Celebrating 92 Years of Donald Duck
For decades, Disney comic artists worked anonymously. Fans noticed that certain Donald Duck stories had superior writing and art. They called their mystery author "The Good Duck Artist."
That artist was Carl Barks (1901-2000). He worked for Disney from 1935-1966, creating not just stories but entire worlds. Duckburg, with its Money Bin, Junior Woodchuck headquarters, and Gyro's workshop, came from his imagination.
These beloved characters all sprang from Carl Barks' pen:
The richest duck in the world
Created: 1947 in "Christmas on Bear Mountain"
The luckiest duck in the world
Created: 1948 in "Wintertime Wager"
Scrooge's arch-nemesis bank robbers
Created: 1951 in "Terror of the Beagle Boys"
Huey, Dewey, and Louie's scout troop
Created: 1951 in "Operation St. Bernard"
Absent-minded inventor genius
Created: 1952 in "Gladstone's Terrible Secret"
Daisy's nieces
Created: 1953 in "Flip Decision"
Scrooge's rival, second richest duck
Created: 1956 in "The Second-Richest Duck"
Sorceress after Scrooge's lucky dime
Created: 1961 in "The Midas Touch"
Another of Scrooge's rich rivals
Created: 1961 in "Boat Buster"
Carl Barks' adventure stories sent Donald and his nephews around the world and into history. They sought treasure in the Andes, explored ancient temples, and survived encounters with everything from Aztec mummies to alien robots.
His work influenced generations of artists and writers, including Steven Spielberg and George Lucas (who acknowledged Barks' influence on Indiana Jones).
Barks once said: "I think of Scrooge as being many of my own qualities amplified - both good and bad."