Ludwig Von Drake
Encyclopedia
Professor Ludwig von Drake is one of Walt Disney
's cartoon
and comic book
characters. He was first introduced on September 24, 1961, as the presenter (and singer of "The Spectrum Song
") in the cartoon An Adventure in Color, part of the first show of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on NBC
. Said to be an uncle of Donald Duck
, he was supposedly named after either Ludwig von Mises
or Ludwig van Beethoven
. He is described as a scientist, lecturer, psychologist, and road traveler. The character displayed his "expert" knowledge on a variety of subjects in eighteen episodes of the classic anthology series, as well as on a number of Disneyland Records
.
Paul Frees
was the original voice of Ludwig von Drake. Frees retired from the role before his death in 1986, and Walker Edmiston
took over. Corey Burton
currently voices the character.
, Austria
. Some creators have presumed that his family is a German branch of the Duck family that hasn't been included in any major stories. In the comic strips by the famous Disney cartoonist Al Taliaferro
, Donald and his nephews usually call him 'Uncle Ludwig', so it would be undeniable they are relatives. According to a theory by Don Rosa
the professor married Matilda McDuck, one of Scrooge McDuck
's sisters - his other sister is Donald's mother Hortense McDuck. Though this is by no means canon, it might be the only way that Ludwig could be Donald's uncle, since it apparently seems impossible that Ludwig is Donald's uncle on father's side. On the other hand, in at least one TV cartoon he is described as being a bachelor. His father is called Quackmore Duck, son of Humperdink Duck and Grandma Duck (her real name is Elvira Coot, according to Don Rosa). In some comic stories where Ludwig visits Grandma on her farm it's clear that they have a close relationship, even so it would be rash to affirm that they are close relatives. Anyway, a theory where Humperdink Duck and Ludwig von Drake would be half brothers on mother's side cannot be discarded, since nothing relevant about Humperdink's life before having a family with Grandma has been revealed in the comics with the Duck Family until today. In this case, Ludwig would be granduncle of Donald, of course. There is an enlightening sequence of two panels in the story "The Rural Eggs-pert", where Ludwig is sat in an old chair of Grandma's house when an antique buyer asks Grandma to sell him "this fine old specimen" (the chair) and she answers, "Well, it's been in the family for years, but I could do without it!", what makes Ludwig astonished, since he thinks she's referring to him. It may also be possible that he's Donald's uncle because there would be between them a fictive kinship
, something that would also explain why Gladstone Gander and Fethry Duck consider Scrooge as their uncle, since those ones and Scrooge aren't relatives indeed, according to Don Rosa's Duck/McDuck/Coot Family Tree, however you can assume that Scrooge would have become a close friend of the Duck Family, specially after the marriage of Quackmore Duck and Hortense McDuck.
Ludwig has a fascination with knowledge. Since his youth he has been trying to obtain as many diplomas, in any science, as possible. He is often shown as having little social competence, however, and is often portrayed as being very forgetful, sometimes even somewhat senile. In the comics Ludwig usually visits with Donald Duck and Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. On occasion, Daisy Duck
would coax (or even trick) the professor into giving lectures and tours for her ladies' club. Sometimes Ludwig and Gyro Gearloose
have competed as to who is the greater inventor.
himself in the very first episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color after the series was moved to NBC
in the fall of 1961. He was designed, and frequently animated, by Milt Kahl
, one of Disney's Nine Old Men of animators.
. Ludwig was best fleshed out in this anthology cartoon, where Donald's psychology was examined, as we got to see some of his worst temper tantrums. Ludwig however was well understood by the end of the cartoon. His Germanic ancestry betrayed itself in his language - for example "as we say in the psychiatry" is a very German Anglicanism. In comics translated into German he sometimes speaks with an Austrian accent, like "ein bisserl" instead of "ein bisschen". He also enjoys several off color jokes, for instance "What you have here is a depressed Duck! And there is nothing worse than depressed duck...unless you like depressed duck...but the taste is sometimes...." making a pun off of the dish of pressed duck
.
, Raw Toonage
, Bonkers
, Mickey Mouse Works
, Quack Pack
, House of Mouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
and in numerous television specials. In all of these, Von Drake wears a pink shirt, black tie, red vest, and a lab coat. In the 1963 version of Mickey and the Beanstalk (originally as the segment featured on Fun and Fancy Free
), it is revealed that Ludwig Von Drake has a Bootle Beetle companion named Herman.
