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| Huey, Dewey, and Louie | |
|---|---|
| Donald Duck characters | |
 From left to right: Louie, Huey, and Dewey | |
| First appearance | In print: Silly Symphonies featuring Donald Duck Sunday newspaper strip (October 17, 1937) In animation: Donald's Nephews (1938) |
| Created by | Al Taliaferro Carl Barks |
| Designed by | Carl Barks |
| Voiced by | Clarence Nash (1938–1965) Dick Beals (1967)[1] Tony Anselmo (1986-87, 1999–2003, 2012) Russi Taylor (1987–2019) Melissa Hutchison (2025–Present) InQuack Pack: Huey: Jeannie Elias Dewey:Pamela Adlon Louie:Elizabeth Daily InDuckTales (2017): Huey:Danny Pudi Dewey:Ben Schwartz Louie:Bobby Moynihan |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Hubert Duck, Deuteronomy D. Duck, and Louis Duck (Quack Pack) Hubert Duck, Dewford Dingus Duck, and Llewellyn Duck (DuckTales 2017) |
| Species | Pekin |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Students (trained scouts) |
| Family | Duck family |
| Relatives | Mr. Duck (father) Della Duck (mother) Donald Duck (maternal uncle, legal guardian) Scrooge McDuck (maternal grand-uncle) Ludwig Von Drake (maternal granduncle) Gladstone Gander (first cousin once removed) Quackmore Duck (maternal grandfather) Hortense McDuck (maternal grandmother) Daphne Duck (maternal grand-aunt) Matilda McDuck (maternal grand-aunt) Eider Duck (maternal great-uncle) Humperdink Duck (maternal great-grandfather) Elvira "Grandma" Duck (maternal great-grandmother) |
| Nationality | American |
Huey, Dewey, and Louie aretriplet cartoon characters created bystoryboard artist andscreenwriterCarl Barks forThe Walt Disney Company[2] from an idea proposed bycartoonistAl Taliaferro. They are the nephews ofDonald Duck and the grand-nephews ofScrooge McDuck. Like their maternal uncles, the brothers areanthropomorphicwhite ducks with yellow-orange bills and feet. The boys are sometimes distinguished by the color of their shirts and baseball caps (with Huey wearing red, Dewey wearing blue, and Louie wearing green). They appeared in manyDonald Duck animated shorts, as well as in the television showDuckTales and itsreboot, but the comics remain their primary medium.
While the boys were originally created as troublemakers to provoke Donald's famous easily-triggered temper, in later appearances, beginning especially in the comic books stories byCarl Barks, they are shown growing to be heroes in their own right and valuable assets to him and Uncle Scrooge on their adventures. All three of the triplets are members of a fictionalscouting organization called theJunior Woodchucks.
Al Taliaferro, the artist for theSilly Symphony comic strip, proposed the idea for the filmDonald's Nephews, so that the studio would have duck counterparts toMorty and Ferdie Fieldmouse, the nephews of Mickey Mouse. The Walt Disney Productions Story Dept. on February 5, 1937, sent Taliaferro a memo recognizing him as the source of the idea for the planned short.
The memo indicated, “we have decided to actually put a story crew to work onDonald’s Nephews.” With the short already in production more than eight months before the boys'Silly Symphonies comic strip debut (on October 17, 1937), the animation studio's model sheet and storyline would have been Taliaferro and writerTed Osborne's frame of reference for the comic strip. Because the strip was an adaptation of the animated shorts, it could utilize ideas from films still in production (DuckTales reversed this, being a TV adaptation of the comics). Similarly, Barks'Junior Woodchuckprototype,Good Scouts, was released three months after identical scouting uniforms were introduced by Taliaferro andBob Karp in the comic strip.
The nephews being triplets who finished each others' sentences was developed byCarl Barks, thescreenwriter ofDonald's Nephews, for whomHappy Hooligan, a comic strip that featured such triplets, was a childhood influence. This characteristic appeared for the first time at the end of the film, as the boys parted with Donald. In the comic strip, it was first implemented a week after the film's release.
The nephews' names were devised by Disney gag man Dana Coty, who took them fromHuey Long,Thomas Dewey, and Louis Schmitt, a Disney Studio animator. In translation, the nephews' names often follow the repetition (parachesis) of their names in English, for example: Tupu, Hupu and Lupu (Finnish) and Hyzio, Dyzio and Zyzio (Polish).
