Calvin's favorite cereal runs a promotion for a beanie giveaway, and Calvin can't wait to get his hands on it. After plowing through a disgusting amount of the sugary cereal, he has to play the waiting game for it to arrive in the mail.
Tropes
- Adjacent to This Complete Breakfast: Calvin tries to argue that Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs are good for you because the box says it's "part of a wholesome, nutritious, balanced breakfast". Hobbes counters that the box then shows someone eating five grapefruits and a dozen bran muffins, proving how pointless the statement is when Calvin is eating nothing but endless bowls of the cereal.
- Didn't Think This Through: Calvin was under the impression that the propeller beanie would allow him to actually fly around, despite it obviously being nothing more than a novelty decoration powered by a tiny motor. Somewhat excusable due to him being six years old, but it's a little strange that his imagination didn't kick in so he could pretend he was flying given how often Calvin imagines absurd scenarios.
- Free Prize at the Bottom: Subverted. The beanie is free as far as Calvin is concerned, but in order to get it he has to send in four proof of purchase seals, so getting it requires the purchase of the cereal.
- Hat of Flight: What Calvin assumes the beanie is. Sadly, it is not.
- Kids Prefer Boxes: After receiving the beanie and assembling it, Calvin is incredibly disappointed to find that the propeller on top doesn't actually allow him to fly and quickly discards it. However, the beanie came in a cardboard box, and both Calvin and Hobbes are quite excited to play with it, so Calvin still manages to get something out of the ordeal.
- Mail-Order Novelty: The propeller beanie, which requires four proof of purchase seals, six weeks for delivery, and has to be assembled once it arrives. And when he finally gets it working, Calvin is disappointed that it doesn't allow him to fly.
- Mr. Fixit: Inverted; Calvin's dad is apparently so bad at fixing things that both Calvin and his mom are incredulous when he manages to fix the battery casing for Calvin's beanie hat.
- Never My Fault: Calvin blames Hobbes for breaking the battery case of a beanie, even though Calvin was the one who broke it. Played with in that after Hobbes calls him out on it, saying he had just been sitting there watching Calvin work when it snapped. Calvin then tearfully admits that he knows.Calvin: But considering that my life's in shambles right now, couldn't you at least take the blame?
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: After all he goes through to get his propeller beanie, Calvin tosses it aside after realizing that it will not make him fly.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: First Calvin has to eat boxes and boxes of cereal to have enough proof of purchase seals to send out. Then he has to wait six weeks for the beanie to arrive. And when it finally does, he has to assemble it himself. And then he breaks one of the components while trying to assemble it.
