Ludwig Von Drake

Professor Ludwig Von Drake is one of Walt Disney's

cartoon characters. He was first introduced as the presenter (and singer of The Spectrum Song in the cartoon An Adventure in Color, part of the first episode of The 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. 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.

Background

Ludwig von Drake was born on December 9, 1927 then comes from Vienna, Austria. Some creators have presumed that his family is a German branch of the Duck family but that hasn't been included in any major stories. (According to a theory by Don Rosa, the professor married Matilda McDuck, one of Scrooge McDuck's sisters).

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 to see who is the greater inventor.

He was introduced in 1961, with the introduction to Walt Disney's television series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. From there, he became a recurring character in Disney's related television projects, more often than not lecturing on a certain topic. He was originally designed and animated by legendary animators Milt Kahl and Ward Kimball.

In recent years, Von Drake has made a comeback, being featured as a regular member of the Mickey and Friends franchise, often appearing in TV shows and video games centered on Mickey Mouse and his friends, including Von Drake's aforementioned nephew, Donald. He often takes the role of the bumbling scientist whose inventions comically cause mayhem.

Personality

In spite of being a world renowned scientist, psychiatrists, and lecturer, Ludwig is incredibly wacky, somewhat bumbling, and as he puts it "Cooky!". He is known for being extremely intelligent and more than likely to know nearly everything about a certain topic ranging from science to music. During many of his classic lectures, Ludwig was known to get sidetracked rather quickly, with the end results being a comical shenanigan. Most of the professor's time is spent creating an array of magnificent inventions meant to make life easier for both himself and the world. However, more often than not does one of the professors inventions go off the deep end. He also has a habit of having every invention's naming beginning with "The Von Drake" heading. A notable recurring goal for the professor has been to discover the source of his nephew Donald's temper tantrums. His catchphrase is "Hello there!", which he has been known to shout when greeting someone or at the beginning of one of his cartoons, Von Drake died at his Moscow home on June 27, 2019 of Thrombus.

Appearance

Ludwig Von Drake is a slender elderly duck with half bald gray hair, thick gray eyebrows, both orange bill and feet, white feathers. He has a couple of thin hairs on his head, gray (cream; in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). He wears a overcoat that has a crimson vest, black necktie, both white dress shirt and cuffs, spectacles with a string attached to his overcoat.

Film Apearances

Fun And Fancy Free

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. It might be that the storytelling was suppose to happen after talking about the Mother Goose Rhymes and it's history, hence the quote: "Now Fairy Tales are not like Mother Goose Rhymes."

TV Show Appearances

Bonkers

Von Drake reprised his psychiatrist role in several guest appearances on Bonkers, mostly in the episodes produced by Duane Capizzi and Robert Hathcock.

Quack Pack

In QuackPack, Von Drake resides in a laboratory in Duckburg and also runs a pizza delivery service which pays for his science equipment. In "The Real Mighty Ducks", Huey, Dewey and Louie visit Von Drake after Donald ordered them to clean their room. While there, they notice one of Von Drake's inventions and offers to test it. Ludwig allows them to do so and the machine gives them super abilities. Huey gains super speed, Dewey gains incredible knowledge and Louie gains super strength. Ludwig is also called for by the President during global crises and after the boys received their powers, they use them to fight crime. Later in the episode, Donald also uses the machine to become a super villain.

DuckTales

Von Drake made a guest appearance on DuckTales as Launchpad McQuack's psychiatrist in the episode "The Golden Fleecing".

Mickey Mouse Works

In the series, Von Drake was given his own series of cartoons. He was also given a short series entitled "Von Drake's House of Genius" where he creates a new invention meant to make live easier but the creations backfires and is often destroyed in the end. He did however star in three regular cartoons one being "Relaxing with Von Drake" where the professor attempts to ease Donald Duck's nerves. In "Hydrosquirter", Von Drake accidentally creates a time traveling bath tub. In "Futurmania", the professor's latest invention is experimented on Mickey, Donald and Goofy.

Von Drake also made appearances in other characters' cartoons most notably Mickey Foils the Phantom Blot where the professor asks Mickey, Donald and Goofy to deliver his very valuable credit card to him in a different location at another time. The reason being that the professor is being hunted down by a criminal mastermind, The Phantom Blot. He also made a small cameo in the Mickey, Donald, and Goofy cartoon: Locksmiths

House of Mouse

Ludwig is a recurring character in the series as a "nutty professor"-type character. He had roles in a few episodes where he was the main focus. The most notable of these was "Ask Von Drake". Here, Mickey tires of Von Drake knowing absolutely everything and challenges the professor throughout the entire evening. In the end, Mickey thinks of one last challenge: name every guest member at the club. Von Drake seemingly goes through the headcount of all the Disney characters with ease (in song) but afterwards, Mickey points out that he forgot one person - himself.

In other episodes, the professor was often called upon to help solve some of the problems in the club. In "Super Goof", Von Drake was called to determine where an oncoming meteor will strike. In "House of Crime", when all the guests go missing, Von Drake creates a device to lead the heroes to the culprit. Unknowing to them, the culprit was The Phantom Blot, and he and the missing guests were inside Von Drake's machine.