In Disney's House of Mouse
, Von Drake appears as a recurring character. In "Ask Von Drake", Mickey tries to prove that Ludwig Von Drake doesn't know everything. At the end, Mickey convinces him that during the headcount of all the Disney characters, he forgot himself. Also, in "House of Genius", Ludwig creates robot duplicates of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto. At the end, when Ludwig brings in a robot duplicate of himself, Mickey tells the robot to send the real Ludwig packing.
The track list for the "Ludwig von Drake" LP
As of February, 2010, the digitally remastered LP can be downloaded exclusively at the iTunes Store.
and Bob Karp
's featured daily strips. However, aside from a solitary cameo appearance in a one page story in Uncle Scrooge
#54 (December 1964), the character was not used by leading Disney duck artist Carl Barks
.
In 1961, Dell Comics
launched a comic book
series starring von Drake and illustrated by Tony Strobl
, but it only lasted for four issues before being discontinued. The character made subsequent appearances in other comic titles such as Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
and in the Donald Duck newspaper strip.
In the story "Duckburg, U.S.A.", published in Ludwig von Drake #1 (Nov. 1961), he arrives in Duckburg by train, and it is said that the Ducks had never seen this relative before. Don Rosa probably ignored this Tony Strobl story when he created the theory that Ludwig would be Donald's uncle because he would be or would have been married to his aunt on mother's side Matilda.
Professor Ludwig has often been used by Italian cartoonists, including in some of the long sagas inspired by famous books that they usually produce with the Duck Family, such as "La storia di Marco Polo detta Il Milione" (free translation "The Million - A Story of Marco Polo") and "Paperino in: Il mondo perduto" (free translation "Donald in: The Lost World"). As a result, he has achieved a quite significant popularity in Italy.
, it was revealed that Goofy has an uncle named Ludwig Von Goof. Von Goof is also a scientist, who appearence is almost identical to Von Drake, except for the fact that Ludwig Von Drake is a duck and Ludwig Von Goof is a dog.
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
and 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...
characters. He was first introduced on September 24, 1961, as the presenter (and singer of "The Spectrum Song
The Spectrum Song
"The Spectrum Song" was written by the Sherman Brothers in 1961 under assignment from Walt Disney to be a signature song for the fictional character Ludwig Von Drake...
") in the cartoon An Adventure in Color, part of the first show of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. Said to be an uncle of 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...
, he was supposedly named after either Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:...
or Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
. He is described as a scientist, lecturer, psychologist, and road traveler. The character displayed his "expert" knowledge on a variety of subjects in eighteen episodes of the classic anthology series, as well as on a number of Disneyland Records
Disneyland Records
Disneyland Records is the original name of the Walt Disney Company's record company.After long associations with primarily RCA Victor Records, with a few select titles on Capitol, Disneyland Records was established by the Disney studio in 1956 with its first release entitled A Child's Garden of...
.
Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
was the original voice of Ludwig von Drake. Frees retired from the role before his death in 1986, and Walker Edmiston
Walker Edmiston
-Career:Walker Edmiston was an American character actor and voice-over artist who was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Edmiston appeared on various television programs in character roles during the 1950s – 1970s, such as Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, Knots Landing, and The Dukes of Hazzard, all...
took over. Corey Burton
Corey Burton
Corey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
currently voices the character.
Character
Ludwig von Drake comes from ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Some creators have presumed that his family is a German branch of the Duck family that hasn't been included in any major stories. In the comic strips by the famous Disney cartoonist Al Taliaferro
Al Taliaferro
Charles Alfred Taliaferro , known simply as Al Taliaferro, was a Disney comics artist who used to produce Disney comic strips for King Features Syndicate...
, Donald and his nephews usually call him 'Uncle Ludwig', so it would be undeniable they are relatives. According to a theory by Don Rosa
Don 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,...
the professor married Matilda McDuck, one of Scrooge McDuck
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...
