The Belle Duck Appreciation Society: Free admittance!

[juicymcduck]

So... We need to talk about Belle Duck. Inspired by that other thread about Scrooge's many old flames, I decided to read as many stories about Belle that I could find, and it is my "professional opinion as a fan" that she's an underrated character.



Of course, she's more or less always trying to mooch money off Scrooge to repair her boat, which isn't a good look on her, admittedly. BUT... she's frank and easygoing, nice to the triplets, she loves to party and she's capable of steering a paddle steamer on her own like a champ. A person after my liking!

Also, when I first saw her, I was afraid that her rotund physique would be the butt of jokes, but nope. She may have lost her wasp waist of yore, but she obviously feels good about – and in – her body, and no one around her makes any insulting remarks about it. Yay body positivity!

Another thing I like is that, although she evidently still fond of her Scroogie, she doesn't actively chase him like Brigitta. She's not obsessed over him, and that's good. There's more to life than focusing on a single person.

She's only been in 24 stories so far since Kinney and Hubbard created her in 1967, which really isn't much. I haven't been able to read all of them, sadly, because the most recent ones (all written by Lars Jensen) have only been published in magazines I can't easily obtain. But I did read a fun 2014 story (also by Jensen) in which she plays a good old "obfuscating stupidity" routine to sabotage Magica's plans against Scrooge while pretending she wants to help her.

So, what's you opinion about Belle? I for one would like to see her more often.

[Matilda]

I am also a Belle Duck fan, for many of the reasons you mention. I'm allergic to Brigitta due to the whole one-way romantic-pursuit thing...though I'm aware that that aspect of her character has been softened or diminished in many recent stories. But I have no such feelings about Belle. She's fond of Scrooge, he's still fond of her--which speaks well of how they connected in their youth. But neither one is still "in love with" the other.

"Frankness" is a good word for her. She's quite straightforward, in a way that subverts some of the misogynist tropes. She knows she can trade on Scrooge's fondness for her in some sense, but she's not really underhanded or manipulative about it. And she definitely is fine on her own, both not being coupled, and with or without Scrooge. She's very capable as a riverboat captain, as you say.

There are lots of attitudes people can have towards money: Scrooge's, Magica's, Donald's, Gladstone's, Gyro's are all distinctive. Belle's is also. She values money because it allows one to throw a big party! I appreciate having someone in the Duck cast with that attitude.

I wrote on the Rosa thread about my overall acceptance of his backstory etc. Personally, I have no problem fitting Belle into a mostly-Rosa-framed canon. Scrooge dated her before he met Goldie, so there's no conflict there. And the residual fondness they both have for each other doesn't compete with Scrooge's romantic idealization of Goldie.

You say that Kinney and Hubbard created her, but isn't it the case that the first Belle story is written by Unknown? That's the only one where there's an implicit judgment about her weight in Scrooge's initial shock on seeing her (there's supposed to be some humor in that at Belle's expense, I'd say). That also shows her being a southern belle from a literal plantation, and I mentally rewrite her origin to keep her family farther away from the stain of slaveholding. In my headcanon she's become part French or Cajun--an alternate source for the name "Belle." In my headcanon, too, I give her the last name she has in French comics, Couac--mostly because I feel there are already too many unrelated Ducks in this world. But it also fits with the French/Cajun roots.

[juicymcduck]

Dec 11, 2020 3:07:39 GMT Matilda said:

I am also a Belle Duck fan, for many of the reasons you mention. I'm allergic to Brigitta due to the whole one-way romantic-pursuit thing...though I'm aware that that aspect of her character has been softened or diminished in many recent stories. But I have no such feelings about Belle. She's fond of Scrooge, he's still fond of her--which speaks well of how they connected in their youth. But neither one is still "in love with" the other.

"Frankness" is a good word for her. She's quite straightforward, in a way that subverts some of the misogynist tropes. She knows she can trade on Scrooge's fondness for her in some sense, but she's not really underhanded or manipulative about it. And she definitely is fine on her own, both not being coupled, and with or without Scrooge. She's very capable as a riverboat captain, as you say.