Von Drake also appeared in the film Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, where he went on stage to lecture about The Science of Santa. This scene was later reused for the episode "Pete's Christmas Caper".

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

In his latest appearance, Von Drake is a recurring character and the creator of the clubhouse. He created the clubhouse as a gift for Mickey equipping it with various accessories that make life much easier, including the Handy Helpers Toodles. Ludwig often creates new inventions that go wrong accidentally.

Like his previous appearances, many of his inventions cause trouble such as when Donald drunk his potion and transformed into a frog or when magical goo he created multiplied Goofy. Despite this, a number of inventions saved the day such as the time when the color was being drained from the world and he used a device to get it back. He is the most intelligent of the group and most problem solving are due to his ideas and innovations.

Mickey Mouse (2013 TV Series)

Ludwig returns in the Mickey Mouse animated series, appearing in the episode "Down the Hatch" as a museum scientist and tour guide introducing various scientific marvels, including a shrink ray, which falls into the hands of Mickey and Goofy, resulting in an adventure within Donald's internal caverns.

In the end, Mickey and Goofy's shrink condition wears off, resulting in Donald laying an egg, hatching into the duo. Ludwig, astonished, congratulates the trio on their discovery of "men from egg" and openly ponders on the idea of further investigation, much to Donald's dismay and fear.

Von Drake also appeared in the episode "Wonders of the Deep", where he takes Mickey, Donald and Goofy on a voyage to explore the wonders of the deep. An excited Mickey asks the professor if the voyage can next focus on finding legendary creatures such as mermaids and the kraken. The professor, believing the probability of finding the kraken to be low, begins calculating the exact percentage chance, before suddenly being jetted out of the submarine and into the sea and being eaten by a clam. The clam carries Von Drake off, leading to Mickey and Donald traveling to rescue him. Fortunately, they do, battling off the kraken in the process. When the professor is freed from the clam inside submarine, it is revealed he was oblivious of any sort of danger, as well as the kraken battle, as he was still calculating the probabilities of finding one. Ironically, he learns there's still a chance, and asks Mickey, Donald, and Goofy if they would like to search for it. To Mickey and Donald's horror Goofy say yes. Due to Goofy's answer to Von Drake this results in Mickey and Donald, jettisoning themselves out of the submarine in the same clam that ate Von Drake, out of fear.

In "Split Decisions", Von Drake is visited by Mickey and Donald; the former explains that Donald's temper has been more unruly than usual, and a remedy is in need for the sake of his health and relationship with Daisy. Von Drake uses an invention to remove Donald's anger, though this creates two trouble-making incarnations of Donald: one who's obnoxiously happy, and another with a dangerously violent temper. While Von Drake works to recalibrate the machine, Mickey rounds up the two Donalds to revive the original.

Video Games

Mickey Saves The Day 3D Adventure

Von Drake was a supporting character in the game and was seen inside his laboratory which is visited by Mickey. Here, Von Drake must assists Mickey on his quest to find the mayor of Toontown who has gone missing.

Mickey's Speedway USA

Ludwig was the organizer of the race tournament and journey to rescue Pluto. He is also a secret unlockable character.

Disney Golf

Ludwig is a playable character in the game. To unlock him a player must select Minnie Mouse and win a few games.

Goofy's Hysterical History Tour

Ludwig appears in the opening cut scene as Goofy and Pete's employer in the History Museum.

Knownable Relatives

• Mother Goose (Grandmother)
• Unnamed Mother
• Matilda McDuck (Wife)
• Scrooge McDuck (Possible brother in law)
• Donald Duck (Nephew)
• Huey, Dewey and Louie (Great grandnephews)
• Webby Vanderquack (Adoptive great niece)

Trivia

• Ludwig Von Drake is the first Disney character made specifically for television.
• Although he is more widely known for being related to Donald by marrying Scrooge McDuck's sister, some 1960s Disney comics (including Tony Strobl's 6-pager Barn Dance Doctor, first published in 1961) state that Ludwig is Grandma Duck's cousin. This relationship was even further established in the German translation of Duckburg, U.S.A (1961). Here, Grandma reveals that Ludwig is the son of her maternal aunt and a certain Hofrat Von Drake. In contrast to these classic comics, a character profile poster of Ludwig in the German Disney comic magazine Micky Maus Magazin states that he is Grandma Duck's nephew rather than her cousin.
• In early appearances, Von Drake seemed to be obsessed with pickles.
• He is (possibly) ambidextrous, as seen in Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. He writes with his left hand briefly near the beginning and writes on the chalkboard with both hands.
• Before he was said to have married Matilda McDuck, Ludwig dated a duck lady named Alice in a series of 1985 newspaper comics. Alice and Ludwig met each other through the 'Absentminded Dating Club', and kept forgetting each others' names.

Voice Actors

• Japanese : Ritsuo Sawa (1986 – 2001), ??? (2001 – Present)

• English : Paul Frees (1954 – 1986), Walker Edmiston (1987), Corey Burton (1987 – Present)

all information on Ludwig Von Drake came from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Ludwig_Von_Drake