Allowance Day

The nephews are in a store and see a bike they really want. They are three dollars short and the sale only lasts until Friday, and they won't get their allowance until Saturday.

They fool Scrooge into believing Friday is Saturday and Scrooge makes everybody else believe so as well. Scrooge has sent Fenton to a banana republic to sign a lease before Saturday, or Scrooge will lose a factory to the dictator of the republic, and Fenton really gets in trouble. Scrooge goes there himself to straight things out, but the dictator just wants to execute them. The nephews makes a deal that if they can prove that it is Friday by showing a solar eclipse due that day, Fenton and Scrooge will be set free and Scrooge will get his factory. There is only one problem: It is cloudy! But Launchpad helps them, but one little cloud is left in the sky. Fenton calls his Gizmoduck suit, but it takes time for it to get all the way there. It arrives just in time so that Gizmoduck can catch the canon ball aimed to kill Scrooge and himself. Gizmoduck then removes that one cloud, and the solar eclipse is visible.

Huey, Dewie, Louie, Scrooge McDuck, Fenton Crackshell/Gizmoduck, General Chiquita, Launchpad McQuack

With that catchy theme song, Disney made its first entry into daily syndicated animation. DuckTales chronicled the adventures of Scrooge McDuck, the richest duck in the world, in his constant attempts to get even richer.

Many of the characters, including Scrooge McDuck, the Beagle Boys and Gyro Gearloose, didn't come from Disney's theatrical cartoons, but from comic books written and illustrated by Carl Barks and others. And that cast of characters was deep:

• Grand-nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, left in the old Scot's care by their "Unca Donald"
• Bumblingly heroic Launchpad McQuack ("Any crash you can walk away from is a good one"), hired by Scrooge to pilot in and out of danger
• Doofus, the nerdy Junior Woodchucks member who idolized Launchpad
• Scrooge's maid Mrs. Beakly and her precocious granddaughter Webbigail ("Webby")
• Unflappable butler Drake
• Inventor Gyro Gearloose, whose imperfect creations often caused more trouble than they were worth
• Flintheart Glomgold, the second richest duck in the world and Scrooge's arch-rival
• Sorceress Magica De Spell, who used her powers in futile attempts to steal Scrooge's "lucky dime,"
• And the dastardly Beagle Brothers (Burger, Baggy, Babyface, Bigtime, and Bouncer), a criminal family headed by Ma Beagle.

The second season added new characters Bubba, a cave duck brought back to the present after one of Scrooge's time-travelling adventures, and Fenton P. Crackshell, a mildmannered Scrooge employee who accidentally becomes robotic superhero Gizmo.

The adventures were along the lines of Indiana Jones, globe-trotting quests and challenges with lots of danger. The series often poked fun at classic literature, history, and legend with such episodes as "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. McDuck" and "The Golden Fleecing." The show was an instant hit, demolishing its ratings competitors with luscious animation and clever mixes of action/adventure and comedy. After three years of commercial and critical success on its own, Duck Tales became the centerpiece of the new "Disney Afternoon," a two-hour block of half-hour animated programs.

Animation, some computer-generated, was done by Japanese studios, although the Disney people retained creative control. And for those of you who came here just to settle a bet, Huey wore the red sweater, Dewey wore blue and Louie green.