Balthazar Picsou

Balthazar Picsou ( Scrooge McDuck in original version) is a Personnage of fiction of the universe of the ducks of the studios Disney created in 1947 by the scenario writer-draftsman Carl Barks. Uncle of Donald Duck, from where its nickname of “ Uncle Picsou ” (“ Uncle Scrooge ” in English), this “the richest duck of the world” is famous for its Avarice and its adventurous side.

Balthazar Picsou was born in 1867 with Glasgow (Scotland) from Fergus McPicsou and Edith O' Drake. It has two sisters, Matilda and Hortense, which will become the mother of Donald. It would be deceased, according to the draftsman Don Rosa in 1967 with Donaldville (Calisota) at the 100 years age. Initially supporting character in the cartoons of Donald, it quickly becomes popular and sees himself gratifié of his own adventures, often accompanied by his great nephews Riri, Fifi and Loulou. According to the authors, its fortune is related either to the chance, or with its taste of the work of which the first gained penny (its famous “penny-fetish”) is the representation, at Don Rosa for example.

See also: Family tree of Donald Duck

Origins

A duck physically similar to Picsou appeared in two cartoons of the Walt Disney Company before 1947:
  • Ebenezer Scrooge in an adaptation of the tale a Christmas carol ( has Christmas Carol ) Charles Dickens, played by the characters of Disney;
  • a sparing Scot in the cartoon of Donald Duck The Spirit off '43 , praising the effort of war of the United States.

Its name

Its English original name, Scrooge McDuck , is inspired by the character of Charles Dickens in a Christmas carol . The “ Mc ” affixed in the name of family points out her Scottish origins.

In 1949, its avarice initially inspires in French the choice of the name of “ Harpagon ” according to the central figure of the play Miserly the of Molière.

With the beginning of the year 1950, the translators also use “ Uncle Edgar ” or “ Jérémie McDuck ” before adopting “ Balthazar Picsou ” in a history of the Journal of Mickey published the December 21st 1952: Donald and the letter with the Father Christmas . The name of “ Picsou ” would have been chosen by Raymond Calame, editor association of the Journal of Mickey of the time. The name of “ Omer Picsou ” nevertheless will be also used in the Newspaper of Mickey a few years later. In Quebec, in the comics of the editions Heritage, its name is “ Picsou ”, however, “ Scrooge ” is also used on a cover.

The penny-fetish

The “penny fetish” is the name given to the first penny gained by Picsou thanks to its work: a part of the United States which it gains by waxing the shoes of a roadmender, in Glasgow.

According to the authors, is this part is what makes Picsou rich so much so that when it is made it fly it is broken down, that is to say this part is only the representation of the fortune of Picsou, which gave him desire for becoming rich.

The penny was created in December 1961, at the same time as the character of Miss Tick in the Witch of Vesuvius (The Midas Touch) . The witch buys there parts touched by millionaires who, according to it, have a capacity which will make it rich. By error, Picsou sells its penny fetish to him. It recovers it in exchange of an other part but when she does not learn that it was the penny fetish of Picsou, the witch does not want any more but one: to recover by all the means.

Principal enemies

Picsou as cartoons

Carl Barks

The draftsman and scenario writer Carl Barks draw the adventures of Donald since 1942. In December 1947 in Christmas of Donald (Christmas one Bear Mountain) , it decides to create an uncle to him: Scrooge McDuck, as immensely rich and undertaking as Donald is poor and unlucky person.

This first history is followed quickly by Donald and the Secrecy of the keep (The Old Castle' S Secret) . If the first history makes it possible to insert Picsou in the universe of Donald while exploiting the courage of the hero, the second gives him a thickness which will guarantee its existence. Picsou is seen giving an origin (Scottish) and a family history with the castle of the Clan McPicsou. The intrigue will become a model of the genre: Picsou leaves to the search a treasure with its nephews and all together, they manage to solve a mystery. In the remote countries, its adventures are particularly dangerous and inspired some scenes of films of the series Indiana Jones .

In the following stories its avarice is proposed, which often results in the poor wretch wages of Donald or the use of bought material of the decades earlier. It is with the 1950 qu beginning of the year ' appears the gigantic safe where it takes money baths. Nevertheless, progressively of the stories, its bad sides are compensated by some Paternalisme towards its great nephews, Riri, Fifi and Loulou.

Return to Klondike (Back to the Klondike) , published in March 1953, tells how it made fortune during the Gold rush of Klondike at the end of the 19th century. During this period, it New Year's gift a relation love/hatred with Goldie O' Gilt, owner of Black Jack Saloon of Dawson City.

Barks draws it until its retirement in 1966.

Italian branch

The Italian “Picsou” developed as of the end of the year 1940, while at the same time its character yet entirely had not been built and had not been defined by Barks. Guido Martina, the most prolific scenario writer of the time, develops of it a very personal version, which will be often taken again by the other Italian authors until in the years 1970 and 1980: Picsou often takes the turning of a true swindler, and brawls with Donald in a way much more violent than in the stories of Barks. However, the draftsman and Italian scenario writer Romano Scarpa deviates gradually from Picsou de Martina, as of the end of the year 1950. It associated in love, Brigitte, that Picsou flees like the Peste in 1960 and introduced Chris Yéyé ( Paperetta Yé-yé in Italian version), the niece to him of Goldie almost ever appeared in France but very popular in Italy and in Brazil where she has her own series, in 1966.

