Gilles Maurice's HISTORY OF THE DUCKS

Don Rosa donrosa at iglou.com
Sat Feb 17 06:57:43 CET 2001


A young French Disney comics buff named Gilles Maurice (uh... or is it
Maurice Gilles?) sent me a truly entertaining history of Duckburg that I'd
like to share with you folks! I (naturally) don't agree with it as regards
my own interpretation of the Duck Universe being based strictly and solely
on Barks' work, but I nonetheless appreciate the fun and labor (!) that
went into creating this! It is based on EVERYTHING that Donald Duck has
ever appeared in... newspaper comics, comic books, animated films, TV
series... even video games!... and ties them all together! And does so in a
very amusing way. It originally came to me fully illustrated, and those
pictures naturally drop out when I copied it to the ML -- but that will
explain any parts that don't seem fully explained, if any, as the
accompanying pics are missing.
(It now strikes me that this will also serve as an example of a young guy
who not only READS these comics, but reads and watches everything else, and
supplies *us* with a history of these Ducks! I thought it seemed like quite
the contrary to those other messages. From one extreme to t'other!)


"The Ducks' History from 1920 to 2000"
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 OK, Barks/Rosa Duck universe is wonderful, but I cannot raise myself to
forget all the other Disney works; I LOVE some of them! So I did this
"Ducks history from 1920 to 2000". I know that I’ll have to interfere with
Disney Studio’s mind, and some stories of Barks/Rosa, but I’ll try to make
all I can not to interfere the most importants facts.
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On 3/13/1920, Donald Fauntleroy Duck and Della Thelma Duck bear
They probably bear in Duckburg, children of Hortense Mc Duck and Quackmore
Duck.
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As they’re together unsufferables ( they’re allways fighting, Donald is
always calling her " Dumbbella "..), Donald is raised at his Granparents
Elvira and Humperdink " Dabney Duck "’s farm, near BlackForest, nearby
Duckburg.( Even if I don’t believe in Claude Marin’s " Baby Disney "s, I
think that Donald looks like he looks like in those stories.)

Donald works hard at Grandma’s farm, but he’s very loved by his family. The
atmosphere is very hearty. Together with his family (except $crooge), they
often have picnics and parties...and Donald is already desesperated by his
cousin Gladstone’s luck...
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In 1930, Donald first meet his uncle $crooge. But a quarell between $ and
his mother and aunt makes him hate his uncle, and they won’t meet eachother
during a long time.
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Here we discover what happens during duckbill’s puberty : the beak grow
quickly before the rest of the body and the duckling looks like Donald in
his early days.
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In 1934, he debutes a Disney cinematographic carreer, with his new friends
Goofy and Mickey  Mouse, two Mousetonians artists ever wellknown from the
US, and others.( here I put the cartoons witch take place from 1934 to
1942. They’re roles played by Donald and don’t occure really ( Lonesome
Ghosts...), or they’ve really occured and they’re rettranscribed into
films(" Donald’s Cousin Gus"...) . In parallel, he continues his studies,
is graduated, and often does little jobs.
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So he stays one year in Duckburg and his friends in Mouseton (here happen
many Gottfredson’s stories with both Mickey and Donald), and goes to
Hollywood, together with his friends, and with his cousins Donna and Daisy
Duck.

He dates the first until 1939, and then he dates Daisy ,and Donna goes back
to Duckburg and marries December Duck. Della Duck marries one of Daisy’s
brother and becomes pregnant of 3 (4 ?) sons. Delighted by this piece of
news, Donald get the idea to shot a film with three young ducklings, in
witch he imagines a day with his future nephews : " Donald’s Nephews ".
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Then, because he joins the army, Donald, aged 18, have to stop his
cinematographical career. Nobody will remember him.

He stays 2 years in the army.
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Then, after he went back in Duckburg, he has to take his nephews because of
their father’s health problems. It’s unknown what happens to his sister and
brother-in-law, but he’ll have to keep them and raise them until they come
of age (which comes later than foregone because they have probably drunk a
glass of water from the fountain of youth ! !).

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They have here a lot of adventures together, but the greater hasn’t
happened yet...
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On Christmas 1947, they meet (again for Donald, for the first time for HDL)
$crooge McDuck, the richest man in the world and the most important in
Duckburg..

They quickly become friends, forgetting all the past quarrels, and live a
lot of adventures...

Here happen all the other Barks’s stories, DonRosa’s, Vanhorn’s ,Scarpa’s
and some other.

Daisy dates both Gladstone and Donald.