There are lots of attitudes people can have towards money: Scrooge's, Magica's, Donald's, Gladstone's, Gyro's are all distinctive. Belle's is also. She values money because it allows one to throw a big party! I appreciate having someone in the Duck cast with that attitude.

I wrote on the Rosa thread about my overall acceptance of his backstory etc. Personally, I have no problem fitting Belle into a mostly-Rosa-framed canon. Scrooge dated her before he met Goldie, so there's no conflict there. And the residual fondness they both have for each other doesn't compete with Scrooge's romantic idealization of Goldie.

You say that Kinney and Hubbard created her, but isn't it the case that the first Belle story is written by Unknown? That's the only one where there's an implicit judgment about her weight in Scrooge's initial shock on seeing her (there's supposed to be some humor in that at Belle's expense, I'd say). That also shows her being a southern belle from a literal plantation, and I mentally rewrite her origin to keep her family farther away from the stain of slaveholding. In my headcanon she's become part French or Cajun--an alternate source for the name "Belle." In my headcanon, too, I give her the last name she has in French comics, Couac--mostly because I feel there are already too many unrelated Ducks in this world. But it also fits with the French/Cajun roots.

Hi! Thanks for participating in this discussion! :-)

You're absolutely right, her debut story (Belle Corners the Coin Collection) was written by the prolific Question Mark! I kind of assume(d) it must have been Kinney though, since he authored several early Belle stories, but my intuition may well be off the mark here. Re.: Scrooge's reaction when he sees her, it's true that he is shocked, but if we feel charitable, that would probably account for how much she's changed -- they haven't seen each other in 40 years, after all. He says: "Miss Belle?! Gulp ! My, how you've changed." And she does reply "You ain't exactly in diapers yourself, Scrooge honey!" The score is 1-1, so to speak, and no such thing ever comes up after that, if memory serves me right.

Re.: her origins, was she ever explicitely tied to the plantations? I know it's the most likely origin, since she lived in the South and her father was so wealthy, but it's never said or shown, I think? We're perfectly free to imagine that her father came into riches by any other means imaginable. This is a whimsical universe, after all.

[Ramapith]

Dick Kinney described himself to pivotal comics historian Jerry Bails as the creator of Belle Duck; and since there's no conceivable reason to lie about such a relatively minor character, I think it's a very safe bet that he is indeed her creator.

That he might not be the writer of the first story was actually my own guess (and contribution to the Inducks), simply because Kinney's original English-language writing and pacing have a number of "tells," and the tone in "Belle Corners" seems very, very unlike his. While it conceivably could be his, just heavily rewritten by an editor (as did happen a few times), I don't think we should say for sure until/unless the original script—or other evidence—surfaces.

Later Belle stories are quite obviously his writing...

[Edit: added no above, which was missing from sentence 1—hopefully clearer now!]

[juicymcduck]

Dec 12, 2020 15:35:24 GMT Ramapith said:

Dick Kinney described himself to pivotal comics historian Jerry Bails as the creator of Belle Duck; and since there's conceivable reason to lie about such a relatively minor character, I think it's a very safe bet that he is indeed her creator.

That he might not be the writer of the first story was actually my own guess (and contribution to the Inducks), simply because Kinney's original English-language writing and pacing have a number of "tells," and the tone in "Belle Corners" seems very, very unlike his. While it conceivably could be his, just heavily rewritten by an editor (as did happen a few times), I don't think we should say for sure until/unless the original script—or other evidence—surfaces.

Later Belle stories are quite obviously his writing...

Thank you, that's interesting. I assume that she was created for the European market, like Fethry, right?

[Ramapith]

Well, the "overseas" market—which also included Brazil and Australia, of course.

Some characters, like 0.0. Duck and Mata Harrier, were more popular there than in much of Europe...

