Who became the prototype of Scrooge McDuck from the animated series "DuckTales"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Little viewers fell in love with the image of Uncle Scrooge even at the time of the publication of the comic strip Christmas on Bear Mountain in 1947. He later migrated to the animated series of the late 1980s. The creator of the image, illustrator Karl Barks, then, in 1947, was looking for inspiration in Christmas tales and found it in the story "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. But Scrooge McDuck had both fictional and very real prototypes.

Ebenezer Scrooge

The hero of the story by Charles Dickens went down in literary history as the greatest curmudgeon. According to the plot of the work, he was the owner of a huge fortune, treated poor people with contempt and desperately hated Christmas. True, by the finale, Ebenezer Scrooge "re-educated" and even decided to distribute his untold wealth to those in need. By the way, the book Scrooge had a full namesake who was engaged in the corn trade in Edinburgh.

Charles Foster Kane

Another fictional character that served as inspiration for Karl Barks to create the image of Scrooge McDuck. He is the protagonist of the popular 1941 film Citizen Kane. He worked hard all his life, became a newspaper tycoon, but an exorbitant thirst for profit turned him into a notorious egoist, who lost not only friends and family, but also himself. Fortunately, Scrooge McDuck is very different from Kane. If only because he considers the family more valuable than any wealth, and therefore the nephews of the cartoon hero, although they sometimes suffer from the stinginess of their uncle, they still love Scrooge McDuck.

John Elves

This gentleman lived in the 18th century and became famous for his incredible greed. He was a member of the British Parliament and heir to two enormous fortunes, but at the same time, his appearance most of all resembled a person without a definite place of residence. He walked exclusively in rags, and his menu consisted of scraps. John Elves was freezing in his own house, because in order to save money, he refused to light the fireplace, and in the evening he moved in the dark so as not to use candles. Such pathological stinginess, according to rumors, was inherited from his mother, who allegedly starved herself to death, trying to save money on food.

If Uncle Scrooge were portrayed in full accordance with this gentleman, the image would have turned out to be extremely unpleasant. Therefore, the cartoon character, although he is greedy, does not give up the little joys of life, for example, chocolate.

James wood

The British banker of the 18th century earned the nickname "Gloucester curmudgeon", but at the same time he never saved on his stomach, he always ate very well and was not going to give up gastronomic pleasures. From his grandfather, he inherited the Gloucester Old Bank, in which, in order to save money, he left only two employees. Unlike the previous character, James Wood stoked the fireplace, however, with the coal that he collected in the pockets of his worn coat. He was a frequent visitor to the docks of Gloucester, because boats with coal were unloading there and there was an opportunity to reap a good harvest. When the need arose to visit London, he used any way to save on the trip. They say he once arrived in Gloucester from Tewkesbury at the back of the hearse, where the body of the deceased was usually transported. Avarice and wealth brought James Wood national fame.

Andrew Carnegie

The famous American entrepreneur seems to be the closest in spirit to an on-screen character. He had Scottish roots, worked hard all his life, starting his career as a "bobbin supervisor" in a weaving factory. Natural frugality allowed him to go from a simple worker to the owner of his own company and a multimillionaire. Andrew Carnegie loved luxury, but at the same time became famous for his philanthropy, donating, at today's rate, more than five billion dollars.

Even today, children enjoy watching Duck Tales cartoons. And recently, the Disney studio relaunched the series. While everyone is discussing the new adventures of the heroes, we suggest you remember curious facts about Scrooge McDuck and his brave nephews.