Huey, Dewey, and Louie are the sons of Donald's sisterDella Duck; inDonald's Nephews, their mother is instead named Dumbella. In the original theatrical shorts, they were originally sent to visit Donald for only one day; in the comics, the three were sent to stay with Donald on a temporary basis, until their father came back from the hospital (the boys ended up sending him there after an attemptedpractical joke of puttingfirecrackers under his chair). In both the comics and animated shorts, the boys' parents were never heard from or mentioned again after these instances, with the boys ending up permanently living with Donald. All four of them live in the fictional city ofDuckburg, in the fictional state of Calisota.
In the theatrical shorts, Huey, Dewey, and Louie often behave in a rambunctious and mischievous manner, and they sometimes commit retaliation or revenge on Donald. In the early Barks comics, the ducklings were still wild and unruly, but their character improved considerably due to their membership in theJunior Woodchucks and the good influence ofGrandma Duck. As the boys mature, they prefer to assist Donald and Scrooge in the adventure at hand.[3] They occasionally interact withDaisy Duck’s nieces,April, May, and June.
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In early comic books and shorts, the caps of Huey, Dewey, and Louie were colored randomly, depending on the whim of the colorist. On a few occasions until 1945 and most cartoons shortly afterward, all three nephews wore identical outfits (most commonly red).
It was not until the 1980s when it became established that Huey is dressed in pink then in 1982 changed to red, Dewey in black then in 1982 changed to blue, and Louie in brown then in 1982 changed to green. Disney's archivistDave Smith, in "Disney A to Z", said, "Note that the brightest hue of the three is red (Huey), the color of water, dew, is blue (Dewey), and that leaves Louie, and leaves are green (Louie)."
A few random combinations appear in early Disney merchandise and books, such as orange and yellow. Another combination that shows up from time to time is Huey in blue, Dewey in green, and Louie in red. In-story, this inconsistency is explained away as a result of the ducklings borrowing each other's clothes. The trio have often been depicted wearing indistinguishable black shirts (or the same dark color).
TheDon Rosa storyAn Eye for Detail (1997) was based around Donald spending so much time trying to tell his three nephews apart that he developed a heightened sense of sight.
Clarence Nash, Donald's voice actor, voiced the nephews in the cartoon shorts, making their voices just as duck-like (and thereby difficult to understand) as Donald's. Huey, Dewey, and Louie were all voiced byRussi Taylor inDuckTales. InQuack Pack, they were voiced by Jeannie Elias,Pamela Segall, andElizabeth Daily, respectively.Tony Anselmo voiced the characters inDown and Out with Donald Duck (1987),Mickey Mouse Works,House of Mouse, and theHave a Laugh! shorts, while Taylor continued voicing the trio in other projects, such as the video games,Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers andMickey's Speedway USA, and thedirect-to-video filmsMickey's Once andTwice Upon a Christmas. Taylor also reprised her role as the nephews in theDuckTales: Remastered video game and the post-2013Mickey Mouse shorts until her death in 2019.Danny Pudi,Ben Schwartz, andBobby Moynihan voiced the trio in the2017DuckTales reboot. In the Mickey Mouse Funhouse episode segment Sitting Ducks, Melissa Hutchison voiced Huey, Dewey & Louie.
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On a few occasions, an artist by error drew four nephews and the error was published. This fourth nephew has been namedPhooey Duck by Disney comic editor Bob Foster.[4][5]
The six-page DanishEgmont-licensed Disney comicMuch Ado About Phooey (1999), plotted by Lars Jensen, written by Jack Sutter and drawn by Tino Santanach Hernandez, used Phooey as a character and explained Phooey's sporadic appearances as a freak incident of nature. (The text in the two speech balloons says "It is a fourth nephew! An exact copy of the others! / Yes, it's probably best that I explain".)[6] Phooey also made a cameo appearance in the2017DuckTales animated series episode, "A Nightmare on Killmotor Hill!", during a dream sequence.
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In the comics, Huey, Dewey, and Louie often play a major role in most stories involving either their "Unca Donald" or great-uncle Scrooge McDuck, accompanying them on most of their adventures. Originating in the comics is the boys' membership in theBoy Scouts of America-like organization,the Junior Woodchucks, including their use of theJunior Woodchucks Guidebook, a fantastically exhaustivefield guide containing information on science, history andsurvival skills. This youth organization, which has twin goals of preserving knowledge and protecting the environment, was instrumental in transforming the three brothers from "little hellions" to upstanding young ducks.
In Disney comic writerDon Rosa's continuity, Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck were born around 1940 in Duckburg. In hisaward-winning epic series,Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, Rosa reveals the domestic pain felt by the boys' loss of their parents. When Scrooge first meets Donald and his nephews, he says: "I'm not used to relatives, either! The few I had seem to have... disappeared!" Huey, Dewey, and Louie respond: "We know howthat feels, Unca Scrooge!"
