Huey, Dewey, and Louie

Origins

Huey, Dewey, and Louie were the idea of Al Taliaferro, the artist for the Silly Symphonies comic strip, which featured Donald Duck. 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, Donald's Nephews. The nephews debuted in Taliaferro's comic strip, which by this time had been renamed Donald Duck, on Sunday, October 17, 1937, beating the theatrical release of Donald's Nephews by almost six months. The names were devised by Disney gag man Dana Coty, who took them from Huey Long, Thomas Dewey, and Louis Schmitt, an animator at the Disney Studio in the 1930s and 1940s. Taliaferro's introduction of the nephews emulated the three nephews in the Happy Hooligan comic strip and was also influenced by Mickey Mouse's nephews, Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse.

In other languages, the characters are known as Knatte, Fnatte and Tjatte (Swedish); Riri, Fifi and Loulou (French); Tick, Trick and Track (German); Qui, Quo and Qua (Italian); Soso, Tutu and Lulu (Arabic); Billy, Willy and Dilly (Russian); Rip, Rap and Rup (Danish); Kwik, Kwek and Kwak (Dutch and Indonesian, and Kwok for the fourth nephew); Bilis, Dilis and Vilis (Lithuanian); Tiki, Niki and Viki (Hungarian); Ole, Dole and Doffen (Norwegian); Hyzio, Dyzio and Zyzio (Polish); Tupu, Hupu and Lupu (Finnish); Raja, Gaja and Vlaja (Serbian); Hinko, Dinko and Vinko (Croatian); Huguinho, Zezinho e Luisinho (Portuguese); Jorgito, Juanito and Jaimito (Spanish-Spain) and Hugo, Paco and Luis (Latin American Spanish); Titus, Totus and Tutus (Latin), Kulík, Dulík a Bubík (Czech); Pak, Žak and Mak (Slovenian).

Character background

Huey, Dewey, and Louie are the sons of Donald's sister Della Duck; in Donald'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 a practical joke of putting firecrackers under his chair). According to a published Duck family tree, their full names are Huebert, Deuteronomy and Louis. 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 of Duckburg, in the fictional state of Calisota.

The three ducklings are noted for their identical appearances and personalities. A running joke involves the three sometimes even finishing each other's sentences. In the theatrical shorts, Huey, Dewey, and Louie often behave in a rambunctious and mischievous manner, and they sometimes commit retaliation or revenge on their uncle Donald Duck. In the comics, however, as developed by Al Taliaferro and Carl Barks, the young ducks are more usually portrayed as well-behaved, preferring to assist their uncle Donald Duck and great-uncle Scrooge McDuck in the adventure at hand. In the early Barks comics, the ducklings were still wild and unruly, but their character improved considerably due to their membership in the Junior Woodchucks and the good influence of their wise old great-grandmother Elvira Coot "Grandma" Duck. According to Don Rosa, Huey, Dewey and Louie became members of the Junior Woodchucks when they were around 11 years old.

Colors of Huey, Dewey, and Louie's outfits

In early comic books and shorts, the caps of Huey, Dewey, and Louie were colored randomly, depending on the whim of the colorist.

On few occasions until 1945 and most every cartoon short afterward, all three nephews wore identical outfits (most commonly red). It wasn't until the 1980s when it became established that Huey is dressed in red, Dewey in blue, and Louie in green. Disney's archivist Dave 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." 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.

In Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics the trio have occasionally been known to dress in their usual outfits, but rather than have their usual colors they all wear black (or the same dark color), rendering them visually identical, leaving their hat color available if they care to be distinguished.

One story in Donald Duck comics was based around Donald spending so much time trying to tell his three nephews apart that he developed a heightened sense of sight.

Phooey Duck

On a few occasions, an artist by error drew four nephews and the error was not noticed but was published. This fourth nephew has been named Phooey Duck by Disney comic editor Bob Foster.

One short Egmont-licensed Disney comic (called Much Ado About Phooey in English-language version) used Phooey as a character and explained Phooey's sporadic appearances as a freak incident of nature. (The Swedish 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".)

Animation

They also appeared with Uncle Scrooge but without Donald in Scrooge McDuck and Money.

After the era of theatrical shorts ended, they appeared in:

Comics

Within the comics, Huey, Dewey, and Louie often play a major role in most stories involving either their uncle Donald or great-uncle Scrooge McDuck, accompanying them on most of their adventures. Also seen in the comics is the boys' membership in the Boy Scouts of America-like organization, the Junior Woodchucks, including their use of the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook, a manual containing all manner of information on virtually every subject possible (however, there are some resources, such as the ancient libraries of Tralla La, that hold information not found in the guidebook). This excellent youth organization, which has twin goals of preserving knowledge and preserving the environment, was instrumental in transforming the three brothers from little hellions to upstanding young ducks.

In Disney comic writer Don Rosa's (unofficial) continuity, Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck were born around 1940 in Duckburg. True to his jocular style, Rosa occasionally makes subtle references to the untold mystery of the three boys' life: What became of their parents? In his epic comic series, Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, Rosa pictures how Scrooge first met Donald and his nephews, saying: "I'm not used to relatives, either! The few I had seem to have... disappeared!" Huey, Dewey, and Louie answer: "We know how that feels, Unca Scrooge!"