's sisters - his other sister is Donald's mother Hortense McDuck. Though this is by no means canon, it might be the only way that Ludwig could be Donald's uncle, since it apparently seems impossible that Ludwig is Donald's uncle on father's side. On the other hand, in at least one TV cartoon he is described as being a bachelor. His father is called Quackmore Duck, son of Humperdink Duck and Grandma Duck (her real name is Elvira Coot, according to Don Rosa). In some comic stories where Ludwig visits Grandma on her farm it's clear that they have a close relationship, even so it would be rash to affirm that they are close relatives. Anyway, a theory where Humperdink Duck and Ludwig von Drake would be half brothers on mother's side cannot be discarded, since nothing relevant about Humperdink's life before having a family with Grandma has been revealed in the comics with the Duck Family until today. In this case, Ludwig would be granduncle of Donald, of course. There is an enlightening sequence of two panels in the story "The Rural Eggs-pert", where Ludwig is sat in an old chair of Grandma's house when an antique buyer asks Grandma to sell him "this fine old specimen" (the chair) and she answers, "Well, it's been in the family for years, but I could do without it!", what makes Ludwig astonished, since he thinks she's referring to him. It may also be possible that he's Donald's uncle because there would be between them a fictive kinship
Fictive kinship
Fictive kinship is a term used by anthropologists and ethnographers to distinguish between forms of kinship or social ties that are based on neither consanguinal nor affinal ties...
, something that would also explain why Gladstone Gander and Fethry Duck consider Scrooge as their uncle, since those ones and Scrooge aren't relatives indeed, according to Don Rosa's Duck/McDuck/Coot Family Tree, however you can assume that Scrooge would have become a close friend of the Duck Family, specially after the marriage of Quackmore Duck and Hortense McDuck.
Ludwig has a fascination with knowledge. Since his youth he has been trying to obtain as many diplomas, in any science, as possible. He is often shown as having little social competence, however, and is often portrayed as being very forgetful, sometimes even somewhat senile. In the comics Ludwig usually visits with Donald Duck and Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. On occasion, Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. Like Donald, Daisy is an anthropomorphic white duck, but has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers to suggest a skirt. She is often seen wearing a hair bow, blouse, and shoes...
would coax (or even trick) the professor into giving lectures and tours for her ladies' club. Sometimes Ludwig 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...
have competed as to who is the greater inventor.
Wonderful World of Color appearances (1960s)
Professor Ludwig Von Drake was introduced as a new character along side Walt DisneyWalt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
himself in the very first episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color after the series was moved to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the fall of 1961. He was designed, and frequently animated, by Milt Kahl
Milt Kahl
Milton Erwin Kahl was an animator for the Disney studio, and one of Disney's Nine Old Men....
, one of Disney's Nine Old Men of animators.
- An Adventure in Color (24 September 1961) - This show introduced Walt Disney's new character and co-host Professor Ludwig Von Drake.
- The Hunting Instinct (22 October 1961) - Drake sheds some light on the subject of why man hunts with has brought his assistant Herman the Bootle Beetle.
- Inside Donald Duck (5 November 1961) - Drake attempts to diagnose Donald DuckDonald DuckDonald 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...
's problems, deciding the cause is romance. - Kids is Kids (10 December 1961) - Drake shares his knowledge on the subject of child psychology and how to handle Huey, Dewey and LouieHuey, Dewey and LouieHuey, 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...
. - Carnival Time (4 March 1962) - Drake takes a look at some major carnivals in New Orleans and Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
with Donald DuckDonald DuckDonald 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...
and Jose CariocaJosé CariocaJosé Carioca is a Disney cartoon character drawn as an anthropomorphized parrot from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil . José was created in 1943 for the movie Saludos Amigos as a friend of Donald Duck, described by Time as "a dapper Brazilian parrot, who is as superior to Donald Duck as the Duck was to...
. - Von Drake in Spain (8 April 1962)
- Man is His Own Worst Enemy (21 October 1962) - Drake explains on why people are the biggest challenge facing humanity. This episode is sometimes titled Ducking Disaster with Donald and his Friends.
- A Symposium on Popular SongsA Symposium On Popular SongsA Symposium on Popular Songs is a special cartoon featurette made by the Walt Disney Company in 1962. It features songs written by the Sherman Brothers with music arrangements by Tutti Camarata. The Shermans also co-wrote the screenplay but are not credited for this...
(19 December 1962) - Drake demonstrates examples of popular music through the years. - Three Tall Tales (6 January 1963) - Drake and his sidekick Herman tell three stories including "Casey at the BatCasey at the Bat"Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888" is a baseball poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. First published in The San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888, it was later popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances.The poem was originally published...
" and "Paul BunyanPaul BunyanPaul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
." - A Square Peg in a Round Hole (3 March 1963) - Drake has founded the Research Institute For Human Behavior.
- Fly With Von Drake (13 October 1963) - Drake gives a historically accurate and funny lecture on the birth of manned flight.
