Grin and Bear It 1954

Donald Duck Clarence Nash heads to Brownstone National Park for a sunny picnic, where the day is set under the watchful eye of Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore Bill Thompson. Woodlore lays out a long list of park rules, and the most important one is bolded for emphasis: Don’t Molest the Bears. He then calls in the resident bears and assigns them to pair off with the guests for the day, reminding everyone that last year a bear was accused of stealing. The other bears glare at Humphrey, and Woodlore warns that any further theft would be punished severely, even with execution and skinning for a rug.

The bears pair up with the visitors, leaving Donald as the last guest for Humphrey to entertain. Donald is carrying a large ham, which catches Humphrey’s eye, and Humphrey’s playful dances to charm the crowd go ignored as Donald focuses on his snack plan. When Humphrey steps in to help assemble a gigantic sandwich, Donald ends up consuming the entire creation, while the other guests shower the bears with snacks and encouragement. The one bite Humphrey gets is a mouthful of an exceptionally hot pepper, which tears at his tongue and leaves him writhing in surprise.

With Donald deciding to leave the park, Humphrey seizes the moment to stage a cheeky hit-and-run by tossing a rock into Donald’s path, painting a tire track on his chest, and then lying behind a car to complete the ruse. Fearing retribution for injuring a bear, Donald hesitates, then offers Humphrey his leftovers—only to retract when Humphrey brushes off the tire track and reveals the prank. The scene becomes a muddled mess, drawing Woodlore into the fray as he orders both parties to clean up the food and even takes the ham for himself, hoping to restore order.

Humphrey and Donald manage to turn the moment into a playful display that calls out Woodlore’s predicament, a lighthearted bit of mischief that leaves Woodlore embarrassed yet amused. In the end, the three characters are left navigating the humor and chaos of a park day where rules, appetites, and pride collide, and where Humphrey’s presence and Donald’s stubborn appetite shape a memorable, if chaotic, picnic.