And I'm guessing Sandy's in the dumb category XP

When I was first coming up with this story, Fred was going to be a little more hapless, like Gilligan from "Gilligan's Island " (that's why he wears a red tunic and whitish trousers, BTW.) The walking-blindly-into-a-coconut-tree gag is one of the earliest bits I came up with. As the story progressed, however, it became increasingly difficult to find a place to work it in, because Fred was developing into a far, far more competent character.

Taking away his glasses and disorganizing his mind, however, offered the opportunity to use the gag.

I want glasses like that!

At least it's not "the dumb leading the blind!"

Heh, Vrghr can definitely understand Fred's predicament here! Wuff's Author is ferociously near-sighted; his limit on clear "read text" distance is no more than 16 inches from his face. Anything beyond that dissolves into a soft-focus blur. And beyond a few yards, everything is even less detailed than an impressionist pastel landscape.

Author hasn't managed to walk into a tree because of it, YET! But he hasn't been as discombobulated as Fred was there, either. (He HAS managed to walk into the side of a fake aircraft hanger at one point. Looked exactly like Wile E Coyote smashing into one of the Road Runner's fake tunnels! But that's a different story. *grin*)

Author is telling this wuff that he REALLY wishes his glasses had Fred's interface connections! Maybe they'll be available in a few more years, the way technology is going.

Does every hyena look like Fred when they have glasses on?

Fred's smaller than most hyenas, so probably not, but big owlish glasses kind f make everyone look like Marcie from "Peanuts."

(And of course, most of my animals have similar faces with different hairstyles and coloration, anyway...)

I keep imagining Fred's squad wearing round face glasses, as an endearing prank on Fred.

These glasses are connected to the Internet?!Aren't everyone's?

The glasses were inspired, firstly, by my husband Scott, who wears glasses, and also by the character of Marcie in "Peanuts," who is a main ingredient in Fred's character creation. The deadpan demeanor, and the use of the honorific "Ma'am," come from Marcie (yes, I know she calls Peppermint Patty "Sir," but the idea is the same.)

Initially I was going to have Fred's eyes visible through the glasses, but the first sketches didn't look very good--the glasses frames and eyes interfered with each other--so I opted for the eyeless appearance of Marcie, and Gabby from Steve Breen's "Grand Avenue."

Then someone in my Forum made a comment about how the glasses were mirrored--which they weren't--and I decided to incorporate the idea that he could see out, but no one could see in. This evolved into Internet-connected heads-up display computerized specs that glow softly in the dark, and offer Fred enhanced vision (in the wildebeest rodeo sequence, the lenses have a targeting computer grid on them--but it's not obvious in the finished strip) as well as a feed of information necessary to his duties as the Duchess's adjutant (if you look back, you'll see him fiddling with his glasses on a number of occasions. He's tapping tiny studs on the sides to access information.)