The character of Gilligan is noted for physical comedy, often with his friend the Skipper in the role of a comic foil. Recurring gags of the show include Gilligan's seduction by Ginger, eating Mary Ann's coconut cream pies, joking about the Skipper's weight, and inadvertently undermining any attempts and efforts of the castaways to get off the island. He often interjected discussions with pointless anecdotes about his childhood or with seemingly useless advice. Though he was often chided by the Skipper for interrupting, on more than one occasion, Gilligan's seemingly random nonsense actually triggered the Professor to remember a useful fact or suggest a course of action. In some episodes, he attempts to make an important suggestion, but is interrupted by the Skipper or another castaway, who tells him to be quiet until the discussion is practically over, when he is able to tell them. Examples of this include the episode where he discovered waterproof glue that turned out to be temporary and that the ship will sink. His warning was ignored until the point when the boat's boards came undone. Another time when a butterfly collector came to the island and refused to signal until he got what he came for, the castaways are arguing amongst themselves about the collector's recalcitrance and ignoring Gilligan, until he gets in the last word by saying he stole the man's flare gun.