Is George Shirks a boy genius? (i.e. should the “child prodigy” trope apply)
I’m currently of two minds on this subject. There is evidence for George being a boy generous, but there is also counter evidence to each claim.
Yes:
-George built the Zoopercar; a multi-purpose miniature vehicle that can transform into a submarine, a helicopter, a single propeller aeroplane, a hovercraft, and a three-wheeled car. This device has many more features and it surpasses any vehicles seen within the show.
-George routinely builds fully functional vehicles. Or rather, he modifies the Zoopercar to function better as a submarine, race car, etc. Understanding how to build such vehicles should be beyond the ability for a child his age.
No:
-George built the Zoopercar with the help of his dad. It is unclear how much of the design workload can be attributed to George.
-Although George built fully functional vehicles, these machines were already invented and information on their construction would be readily available. The main reason average people don’t build submarines in their own backyard is because of resource limitations. Because of his small size, a submarine built for George would be smaller, and thus fewer materials would be needed for construction. Maybe George can build all these things because the resources are inexpensive or readily available by re-purposing toys.
Is George Shirks a boy genius? (i.e. should the “child prodigy” trope apply) I’m currently of two minds on this subject. There is evidence for George being a boy generous, but there is also counter evidence to each claim.
Yes: -George built the Zoopercar; a multi-purpose miniature vehicle that can transform into a submarine, a helicopter, a single propeller aeroplane, a hovercraft, and a three-wheeled car. This device has many more features and it surpasses any vehicles seen within the show.
-George routinely builds fully functional vehicles. Or rather, he modifies the Zoopercar to function better as a submarine, race car, etc. Understanding how to build such vehicles should be beyond the ability for a child his age.
No: -George built the Zoopercar with the help of his dad. It is unclear how much of the design workload can be attributed to George.
-Although George built fully functional vehicles, these machines were already invented and information on their construction would be readily available. The main reason average people don’t build submarines in their own backyard is because of resource limitations. Because of his small size, a submarine built for George would be smaller, and thus fewer materials would be needed for construction. Maybe George can build all these things because the resources are inexpensive or readily available by re-purposing toys.
Edited by philipbabb