether it be a common problem or a moral dilemma. When they do, there is a chance that a set of wheels (usually gears) will appear in their heads. This can be attributed to the comparison between the human brain and a machine at work, such as a clock. It can also be a sign of a character's intelligence, as they are likely to be thinking almost constantly.

* ''The Close Shaves of Pauline Peril'': Snodgrass [=McViper=] usually gets these when coming up with a scheme to get rid of Pauline. He literally grinded gears on his head in the fourth issue, though it was likely just a visual gag.

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* In the first ''[[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing2001 Animal Crossing]]'' game, during a conversation, animals will occasionally pause for thought with a little animation of gears ticking over their head, complete with the sound of a clock ticking. Later entries replaced this with an animated ellipses inside a thought bubble.

* In the first ''[[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing2001 Animal Crossing]]'' game, during a conversation, animals will occasionally pause for thought with a little animation of gears ticking over their head.

!!Examples

** This is parodied in "Gaston's Ultimate Mission to Obtain Some Taco Bell" of ''WebAnimation/TheGastonTrilogy''. When he sings the line, a video of a hamster running on a hamster wheel and spinning out of control is superimposed over his head.

* One episode of ''Mr. Baby'' has gears shown inside Rudy's head.