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In 1951, $crooge leaves his manor to go BACK and live in the now restaured
Money Bin he has built when he arrived in Duckburg, in 1902. :-}

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In 1965, (I place Barks’s stories written after this date before 1960)
$crooge goes back in his Victorian Manor. Here he adopts a young  girl,
Webbigail " Webby " Vanderquack, his maid Bentina "Granny" Edna Beakley's
orphaned granddaughter, as his niece. (Bubba doesn’t exist, neither does
Genie.)
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 Scrooge become a movie star in 1967, but he just can shot " Scrooge McDuck
and Money ", with duckling who are NOT Huey, Dewey and Louie, but actors ,
and " Mickey’s Christmas Carol ", an he dies, aged 99.
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Huebert, Deuteronomy and Louis " McDuck " Duck take over Scrooge’s Empire,
and they built the Duckburg’s Disney Studios on Killmotor’s Hill ( after
having put the money at bank !), becoming directors.
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Here, helped by Donald and Daisy, who finally marry,and Mickey and Minnie,
they turn a lot of films, including the Fab5 , Daisy, Pete...(not really
them but actors !). They recount their adventures, but changing detail for
mercantile reasons ( Pete has never been an US Army’s Sergent ! ! !).
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Later, in 1987, they create the " Ducktales ", to pay hommage to $crooge’s
death’s 20years. Here, they count stories they lived with their uncle,
changing a lot of details (like Flintheart origines) and creating new
adventures. For instance, Webby wasn’t raised with them and was very
younger, but for her to appear, she is in the series.Dickie Duck, thanks to
details she has been given by his grandma/aunt, has reconstructed the
episodes with " Glittering " Goldie O’Gilt. They added new characters such
as Duckworth,Fenton Crackshell, Launchpad McQuack and Bubba.( Bentina
Beakley has existed.) They succeed in bringing back in the good way The
Beagle Boys’s children, making them actors.
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They create a lot of VideoGames starring Donald Duck.
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In 1996, enjoying the new generation, they imagine them living their youth
in this generation with " Quack Pack ".
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In 1999, they create the series " MouseWorks ", and a Cartoon, "Mickey's
Once Upon a Christmas", in witch they first talk about their Aunt Gertrude
"Gertie" Goose.
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In 2000, the videogame " Quack Pack " comes out on PS ! ! ! A compilation
of Ducktales, The Treasure of the lost Lamp, QuackPack in videogame.The
Film "Fantasia 2000" comes out.

Carl Barks, Duckburg Mayor, president of the Millionairs' Club, dies, aged
99.He did a lot of things for our nice city...
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2001 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

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Inspired by Walt Disney, Al Taliaferro, Claude Marin, Tony Strobl, Romano
Scarpa, Floyd Gottfredson, DonRosa, Carl Barks, Sigvald Grosfjeld,
Playstation's, Sega's and Nintendo's videogames, Picsou Magasine, the
series MouseWorks, DuckTales, QuackPack, and the cartoons "Donald's Diary",
"Stuck on Christmas" in "Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas",  "$crooge McDuck
and Money", "Mickey's Christmas Carol", "The Treasure of the Lost Lamp",
"Los Tres Caballeros", "Don Donald", "Donald's Nephews", "Donald Gets
Drafted", "This is your Life, Donald Duck", "Donald Duck and the Fountain
of Youth (not the Barks' story but a cartoon, here), and others...
===============================================================

(Don Rosa writing): Now, what follows is Maurice's Duck Family Tree, also
"based on everything"! As you can see, it was originally color-coded which
is lost when I copy it to the ML.

================================================================

There are a lot of Disney drawers over the world. In turn, they created
many characters, then they gave them a family... Donald’s family is one of
the biggest and the most complex. Because of the big number of duck
drawers, I chose not to mind of the many unknown or not-well-known artists’
s Donald’s cousins.

My tree has been broadly inspired by DonRosa’s one, but I’ve added some
close relatives created or used by others artists than Barks/Rosa, even if
they are not much famous. I didn’t put the many said " cousins " because
there are so numerous and the real links between them aren’t well
definited. All the Ducks have a head in my drawn version of the tree.

Key : Blue : characters who already existed,

        Green : characters who only existed by name (I had to give them a
head),

        Purple : characters whose name wasn’t known  (I had to give them
one),

        Red : characters whom I needed to create entirely.

Characters created by :

  * : Disney’s studios
   * : Scarpa

  * : Disney
   * : Hubbard

  * : Barks
   * : VanHorn

  * : DonRosa
   * : ?

  * : Taliaferro

Ready ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Quack ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

I
= Hugh " Seafoam " Mc Duck* and Cathie McCackle marry and have the
following children :

                                   o Quackmire McDuck*,

                                   o " Dirty " Dingus McDuck*.

= Sebastian Swan and Barbara Blush marry and have the following children :

                                  o Sonny Swan,

                                  o Susiebelle Swan*.

