Land Beneath the Ground!
Encyclopedia
Land Beneath the Ground! is a Scrooge McDuck
comic strip story that appeared in 1956 in the comic book
Uncle Scrooge
, written by Carl Barks
.
s damaging his money bin and is determined to find out what causes them so he and his nephews Donald Duck
, Huey, Dewey and Louie
go underground and meet two types of underground beings known as Terries and Fermies that live in enormous caverns underneath the surface of the earth. The Terries and Fermies look like bowling balls with arms and a head, but no legs. They tell each other apart by the ties they were on ribbons around their necks--the Terries wear bow tie
s and the Fermies wear four-in-hand knot
s. They locomote by folding their head and arms into their body so they become a perfect sphere and then they roll from place to place like a bowling ball. They are colored various bright colors. They have periodic contests on an irregular basis to see who can cause the biggest earthquakes. Terries cause earthquakes by rolling in massive groups of thousands against the giant pillars that support the land on the surface of the earth. Fermies cause earthquakes by gathering together in massive numbers and lifting up pieces of the Earth's crust. Whichever group causes the biggest earthquake wins the contest and gets the prize, a piece of Ancient Greek pottery that fell down a crevice in Ancient Roman
times in the year zero
(i.e., the year 1BCE according to astronomical year numbering
). In an attempt to stop the earthquakes Scrooge steals the trophy but loses his top hat
.
The Terries and Fermies can hear radio
broadcasts through certain magnetic
rocks which allows them to determine by the damage reports whether the Terries or the Fermies caused the biggest earthquake. The Terries and Fermies speak English with a southern accent
that they learned from listening to country music
radio stations.
Later the Terries and Fermies cause a huge earthquake in Duckburg to make Scrooge and his nephews miserable. Scrooge loses his money
for a while until the Terries and Fermies give Scrooge his money back by pushing it back up an underground slope back into the money bin despite the fact they don't like the ducks because they regard money as garbage littering up their underground environment. In the end The Terries and Fermies keep Scrooge's top hat as their new trophy.
wrote a sequel (of sorts) called The Universal Solvent
.
episode called Earth Quack
which is basically a retelling of the same story. The difference is that Donald is not in the cartoon episode and Gyro Gearloose
, Mrs. Beakley, Webby Vanderquack, and Duckworth were added.
This comic was later printed in Gladstone Comic Album #6, Uncle Scrooge Adventures #28 and Carl Barks Greatest Duck Tales Stories Volume 1.
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats...
comic strip story that appeared in 1956 in the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Uncle Scrooge
Uncle Scrooge
Uncle Scrooge is a comic book with the stingy Scrooge McDuck "the richest duck in the world" as the main character. The series also featured Donald Duck and his nephews as supporting characters. The first 70 issues mostly consisted of stories written and drawn by Carl Barks, the creator of Scrooge...
, written by Carl Barks
Carl Barks
Carl Barks was an American Disney Studio illustrator and comic book creator, who invented Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, such as Scrooge McDuck , Gladstone Gander , the Beagle Boys , The Junior Woodchucks , Gyro Gearloose , Cornelius Coot , Flintheart Glomgold , John D...
.
Plot
Scrooge is worried about earthquakeEarthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s damaging his money bin and is determined to find out what causes them so he and his nephews Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
, Huey, Dewey and Louie
Huey, Dewey and Louie
Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck are a trio of fictional, anthropomorphic ducks who appear in animated cartoons and comic books published by the Walt Disney Company. Identical triplets, the three are Donald Duck's nephews. Huey, Dewey, and Louie were created by Ted Osborne and Al Taliaferro, and first...
go underground and meet two types of underground beings known as Terries and Fermies that live in enormous caverns underneath the surface of the earth. The Terries and Fermies look like bowling balls with arms and a head, but no legs. They tell each other apart by the ties they were on ribbons around their necks--the Terries wear bow tie
Bow tie
The bow tie is a type of men's necktie. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar in a symmetrical manner such that the two opposite ends form loops. Ready-tied bow ties are available, in which the distinctive bow is sewn into shape and the band around the neck incorporates a clip....