Connect Dutchwoman

In the years 1970, Daan Jippes, then editor as a chief of " Donald Duck" , the Dutch weekly magazine, dissatisfied with the quality of the productions of the " Disney Studio" time, decides a " return to the sources". Most of the Studio stories are isolated while the stories of Barks are taken again and republished in great number. Daan Jippes requires of the Dutch authors of the time to follow the model of Barks, as regards the personality and the universe of Picsou and all the characters who revolve around him. As regards the drawing, the Donald with the long nozzle of end of the year 40 and first Picsou of the comic-book " Uncle Scrooge" are retained like model. With Fred Milton, Daan Jippes written and a number of short stories draws (approximately 10 pages) by preserving at the letter the spirit of the character of Barks. This tradition persists today in the Dutchwoman production with authors like Mau Heymans.

Connect French

The stories made-in-France of Picsou appear only with the beginning of the year 1980. They are then assigned in Italian authors, in particular Giorgio Cavazzano, and with the scenario writer Michel Motti. Although the French production privileged the universe of Mickey a long time, the stories of Picsou were more numerous as from the years 2000, because apprêciées of the readers.

Gift Rosa

In 1987 with the Son of the sun (Its off the Sun) , a new American draftsman, Keno Don Rosa brings a new working angle to the character of Picsou like to those of the universe of Donaldville. Don Rosa chose to consider only the stories of Barks: all the adventures which it creates are bound, inspired or continue this universe. Compared to malicious usual of the stories of European authors, Don Rosa prefers thus to use Archibald Gripsou that Crésus Flairsou.

Far from regarding the characters of Disney as timeless beings of fiction, Don Rosa treats them like characters real but drawn in the shape of anthropomorphic animals. It thus locates them in a chronology which places all their adventures in the years 1940,1950 and 1960.

From 1992 to 1994, it publishes the Youth of Picsou (The Life and Times off Scrooge McDuck) , a biography of Picsou which it reconstituted starting from the stories of Barks: all evocations of its past by Picsou, the characters of last who return (of which his/her father Fergus and Goldie O' Gilt). He tells the life of Picsou of his youth with Glasgow, where he was born in 1867, with the meeting with his nephews with Christmas 1947, who constitutes the first appearance of Picsou at Barks.

This “biography” mixing historical reality and fiction skilfully initially comprises 12 episodes, to which came to be added several episodes “(a)”. The whole creating an intrigue of a great coherence with a concern of the detail.

Don Rosa estimated that Picsou had died out in 1967 at the 100 years age in Donaldville. It drew its tomb surrounded of the characters of Donald, Daisy, Riri, Fifi and Loulou.

Nevertheless, even if it made of Barks its primary source, Don Rosa renewed the character of Picsou on certain aspects. Certain adventures move away Picsou from the sectors of searches to the treasure barksien, to see the universe of the Kalevala Finnish in the Search of Kalevala . Gradually, history after history, and until the explicit revelation in a letter of the house (Letter from Home has) in 2004, Don Rosa looked further into the feelings of Picsou, letting appear beyond its avarice and on its side grumbler the solidity of the family tie which binds it to its nephews.

Don Rosa obtained two Eisner Award S for this work.

Picsou with the cinema

Paradoxically, Picsou appeared very little with the cinema and on television. It does not take part like in one or two court-measurings between the years 1940 and 1970, but holds all the same the high-speed motorboat of means-measuring Scrooge McDuck and Money in March 1967 at the sides of Riri, Fifi and Loulou.

On the other hand in the Years 1980, he becomes the hero with Riri, Fifi and Loulou of the animated televised series the Band with Picsou and of its adaptation in feature film to the cinema in 1990: the Band with Picsou, the film: The treasure of the lost lamp . These productions add the characters of Flagada Jones, Zaza and Mamie Baba.

One will also note the adaptation of a Christmas carol of Charles Dickens under the title Christmas de Mickey ( Mickey' S Christmas Carol in VO) in 1983 in whom Picsou holds the role of Ebenezer Scrooge which inspired its creation and with which it owes its original name.

Anecdotes

  • In the original version, the deposit of Picsou is decorated of gigantic a $ . In the French version, it acted up to one recent time of a F , the whole of the sums (generally of the million or billion) being expressed in frank. At the time of the disappearance of the franc in 2002, the editors did not pass to the Euro but took again the initials $ . Initials € however were drawn on the deposit in a gag of series P' tits Boulots of Donald of the Journal of Mickey .

  • In the Youth of Picsou , Gift Rosa the gratifie of a rather significant number of nicknames glanés at the time of its voyages around the world. Wyatt Earp exclaims by seeing its penny fetish: “ Picsou! the fury of the far-west, the massacror of Montana, the Poison of Pizen Bluff ”. It what Picsou answers: “ the terror of Transvaal, the pet peeve of the Australian bush and some other impressive but exact nicknames ”. A little later, in the same episode, it is called “the king Klondike”.

  • Picsou appears in Kingdom Hearts 2 and it seems, according to certain rumors, to want to create a new perfume of ice to the sea water (preferred taste of DiZ) semi-sweetened semi-salted which, it hopes for it, will bring back to him a few million provided moreover.

Picsou throughout the world

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