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Voiced by Mel Blanc (1953–1980)Joe Alaskey (1990–2014)Jeff Bergman (1991)Frank Gorshin (1996)Jeff Bennett (2004) First appearance Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953) Voices Mel Blanc (1953–1980), Joe Alaskey (1990–2014), Jeff Bergman (1991), Frank Gorshin (1996), Jeff Bennett (2004) Similar Marvin the Martian, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Buck Rogers, Gossamer | ||
Duck Edgar Dumas Aloysius Eoghain Dodgers is the metafictional star of a series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros., featuring Daffy Duck in the role of a science fiction hero.
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He first appeared in the 1953 cartoon short Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century, directed by Chuck Jones as a spoof of the popular Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Flash Gordon science fiction serials of the 1930s, casting the brash, egomaniacal Daffy Duck as the hero of the story. As of 2003 it is available in the DVD compilation Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1, and is also available for download on the iTunes Store in the Daffy Duck collection.
The plot of the cartoon involves Duck Dodgers' search for the rare element Illudium Phosdex, "the shaving cream atom", the only remaining supply of which is on the mysterious "Planet X." Just after Dodgers has claimed Planet X in the name of the Earth, Marvin the Martian lands on the same planet and claims it in the name of Mars. The stage is set for a battle of wits, not to mention various forms of weaponry, most of which tend to backfire hilariously on Dodgers.
Considering the period in which the cartoon was produced (the Red Scare was in full swing during the 1950s era), some scholars have used the cartoon to parallel the supposed futility of the Cold War and the arms race.
Duck Dodgers sequels
The first sequel, also produced by Chuck Jones, was titled Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century and was released in 1980. The plot of this sequel cartoon was nearly a carbon copy of the original though this time, Marvin says he is trying to solve the Earth's energy crisis (by blowing up the Earth); Marvin succeeds in launching his missile and at the end of the cartoon reminds everyone that it's only a cartoon.
The second short, titled Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension, was a 3D cartoon released in 1996 to select venues. These included the flagship Warner Bros. Studio Store in Manhattan, and Warner Bros. Movie World theme parks on the Gold Coast, Australia and in Bottrop-Kirchhellen, Germany. It included a range of interactive effects including a splash with water. Unlike the other Dodgers cartoons, Porky Pig did not appear.
A third short, titled Superior Duck was released in 1996, with Frank Gorshin as Duck Dodgers. In this short, the character instead went by the name Superior Duck.
A fourth short, titled "Attack of the Drones" was made in 2003 and was part of a series of new shorts, but because of the failure of Looney Tunes: Back in Action, they were not released theatrically. The shorts sometimes air on Teletoon in Canada.
Further appearances
Use by the US Air Force and NASA
In 2003, both Duck Dodgers and Marvin the Martian were featured on separate 1st Space Launch Squadron mission patches for that year's Mars Exploration Rover missions.
Dragon Con
The original Duck Dodgers cartoon is played during the Masquerade contest while the judges make their decisions annually. Dragon*Con occurs every Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. The tradition was taken on by Dragon*Con when Dixie Trek, a preceding Atlanta convention, became defunct.