You may remember the zany inventor, Gyro Gearloose (who first ba-gaawked in May 1942's Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #140), from his many duck-saving inventions and slightly malfunctioning inventions, but you might be a little sketchy about the subtle nuances that made this er... bird... who he is.

Here are four points of easy reference that will familiarize you with Gyro and his importance to the plucky, ducky team:

1. Most importantly, you should know that Gyro Gearloose is not, himself, a duck. And though the popular opinion is that he's a chicken, that's never been confirmed. Which, of course, begs the question: why would a chicken (or other non-duck species, as it were) be so tirelessly devoted to Disney's famed ducks? Mull that over and send us your theories here.

2. Gyro didn't conduct all his experiments alone. He had a helper... aptly named "Helper." Helper was basically a crude, mute robot with a lightbulb for a head; but without him, there would be no Gyro Gearloose.

3. Not unlike the ducks, Gyro had an extended family. His grandfather was Ratchet Gearloose, who first appeared in Carl Barks's The Fantastic River. His father was Fulton Gearloose, introduced by Don Rosa in Life of Scrooge. Later, in the 1960s, his nephew, Newton, was introduced. Though none of Gyro's relatives shared the popularity he enjoyed, each can thank him for their Disney/Dell Comics exposure (however shortlived).

4. Though beloved artist Carl Barks is credited as Gyro's originator--and rightfully so, as he spent a great deal of time developing the non-goose genius--upon his retirement in 1964, Vic Lockman stepped right in and fleshed Gyro out even further. Not only is Lockman responsible for the introduction of Newton, he also invented Gyro's "thinking cap"-- a headgear scrap-heap with three "hmming" birds in it. This cap quickly became Gyro's quirky trademark. In fact, he still often dons it today.

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