The old miser is Barks most ingenious invention. Named after the world famous classic ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens, Barks soon evolved his character in different ways.

He is always referred to as Uncle Scrooge by Donald and the boys, and he calls them nephews. All sources that have been more clear about it have agreed that he is a brother of Donald’s mother. Some of his employees are Miss Quackfaster (secretary), Battista (butler in ‘Italian stories’), Duckworth (butler in ‘DuckTales’), and Betina Beakley (maid in ‘DuckTales’). Even though Scrooge is of Scottish heritage, there are usually no indications in Barks’s comics that Scrooge speaks with a Scottish accent. Born 1867 in Glasgow, Scotland in ‘Back To Long Ago!’ Barks shows that Scrooge seems to be the rebirth of the 16th century sea captain Matey McDuck. One might say that if Cornelius Coot was the founder of the 19th century town called Duckburg, Scrooge McDuck was indeed the founder of the 20th century city with the same name. Since he owns 99 per cent of the city it has in practice become “McDuckburg”.

Scrooge earned his first dime as a 10 year old in 1877. Three years later in 1880, he left for America as a 13 year old. In 1898, after a lot of adventures he finally ended up in Klondike. There he found a golden rock at the size of a goose egg. The next year he reached his first million and bought the deed for Kill Mule Hill from Casey Coot, the son of Clinton Coot and grandson of Cornelius Coot. He finally ended up in Duckburg in 1902. After some dramatic events where he faced both the Beagle Boys and president Roosevelt and his Rough Riders at the same time, he tore dsown the rest of the old fort Duckburg and raised his famous Money Bin at the same site.

In the years to follow, Uncle Scrooge travelled all around the world in order to increase his fortune. During these and his previous travels he learned a lot of different languages from all parts of the world. Meanwhile his family ran the Money Bin. In 1908 Miss Emily Quackfaster was hired as Scrooge’s secretary. When Scrooge finally returned to Duckburg in 1930 he found himself the richest man in the world. He had however changed. The new $crooge McDuck was tough and hostile toward his surroundings. Thus his own family left him.

In 1942 McDuck closed down his empire and retired to a big house totally unlike his previous (and later) style, in Duckburg.

On Christmas day in 1947 he finally met his nephew Donald Duck again together with the grand nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck. In the next 20 years to follow he and his nephews experienced more great adventures than ever before. After returning to public life in 1947 Uncle Scrooge has also fought an endless struggle to keep his fortune and to remain the richest man in the world. So far Scrooge has succeeded well in his struggle, but there is never much time to rest before the next battle.

The low down on Scrooge McDuck

Name: Scrooge McDuck. In USA his first name is often written with a dollar-sign in it so it becomes $crooge.

Born: 1867 in Glasgow, Scotland?

Died: 1967 in Duckburg.

First appearance: 1947 in ‘Christmas On Bear Mountain’.

Father: Fergus McDuck

Mother: Downy O’Drake

Siblings: Matilda McDuck (sister), Hortense McDuck (sister)

Spouse: None. He used to have some feelings for Glittering Goldie.

Occupation: Businessman, in his earlier days he worked as a cowboy, a gold- prospector, etc.