In Some Heir Over the Rainbow by Carl Barks, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, along with Donald Duck and Gladstone Gander, are tested by Scrooge McDuck, who wants to pick an heir to his fortune. Using the legend of a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, Scrooge secretly gives US$ 3,000 (One thousand to Huey, Dewey, and Louie, another for Gladstone, and the last one for Donald). 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. Although this is disregarded in a number of later comics, it seems to be the most solidly canon indication of Scrooge's plans.

DuckTales

They later starred in the 1987 animated television series DuckTales, in which they appeared in adventures with their great-uncle, Scrooge McDuck (Donald having enlisted in the U.S. Navy). The boys' personalities in this series were mainly based on their comic book appearances versus the theatrical shorts. A new adaptation of the series once again titled, DuckTales will feature the three brothers.

Movies

In the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Huey, Dewey, and Louie appear in a picture on a newspaper in Eddie Valiant's office. In 1990, the boys also made an appearance in the anti-drug TV special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. Furthermore, they also appeared in Duck Tales the movie where they go on a treasure hunt with their Uncle Scrooge and end befriending a kindhearted Genie. As the movie progresses, they make unimaginable wishes and end-up having to help Uncle Scrooge face an old enemy. They also make a cameo in Mickey's Christmas Carol.

Character appearances

Huey, Dewey and Louie appear as characters only at Tokyo Disney and Disneyland Paris.

Tokyo Disney

Huey, Dewey and Louie only appeared in seasonal Parades Easter, Halloween and Christmas 2011 after a long absence. They also appeared in the Countdown Party Parade 2011.

Disneyland Paris

Huey, Dewey and Louie appear more regularly in Paris. They appeared during the Christmas season 2010 in their daytime and nighttime Parades at the Disneyland Park "Disneyland Paris's Magic Kingdom" Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade and in the Disney's Fantillusion Parade in glittery outfits. They made another appearance at Disneyland Paris for meet and greet at the Disneyland Hotel on April 2, 2011 the day of the Press Event for the launch of their new season "Magical Moments Festival". They also appeared at the Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade at the Disneyland Park in special outfits for the Parade and at the Disney's Stars 'n' Cars Parade at the Walt Disney Studios Park in a unique directors outfits.

The Three Nephews appeared at Disneyland Paris's Halloween season 2011. they have their own show during "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties" at the Disneyland Park in Disneyland Paris, titled "Huey, Dewey and Louie's Trick or Treat Party". They also made an appearance for meet and greet at Disneyland Paris's "Disney's Halloween Party" on October 31, 2011. This is the first time ever that the three nephews appear for meet and greet at any of the Disney Parks for regular park guests. They were also part of the Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve 2011/2012 celebrations at the Disneyland Hotel.

After DuckTales

Huey, Dewey, and Louie also starred in the 1990s series Quack Pack, in which the three were portrayed as teenagers. In Quack Pack, the boys were given distinct personalities, with Huey serving as the group's leader, Dewey as a computer whiz, and Louie as enjoying sports. After Quack Pack, the boys were reverted to their original ages in future appearances, including 2000s series Mickey Mouse Works, and then re-aged in House of Mouse. On House of Mouse, they served as the house band in a variety of different styles (most commonly as 'The Quackstreet Boys'). They also feature prominently, in a segment of the computer-animated film, Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas from 2004.

A revitalized adaptation of DuckTales will feature the trio, albeit with a different design.

Voices

Clarence Nash, Donald's voice actor, gave the voices to the boys in the cartoon shorts, making them just as unintelligible as Donald's. Huey, Dewey, and Louie were all voiced by Russi Taylor in DuckTales. In Quack Pack, they were voiced by Jeannie Elias, Pamela Segall, and Elizabeth Daily, respectively. Tony Anselmo voiced the characters in Down and Out with Donald Duck (1987), House of Mouse and Mickey Mouse Works, but Russi Taylor still voices the trio in other projects, such as the video games Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers and Mickey's Speedway USA, and the direct-to-video films Mickey's Once and Twice Upon a Christmas. Russi Taylor also reprised her role as the nephews in the DuckTales: Remastered video game and the post-2013 Mickey Mouse shorts. Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan will be voicing the brothers in the 2017 reboot.

Cultural influences

Video game appearances

Huey, Dewey, and Louie appear in the third Magical Quest game. The object of the game is to rescue them from the clutches of the villainous King Pete. The trio also appear in Quackshot piloting Donald's plane as he travels the world in search of a lost treasure.

They also appear in The Lucky Dime Caper for the Sega Master system, where they are kidnapped by Magica De Spell. Donald must find Scrooge's lucky dime and barter for their safety.

They also appear in Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers, aiding Donald to rescue Daisy and beat Gladstone to her, while he rescues their hexed play toys.

They even appear in Mickey's Speedway USA as unlockable lightweight characters.

They also appear in DuckTales, aiding their Uncle Scrooge in finding treasure.

They also appear on Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Mix, where they appear as DJ's on certain music tracks

Kingdom Hearts series

In Kingdom Hearts they work in the item shop in the First District of Traverse Town. In Kingdom Hearts II, they individually run an item shop (Huey), a weapon shop (Louie), and an accessory shop (Dewey) in Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden. In both endings, they are all seen going back to Disney Castle. They reappear in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep in Disney Town, recreating Ice Cream flavors, this time with a speaking role. They appear once more in the mobile game Kingdom Hearts Unchained as special Support medals that grant the player's other medals a set amount of experience points based on the medal's star value.