InSome Heir Over the Rainbow by Carl Barks, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, along withDonald Duck andGladstone Gander, are tested byScrooge McDuck, who wants to pick anheir to his fortune. Using the legend of a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, Scrooge secretly gives the nephews, Donald and their cousin each $1,000 to invest. Donald uses his money for a down payment of a new car, now being $1,000 in debt. Gladstone, considering himself too lucky to need the money this soon, hides the money for when and if he needs it, causing Scrooge to consider him a better option than Donald. Huey, Dewey, and Louie lend their money to a man who claims to need the money to search for a treasure. Initially thinking they were tricked out of the money, Scrooge actually considers leaving his fortune to Gladstone, even though he sees that as "an awful injustice to the world", but the man actually finds the treasure and pays the kids back. Scrooge makes Huey, Dewey, and Louie his heirs. It seems to be the most solidly canonical indication of Scrooge's plans.
In a 1994 interview, Erik Svane asked Barks who would inherit Scrooge's money. Barks' response was "Probably Donald's nephews." Svane further queried, "Why would Huey, Dewey and Louie receive it?" Barks: "Oh, well, because they are so much more practical than Donald. In the later stories, as I developed those duck people and the whole community of Duckburg and all of its problems, I began giving those kids much more intelligence than anybody else in Duckburg. And so, I guess that when Uncle Scrooge passes on, he will leave all of his money to his three nephews. And I'm sure they will do a lot of good in the world, their Junior Woodchucks organization. They will save all the birds and all the whales."[7]
Huey, Dewey, and Louie starred in the 1987 animated television seriesDuckTales, in which they went on adventures with their great-uncle, Scrooge McDuck, after their "Unca Donald" left them with him to enlist in theU.S. Navy. The boys' personalities in this series were mainly based on their comic book appearances versus the theatrical shorts. In the 1996 seriesQuack Pack, the three were portrayed as teenagers and given distinct personalities, with Huey serving as thegroup's leader, Dewey as acomputer whiz, and Louie as asports enthusiast. AfterQuack Pack, the boys were reverted to their original ages for most appearances, including the 1999 seriesMickey Mouse Works. An exception was the 2001 seriesHouse of Mouse, in which they served as the house band in a variety of different styles (most commonly as "The Quackstreet Boys").
In the2017DuckTales series, the brothers are once again given distinct designs, voices, and personalities: Huey is intelligent and logical, Dewey is adventurous and excitable, and Louie is laid-back and cunning. The boys move to Scrooge's mansion with Donald after Dewey accidentally destroys their houseboat and travel the world on adventures with their uncles. They also have different roles: Huey is a Junior Woodchuck, Dewey likes to go on adventures, and Louie wants to be wealthy like Scrooge, except that he likes to do everything the easy way. This iteration also changed Dewey's real name to Dewford, while making Dingus his middle name, and Louie's real name to Llewellyn. In the second season, the boys are reunited with their long-lost mother Della, who reveals she intended to name them "Jet (Huey), Turbo (Dewey), and Rebel (Louie)" before she disappeared, after which Donald named them instead.
Huey, Dewey and Louie have been given many appearances in video games over the years, starting withDuckTales (1989), a popularNES game based on the show, wherein they aid their Uncle Scrooge in finding treasure. The game also gota remaster in 2013.
InThe Lucky Dime Caper (1991) forSega'sGame Gear andMaster System, the nephews are kidnapped by Magica De Spell. Donald must find Scrooge's lucky dime and barter for their safety. The trio also appear in theSega Genesis andSega Saturn game,Quackshot (1991), piloting Donald's plane as he travels the world in search of a lost treasure. The object ofDisney's Magical Quest 3 Starring Mickey & Donald (1995), for Super Famicom (Japan) andGame Boy Advance, is to rescue the nephews from the clutches of thevillainousKing Pete.
Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers (2000) was released for many gaming systems. The boys aid Donald to bat Gladstone in rescuingDaisy Duck, while he also rescues their hexed play toys. The nephews appear as unlockable playable characters inMickey's Speedway USA (2000) forNintendo 64.[8][9] InDance Dance Revolution: Disney Mix (2000), that premiered as anarcade game in Japan and afterward onPlayStation and as a Plug-and-Playhandheld TV game, they appear as DJ's for certain music tracks. They are playable characters inDisney Magic Kingdoms (2016), aDisney Parks themed game foriOS,Android andWindows.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie have recurring roles as shopkeepers in theKingdom Hearts video game series. In thefirst entry (2002), the trio work in the item shop in the First District of Traverse Town. InKingdom Hearts II (2005), they individually run an item shop (Huey), an accessory shop (Dewey), and a weapon shop (Louie) in Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden. In both games' endings, they are seen returning to Disney Castle.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (2010) features the nephews in Disney Town, recreating Ice Cream flavors, this time with a speaking role.Kingdom Hearts Coded (2008) also has Huey, Dewey, and Louie in Traverse Town, much like the first game. The three nephews were investigating the strange block phenomena occurring in their world which also resided insideJiminy's journal. InKingdom Hearts χ (2013), they are displayed on special Support medals that grant the player's other medals a set number of experience points based on the medal's star value. They appear in the Tram Common area of Twilight Town inKingdom Hearts III (2019), where they each take turns running the gummi shop. In all of theirKingdom Hearts appearances, the nephews look similar to their appearance in the originalDuckTales.
Huey, Dewey and Louie have made numerous appearances at Disneytheme parks.
The nephews appeared in seasonalparades during Easter, Halloween and Christmas 2011 after a long absence. They also appeared in theCountdown Party Parade 2011.
Huey, Dewey and Louie appear regularly in Paris. They appeared during the Christmas season 2010 in their daytime and nighttime Parades at"Disneyland Paris's Magic Kingdom",Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade and in theDisney's Fantillusion Parade in glittery outfits. They made another appearance atDisneyland Paris for meet-and-greet at theDisneyland Hotel on April 2, 2011, the day of the Press Event for the launch of theMagical Moments Festival. They also appeared at Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade at theDisneyland Park in special outfits for the parade and at the Disney's Stars 'n' Cars Parade at theWalt Disney Studios Park in directors outfits.
The nephews appeared atDisneyland Paris's Halloween season 2011. They have their own show duringMickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties at theDisneyland Park inDisneyland Paris, titledHuey, Dewey and Louie's Trick or Treat Party. They also made an appearance for meet-and-greet atDisneyland Paris's "Disney's Halloween Party" on October 31, 2011. They were also part of the Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve 2011–2012 celebrations at theDisneyland Hotel.
| # | Short film | Date | Shirt Colours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donald's Nephews | April 15, 1938 | Red, Green, Orange | |
| 2 | Good Scouts | July 8, 1938 | All scout uniforms | |
| 3 | Donald's Golf Game | November 4, 1938 | Red, Yellow, Orange | |
| 4 | The Hockey Champ | April 28, 1939 | Red, Green, Orange | |
| 5 | Sea Scouts | June 30, 1939 | All Red | |
| 6 | Mr. Duck Steps Out | June 7, 1940 | Yellow, Green, Red | Also starringDaisy Duck |
| 7 | Fire Chief | December 13, 1940 | Red, Yellow, Blue/All Red | |
| 8 | All Together | January 13, 1942 | All Red | A WWII Cartoon |
| 9 | The Nifty Nineties | June 20, 1941 | All Blue | A Mickey Mouse Cartoon |
| 10 | Truant Officer Donald | August 1, 1941 | Red, Green, Orange | |
| 11 | Donald's Snow Fight | April 10, 1942 | ||
| 12 | Home Defense | November 26, 1943 | All Red | |
| 13 | Donald Duck and the Gorilla | March 31, 1944 | Red, Yellow, Green | |
| 14 | Donald's Off Day | December 8, 1944 | All Red | |
| 15 | Donald's Crime | June 29, 1945 | Red, Green, Orange | Also starring Daisy Duck |
| 16 | Straight Shooters | April 18, 1947 | All Red | |
| 17 | Soup's On | October 15, 1948 | ||
| 18 | Donald's Happy Birthday | February 11, 1949 | ||
| 19 | Lion Around | January 20, 1950 | ||
| 20 | Lucky Number | July 20, 1951 | ||
| 21 | Trick or Treat | October 10, 1952 | Various Halloween costumes | Also starringWitch Hazel |
| 22 | Don's Fountain of Youth | May 30, 1953 | All Red | |
| 23 | Canvas Back Duck | December 25, 1953 | Also starringPeg Leg Pete | |
| 24 | Spare the Rod | January 15, 1954 | All Green/Red | |
| 25 | Donald's Diary | March 5, 1954 | All Light Blue | Also starringDaisy Duck; Huey, Dewey and Louie (who are not named) are Daisy's little brothers and not Donald's nephews |
| 26 | The Litterbug | June 21, 1961 | Red, Yellow, Green | |
| 27 | Donald's Fire Survival Plan | May 5, 1966 | All Red | |
| 27 | Scrooge McDuck and Money | March 23, 1967 | All blue |
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