Flip Decision
Encyclopedia
"Flip Decision" is a Donald Duck
comic book
story written and illustrated by Carl Barks
in June 1952. As with many other Barks stories, it was originally untitled. In the story, Donald becomes an adherent of a philosophy called flipism
, in which all decisions in life are made by flipping a coin
.
#149 in February 1953. It has later appeared in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #365 (February 1971), #507 (1984), and #561 (July 1991).
Outside of the United States, the story has been published in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and probably other countries.
happens to enter a lecture held by a charlatan named professor Batty, who claims that flipism — the philosophy of using coin flipping
to make all decisions in life — is the solution to everyone's problems. The professor persuades a confused Donald to buy a membership of the "Great Society of Flippists" as well as book introducing the "methods and benefits of Flipism". Reading the book, Donald quickly becomes a devoted flippist. When his nephews
want to go to see a movie called Gore in the Gully, Donald uses a coin flip to decide that they shall take a drive instead.
The downsides of flipism begin to reveal themselves during the drive. Donald constantly uses flipism to decide where to drive, eventually getting lost, and ultimately driving in the wrong direction of traffic and colliding head on
with a large truck. Donald and his nephews are physically unharmed, but Donald is sentenced to pay a fine for "letting a dime do [his] thinking", rather than the usual (smaller) fines for violating traffic rules.
Donald holds professor Batty responsible for his fate, and attempts to find him. However, the professor has disappeared, and Donald, despite of having lost his belief in the philosophy, resolves to flipism to find him. Flipism leads him to a house with two apartments, and he flips a coin to select which apartment to go for. Donald is unable to see the result (apartment 2) in the dark, and knocks on apartment 1's door instead. His girlfriend, Daisy Duck
, opens the door, and it turns out that this apartment is the home of Daisy's unseen sister. Daisy is furious at Donald for forgetting that he had invited her to go to the movies that day. After Daisy has finished her tirade, Donald has forgotten about his search for professor Batty, and ends up taking Daisy, her nieces and his nephews to see Gore in the Gully.
The final panel reveals that flipism actually worked in Donald's search for professor Batty, showing that a frightened Batty is located in apartment 2.
. Similar concepts appear in several other works, including Luke Rhinehart's 1971 novel The Dice Man
, in which dice is used instead of a coin. Media studies
professor Helge Rønning has interpreted "Flip Decision" as a satire over existentialism
.
The story features several themes that are common in Carl Barks' stories, including questionable professors and self-inflicted bad luck.
The story introduced Daisy's nieces, April, May and June Duck, who would become regular characters in Disney comics. As in later stories, they appear as counterparts of Huey, Dewey and Louie.
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
story written and illustrated by Carl Barks
Carl Barks
Carl Barks was an American Disney Studio illustrator and comic book creator, who invented Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, such as Scrooge McDuck , Gladstone Gander , the Beagle Boys , The Junior Woodchucks , Gyro Gearloose , Cornelius Coot , Flintheart Glomgold , John D...
in June 1952. As with many other Barks stories, it was originally untitled. In the story, Donald becomes an adherent of a philosophy called flipism
Flipism
Flipism, sometimes written as "Flippism," is a pseudophilosophy under which all decisions are made by flipping a coin. It originally appeared in the Disney comic "Flip Decision" by Carl Barks, published in 1953...
, in which all decisions in life are made by flipping a coin
Coin flipping
Coin flipping or coin tossing or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to choose between two alternatives, sometimes to resolve a dispute between two parties...
.
Publications
The story first appeared in Walt Disney's Comics and StoriesWalt Disney's Comics and Stories
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, sometimes abbreviated WDC or WDC&S, is an anthology comic book series that has an assortment of Disney characters, including Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Mickey Mouse, Chip 'n Dale, Lil Bad Wolf, Scamp, Bucky Bug, Grandma Duck, Brer Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, and...
#149 in February 1953. It has later appeared in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #365 (February 1971), #507 (1984), and #561 (July 1991).
Outside of the United States, the story has been published in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and probably other countries.
Plot
Donald DuckDonald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
happens to enter a lecture held by a charlatan named professor Batty, who claims that flipism — the philosophy of using coin flipping
Coin flipping
Coin flipping or coin tossing or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to choose between two alternatives, sometimes to resolve a dispute between two parties...
to make all decisions in life — is the solution to everyone's problems. The professor persuades a confused Donald to buy a membership of the "Great Society of Flippists" as well as book introducing the "methods and benefits of Flipism". Reading the book, Donald quickly becomes a devoted flippist. When his nephews
Huey, Dewey and Louie
Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck are a trio of fictional, anthropomorphic ducks who appear in animated cartoons and comic books published by the Walt Disney Company. Identical triplets, the three are Donald Duck's nephews. Huey, Dewey, and Louie were created by Ted Osborne and Al Taliaferro, and first...
want to go to see a movie called Gore in the Gully, Donald uses a coin flip to decide that they shall take a drive instead.
The downsides of flipism begin to reveal themselves during the drive. Donald constantly uses flipism to decide where to drive, eventually getting lost, and ultimately driving in the wrong direction of traffic and colliding head on
Head-on collision
A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.-Rail transport:...
with a large truck. Donald and his nephews are physically unharmed, but Donald is sentenced to pay a fine for "letting a dime do [his] thinking", rather than the usual (smaller) fines for violating traffic rules.
Donald holds professor Batty responsible for his fate, and attempts to find him. However, the professor has disappeared, and Donald, despite of having lost his belief in the philosophy, resolves to flipism to find him. Flipism leads him to a house with two apartments, and he flips a coin to select which apartment to go for. Donald is unable to see the result (apartment 2) in the dark, and knocks on apartment 1's door instead. His girlfriend, Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. Like Donald, Daisy is an anthropomorphic white duck, but has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers to suggest a skirt. She is often seen wearing a hair bow, blouse, and shoes...
, opens the door, and it turns out that this apartment is the home of Daisy's unseen sister. Daisy is furious at Donald for forgetting that he had invited her to go to the movies that day. After Daisy has finished her tirade, Donald has forgotten about his search for professor Batty, and ends up taking Daisy, her nieces and his nephews to see Gore in the Gully.
The final panel reveals that flipism actually worked in Donald's search for professor Batty, showing that a frightened Batty is located in apartment 2.
Themes and impact
"Flip Decision" introduced the term flipismFlipism
Flipism, sometimes written as "Flippism," is a pseudophilosophy under which all decisions are made by flipping a coin. It originally appeared in the Disney comic "Flip Decision" by Carl Barks, published in 1953...
. Similar concepts appear in several other works, including Luke Rhinehart's 1971 novel The Dice Man
The Dice Man
The Dice Man is a novel published in 1971 by George Cockcroft under the pen name Luke Rhinehart and tells the story of a psychiatrist who begins making life decisions based on the casting of dice. Cockcroft wrote the book based on his own experiences of using dice to make decisions while studying...
, in which dice is used instead of a coin. Media studies
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
professor Helge Rønning has interpreted "Flip Decision" as a satire over existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
.
The story features several themes that are common in Carl Barks' stories, including questionable professors and self-inflicted bad luck.
The story introduced Daisy's nieces, April, May and June Duck, who would become regular characters in Disney comics. As in later stories, they appear as counterparts of Huey, Dewey and Louie.