- The Truth About Mother Goose (17 November 1963) - Drake tells the stories behind Mother GooseMother GooseThe familiar figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom...
rhymes. - Mickey and the Beanstalk (1963)
- In Shape with Von Drake (22 March 1964) - Drake returns to explain sports and fitness. He illustrates his points through the use of several GoofyGoofyGoofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
cartoons. - Mediterannean Cruise (1964)
- A Rag, A Bone, A Box of Junk (1964)
- Music for Everybody (30 January 1966) - Drake hosts this look at the importance of music in people's lives.
- A Salute to Alaska (1967)
Inside Donald Duck
Among his many interests is psychology, and he has tried to make a psychological study of his nephew Donald DuckDonald 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...
. Ludwig was best fleshed out in this anthology cartoon, where Donald's psychology was examined, as we got to see some of his worst temper tantrums. Ludwig however was well understood by the end of the cartoon. His Germanic ancestry betrayed itself in his language - for example "as we say in the psychiatry" is a very German Anglicanism. In comics translated into German he sometimes speaks with an Austrian accent, like "ein bisserl" instead of "ein bisschen". He also enjoys several off color jokes, for instance "What you have here is a depressed Duck! And there is nothing worse than depressed duck...unless you like depressed duck...but the taste is sometimes...." making a pun off of the dish of pressed duck
Pressed duck
Pressed duck is a traditional French dish. The complex dish was developed in the 19th century in the Tour d'Argent restaurant in Paris, France, and consists of various parts of a duck served in a sauce made of its blood and marrow, which is extracted by way of a press...
.
Cartoon appearances (1980s-present)
Von Drake has appeared on several Disney animated cartoon series: 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...
, Raw Toonage
Raw Toonage
Disney's Raw Toonage is a half hour Disney animated cartoon series that aired on the CBS network in the fall of 1992.-History and production:...
, Bonkers
Bonkers (TV series)
Bonkers is an animated American television series that aired from September 4, 1993 to February 23, 1994 in first-run syndication . The syndicated run was available both separately, and as part of The Disney Afternoon...
, Mickey Mouse Works
Mickey Mouse Works
Mickey Mouse Works is a television show that features the cartoon character Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of animated segments. It is somewhat of an update of Mickey's Mouse Tracks....
, Quack Pack
Quack Pack
Quack Pack is an animated television series made by The Walt Disney Company, featuring Donald Duck and his nephews. The show debuted in September 1996 as a part of the Disney Afternoon weekday afternoon programming block. Unlike other Disney Afternoon shows, it was aimed at an older audience,...
, House of Mouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is a children's television series, that premiered in prime time on Disney Channel on May 5, 2006. The program was originally part of the Playhouse Disney daily block intended for preschoolers...
and in numerous television specials. In all of these, Von Drake wears a pink shirt, black tie, red vest, and a lab coat. In the 1963 version of Mickey and the Beanstalk (originally as the segment featured on Fun and Fancy Free
Fun and Fancy Free
Fun and Fancy Free is a 1947 animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures on September 27, 1947. It was one of the "package films" that the studio produced in the 1940s...
), it is revealed that Ludwig Von Drake has a Bootle Beetle companion named Herman.
In Disney's House of Mouse
Disney's House of Mouse
Disney's House of Mouse is an American animated television series, produced by Walt Disney Television, that originally aired from 2001 to 2003-Premise:...
, Von Drake appears as a recurring character. In "Ask Von Drake", Mickey tries to prove that Ludwig Von Drake doesn't know everything. At the end, Mickey convinces him that during the headcount of all the Disney characters, he forgot himself. Also, in "House of Genius", Ludwig creates robot duplicates of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto. At the end, when Ludwig brings in a robot duplicate of himself, Mickey tells the robot to send the real Ludwig packing.
Ludwig von Drake in the Sing-Along Songs series
In the Disney's Sing-Along Songs series of videos, he has hosted or co-hosted these six volumes:- You Can Fly (February 5, 1988)
- Fun With Music (along with Professor Owl) (October 12, 1989)
- Under the SeaUnder the Sea-Parodies:In 1991, this song was parodied by musician Tom Smith with his song, "On The PC". This song was re-written in 1999 as "PC99".The song was parodied on the TV show Kappa Mikey where Mikey tries to convince a squid to live on land with him....
