(Original Version: Strip Number 5163, Dated 28 July 1989)
Panel 1: A short while later, we find Mike asking Elly if she's ready because he and Liz got a totally awesome surprise for her.
Panel 2: Said surprise is a rather ugly gold plaster owl Phil won as a prize at a carnival game that he said Elly could have. Its ugliness displeases Elly because it would be difficult for her to tell Phil to keep it.
Panel 3: Since Mike and Liz are kids, they don't know why Phil would give away an ever neat prize like that.
Panel 4: Elly looks at the ugly thing and surmises that Phil must be getting back at her for something or other.
Summary: The problem is that the kids could have won the thing and Elly would still have thought it was to get back at her for something. I blame a baked-in belief that everyone is out to get her.