= Cornelius " Cornhoot " Coot* and  Pluckahontas " Red Turkey" have one son
:

       o Clinton Coot*.

II

= Doofus O’Drake and Carla O’Canard marry and have the following children :

                                   o Downy O’Drake*,

                                   oVera O’Drake*,

                                  o Dinny O’Drake.

= "Dirty" Dingus McDuck* and Molly Mallard* marry and have the following
children:

                                   o Fergus "Old Scotty" McDuck**,

                                   o Angus "Pothole" McDuck**,

                                   o Jake McDuck*.

= Walter Elias Duck and Lilian Lark marry and have the following children :

       o Humperdink Duck*,

       o Himpedrunk Duck.

= Sonny Swan and Himelda Horseshoe marry and have a daughter :

       o Susan Swan.

= Clinton Coot* and Gertrude Gadwall* and have the following children :

       o Elvira " Grandma Duck " Coot*,

       o Casey Coot*.

III

= First, Fergus McDuck* marries Dinny O’Drake and has a son :

                                   o Rumpus (McDuck/McFowl)*.

He finally divorces, and Dinny marries Flintheart McFowl, who adopt Rumpus
McFowl.

Then Fergus marries Downy O’Drake* and has the following children :

                                  o $crooge McDuck*,

                                   o Matilda McDuck**,

                                   o Hortense McDuck**,

                                   o Gedeon McDuck*.

= Himpedrunk Duck and Rita Ramshackle marry and have the following children
:

                                   o Dawdle Duck*,

                                   o Drusilla Duck*,

                                   o Matilda Duck*.

= Humperdink " Grandpa " Duck* and Elvira " Grandma Duck " Coot* marry and
have the following children :

                                   o Quackmore Duck**,

                                   o Daphne Duck**,

                                   o Eider Duck**.

= Gerald Gander and Susan Swan marry and have a son :

                                   o Goosetave Gander**.

= Casey Coot* and Gretchen Grebe* marry and have the following children :

                                  o Cutberth Coot*,

                                  o Fanny Coot**.

= Robin Goose and Grëta Gawky marry and have the following children :

                                 o Luke Goose**,

                                 o Gertie Goose* (from "Stuck on Christmas"
in Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas", 1999).

IV

= Matilda McDuck** marries Ludwig VonDrake*.

= Maybe $crooge McDuck* marries Goldie O’Gilt* or even Brigitta McBridge*.
We know that Goldie has a granddaughter/grandniece :

                                 o Dickie Duck*. (A hidden granddaughter ?)

   $crooge has also adopted:

                                 o Webbigail "Webby" Vanderquack*, whose
parents probably died and whose legal guardian is Bentina "Grammy" Edna
Beakley* as his niece,

                                 o Johny Genie*, a liberated genie,

                                 o Bubba CaveDuck*, as his nephews.

= Quackmore Duck** and Hortense McDuck** marry and have two twins :

                                 o Donald Fauntleroy Duck,

                                 o Dumbella " Della " Thelma Duck***.

= Dawdle Duck*and Alice Arch* (both from " Donald’s Diary ", 1951) marry
and have the following children :

        o Daisy Duck*,

        o Donna Duck*,

        o Decoy Duck*,

        o Demerara Duck*,

        o Dandelion Duck* (The unnamed triplets who look like Huey, Dewey
and Louie in " Donald’s Diary ").

= Goosetave Gander**and Daphne Duck** marry and have the following children
:

        o Gladstone Gander*,

        o Egmont Gander.

= Eider Duck** and Lulubelle Loon* marry and have the following children :

        o Fethry Duck*,

        o Abner " Whitewater " Duck*,

        o Freddie Duck.

= Luke Goose** and Fanny Coot** marry and have the following children :

        o Gustav " Gus " Goose*,

        o Grace Goose.

V

= Donna Duck* and December Duck ( ! not the same " Duck " ! ) marry and
have triplet girls :

        o April Duck*,

        o May Duck*,

        o June Duck*.

= Della Duck *** and Dandelion Duck* marry and have the following children
:

        o Huebert " Huey " Duck*,

        o Deuteronomy  " Dewey " Duck*,

        o Louis " Louie " Duck*.

        x Phillibert " Phooey " Duck ?

= Daisy Duck* dates Donald Duck* and Gladstone Gander* at the same time.
She’ll finally marry Donald Duck.

= Egmont Gander and Harshie Hawk marry and have a son :

        o Shamrock Gander*.

= Freddie Duck and Ginger Giggle marry and have a son :

        o Dugan " Biquinho " Duck*.

= Grace Goose and Georges Gosling marry and have a son :

        o Socrates " Sock " M. Gosling*.






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