[Mesterius]

Dec 12, 2020 18:20:47 GMT juicymcduck said:

Dec 12, 2020 15:35:24 GMT Ramapith said:

Dick Kinney described himself to pivotal comics historian Jerry Bails as the creator of Belle Duck; and since there's conceivable reason to lie about such a relatively minor character, I think it's a very safe bet that he is indeed her creator.

That he might not be the writer of the first story was actually my own guess (and contribution to the Inducks), simply because Kinney's original English-language writing and pacing have a number of "tells," and the tone in "Belle Corners" seems very, very unlike his. While it conceivably could be his, just heavily rewritten by an editor (as did happen a few times), I don't think we should say for sure until/unless the original script—or other evidence—surfaces.

Later Belle stories are quite obviously his writing...

Thank you, that's interesting. I assume that she was created for the European market, like Fethry, right?

Her stories are S-coded, so yes, it's probably safe to say that she was.

[Matilda]

Dec 11, 2020 8:47:49 GMT juicymcduck said:

Dec 11, 2020 3:07:39 GMT Matilda said:

Re.: her origins, was she ever explicitely tied to the plantations? I know it's the most likely origin, since she lived in the South and her father was so wealthy, but it's never said or shown, I think? We're perfectly free to imagine that her father came into riches by any other means imaginable. This is a whimsical universe, after all.

On the plantation origins: I refer only to the art in the panel showing her with her father (as I recall)--it's a typical plantation-style mansion in the background. A mansion that in any case would not have been maintained pre-Civil War without enslaved labor. So it's that panel that I mentally erase in my headcanon, replacing it with some New Orleans house where the parents, or at least Belle's father, have French/Cajun roots.

[Matilda]

Dec 12, 2020 15:35:24 GMT Ramapith said:

Dick Kinney described himself to pivotal comics historian Jerry Bails as the creator of Belle Duck; and since there's no conceivable reason to lie about such a relatively minor character, I think it's a very safe bet that he is indeed her creator.

That he might not be the writer of the first story was actually my own guess (and contribution to the Inducks), simply because Kinney's original English-language writing and pacing have a number of "tells," and the tone in "Belle Corners" seems very, very unlike his. While it conceivably could be his, just heavily rewritten by an editor (as did happen a few times), I don't think we should say for sure until/unless the original script—or other evidence—surfaces.

Later Belle stories are quite obviously his writing...

[Edit: added no above, which was missing from sentence 1—hopefully clearer now!]

Thanks, it's good to know about Belle's origin in more detail. So, then, Kinney could have come up with the idea for the character and some plot possibilities for her, and then the first published story featuring her could have been written or heavily re-written by another writer. I'm glad to know I can safely credit Kinney with her creation.

[acara]

Dec 12, 2020 15:35:24 GMT Ramapith said:

Dick Kinney described himself to pivotal comics historian Jerry Bails as the creator of Belle Duck; and since there's no conceivable reason to lie about such a relatively minor character, I think it's a very safe bet that he is indeed her creator.

That he might not be the writer of the first story was actually my own guess (and contribution to the Inducks), simply because Kinney's original English-language writing and pacing have a number of "tells," and the tone in "Belle Corners" seems very, very unlike his. While it conceivably could be his, just heavily rewritten by an editor (as did happen a few times), I don't think we should say for sure until/unless the original script—or other evidence—surfaces.

Later Belle stories are quite obviously his writing...

[Edit: added no above, which was missing from sentence 1—hopefully clearer now!]

Thank you Ramapith.
Can I ask you a different question but somewhat related.
I just bought the Disney Master 14 Follow the Fearless Leader and was wondering if the text is from translation of foreign publication, from original (Kinney or other author) script or from english publications, where available.
I am thinking, as an example, to the story "That Big Cabbage Field In The Sky" which was published in Australia and possibly now published in the US using text from the original Kinney script.
But also would be interesting to know for the other stories published in the book, where maybe english text is not readily available??
Thanks!