Print a Thinking Cow With cowthink

Use cowthink for a thought bubble version of the cowsay gag.

macOSTerminalscriptingASCII artLow risk
Run cowthink "your message" to draw the text in a trailing thought bubble.

01Command

Command
$ cowthink "I should back up first"

02What it does

cowthink is installed by the same package as cowsay and uses identical options, but draws a dotted thought bubble instead of a speech balloon. It is a quick way to add personality to logs or a shell greeting.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementsbrew install cowsay
CompatibilitymacOS with Homebrew installed
!Warning: Same quoting rules as cowsay: wrap messages that contain spaces or punctuation.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • Homebrew formula: cowsay
    Homebrew · vendor-doc · 2026-09-20
    Evidence: Ships the cowthink companion command, which uses a thought bubble instead of a speech balloon.

Last verified: 2026-09-20 · Category: Developer

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