(August 14, 1990) - I Love to LaughI Love to Laugh"I Love to Laugh", also called "We Love to Laugh", is a song from Walt Disney's film Mary Poppins. It was composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The song is sung in the film by "Uncle Albert" , and "Bert" as they levitate uncontrollably toward the ceiling, eventually joined by...
(a.k.a. SupercalifragilisticexpialidociousSupercalifragilisticexpialidociousSupercalifragilisticexpialidocious is an English word, with 34 letters, that was in the song with the same title in the 1964 Disney musical film Mary Poppins. The song was written by the Sherman Brothers, and sung by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke...
) (December 28, 1990) - 101 Notes of FunDisney Sing Along SongsDisney Sing Along Songs is a series of videos, laserdiscs and DVDs with musical moments from various Disney films, TV shows and attractions. Lyrics for the songs are displayed on-screen with the Mickey Mouse icon as a "bouncing ball" Disney Sing Along Songs is a series of videos, laserdiscs and...
(March 12, 1994) - Colors of the WindColors of the Wind"Colors of the Wind" by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, was the 1995 Oscar-winner for Best Original Song from the Disney animated feature film, Pocahontas. It also won the Golden Globe in the same category as well as the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Movie...
(July 21, 1995)
Disneyland Records Discography
In 1961 Disneyland Records released the LP "Professor Ludwig von Drake". The LP had songs from the Disneyland T.V. Series ("The Green With Envy Blues" and "The Spectrum Song") as well as new songs, and comedy bits.The track list for the "Ludwig von Drake" LP
- I'm Ludwig von Drake
- The Spectrum Song
- The Green With Envy Blues
- It Gets You
- von Drake Variations on "The Blue Danube"
- Professor Ludwig von Drake Discourse: All About Sound Recording
- An Operatic Version of a Theme from 'Cinderella'
As of February, 2010, the digitally remastered LP can be downloaded exclusively at the iTunes Store.
Print appearances
The Disney studio encouraged the writers of Duck comics to introduce this new character in print, and already in September 1961, Von Drake started appearing in Al TaliaferroAl Taliaferro
Charles Alfred Taliaferro , known simply as Al Taliaferro, was a Disney comics artist who used to produce Disney comic strips for King Features Syndicate...
and Bob Karp
Bob Karp
Robert Louis Karp was an American comics writer. He began working for the Walt Disney Company in the 1930s, and from 1938 to 1974, he wrote the scripts for the daily Donald Duck newspaper strips. These were illustrated by Al Taliaferro and by Frank Grundeen after Taliaferro's death in 1969.Bob...
's featured daily strips. However, aside from a solitary cameo appearance in a one page story in 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...
#54 (December 1964), the character was not used by leading Disney duck artist 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...
.
In 1961, Dell Comics
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
launched a 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...
series starring von Drake and illustrated by Tony Strobl
Tony Strobl
Anthony Joseph Strobl was an American comics artist and animator. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and attended Cleveland School of Art from 1933–37, with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who actually got some help from Strobl creating Superman...
, but it only lasted for four issues before being discontinued. The character made subsequent appearances in other comic titles such as Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, sometimes abbreviated WDC or WDC&S, is an anthology comic book series that has an assortment of Disney characters, including Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Mickey Mouse, Chip 'n Dale, Lil Bad Wolf, Scamp, Bucky Bug, Grandma Duck, Brer Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, and...
and in the Donald Duck newspaper strip.
In the story "Duckburg, U.S.A.", published in Ludwig von Drake #1 (Nov. 1961), he arrives in Duckburg by train, and it is said that the Ducks had never seen this relative before. Don Rosa probably ignored this Tony Strobl story when he created the theory that Ludwig would be Donald's uncle because he would be or would have been married to his aunt on mother's side Matilda.
Professor Ludwig has often been used by Italian cartoonists, including in some of the long sagas inspired by famous books that they usually produce with the Duck Family, such as "La storia di Marco Polo detta Il Milione" (free translation "The Million - A Story of Marco Polo") and "Paperino in: Il mondo perduto" (free translation "Donald in: The Lost World"). As a result, he has achieved a quite significant popularity in Italy.
Similar Character
In an episode of the short lived Goof TroopGoof Troop
Disney's Goof Troop is an American animated television series from The Walt Disney Company featuring Goofy as a father figure and bonding with his son Max.-Premise:...
, it was revealed that Goofy has an uncle named Ludwig Von Goof. Von Goof is also a scientist, who appearence is almost identical to Von Drake, except for the fact that Ludwig Von Drake is a duck and Ludwig Von Goof is a dog.