s and the Fermies wear four-in-hand knot
Four-in-hand knot
The four-in-hand knot is a method of tying a necktie. Also known as a simple knot or schoolboy knot, the four-in-hand is believed to be the most popular method of tying ties due to its simplicity...
s. They locomote by folding their head and arms into their body so they become a perfect sphere and then they roll from place to place like a bowling ball. They are colored various bright colors. They have periodic contests on an irregular basis to see who can cause the biggest earthquakes. Terries cause earthquakes by rolling in massive groups of thousands against the giant pillars that support the land on the surface of the earth. Fermies cause earthquakes by gathering together in massive numbers and lifting up pieces of the Earth's crust. Whichever group causes the biggest earthquake wins the contest and gets the prize, a piece of Ancient Greek pottery that fell down a crevice in Ancient Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times in the year zero
Year zero
"Year zero" does not exist in the widely used Gregorian calendar or in its predecessor, the Julian calendar. Under those systems, the year 1 BC is followed by AD 1...
(i.e., the year 1BCE according to astronomical year numbering
Astronomical year numbering
Astronomical year numbering is based on AD/CE year numbering, but follows normal decimal integer numbering more strictly. Thus, it has a year 0, the years before that are designated with negative numbers and the years after that are designated with positive numbers...
). In an attempt to stop the earthquakes Scrooge steals the trophy but loses his top hat
Top hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
.
The Terries and Fermies can hear radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcasts through certain magnetic
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
rocks which allows them to determine by the damage reports whether the Terries or the Fermies caused the biggest earthquake. The Terries and Fermies speak English with a southern accent
Southern American English
Southern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from Southern and Eastern Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic coast to most of Texas and Oklahoma.The Southern dialects make...
that they learned from listening to country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
radio stations.
Later the Terries and Fermies cause a huge earthquake in Duckburg to make Scrooge and his nephews miserable. Scrooge loses his money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
for a while until the Terries and Fermies give Scrooge his money back by pushing it back up an underground slope back into the money bin despite the fact they don't like the ducks because they regard money as garbage littering up their underground environment. In the end The Terries and Fermies keep Scrooge's top hat as their new trophy.
Sequel
Don RosaDon Rosa
Keno Don Hugo Rosa, known simply as Don Rosa, is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck and other characters created by Carl Barks for Disney comics, such as The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.-Early life:Don Rosa's grandfather,...
wrote a sequel (of sorts) called The Universal Solvent
The Universal Solvent (comics)
-Plot:Gyro Gearloose has invented a "universal solvent", a thick, black liquid capable of instantly dissolving anything except diamonds, with it then transforming the dissolved matter into a super-dense dust. Gyro then gives the Universal Sovent kept in an diamond jar and a Omnisolve beach umbrella...
.
Other references
There is a DuckTalesDuckTales
DuckTales is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comic book series, it premiered on September 18, 1987 and ended on November 28, 1990 with a total of four seasons and 100 episodes...
episode called Earth Quack
Earth Quack
"Earth Quack" is the fifty-fourth episode of the Disney animated television series DuckTales.- Synopsis :One day Scrooge is in his Money Bin swimming around in his money, when suddenly an earthquake occurs...
which is basically a retelling of the same story. The difference is that Donald is not in the cartoon episode and Gyro Gearloose
Gyro Gearloose
Gyro Gearloose is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic chicken created by Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company. He is part of the Scrooge McDuck universe, appearing in comic book stories as a friend of Donald Duck, Scrooge and anyone who is associated with them. He was also a frequent star...
, Mrs. Beakley, Webby Vanderquack, and Duckworth were added.
This comic was later printed in Gladstone Comic Album #6, Uncle Scrooge Adventures #28 and Carl Barks Greatest Duck Tales Stories Volume 1.
External links
- Land Beneath the Ground! in Carl Barks guidebook