Characters' Ages in Your Headcanon

[sirtao]

Thematically speaking, Rockerduck cannot be less than one generation younger than Scrooge. The whole "Old Money vs New Rich" debacle.
If Scrooge is 80, Rockerduck is 55(or so).

Brigitta is around 50. Jubal Pomp is 5 years younger than Brigitta.

Magica is anywhere from 30 to 50 though I'd wager more 30-to-40. Generally speaking, of the same generation of Italian Miss Paperett.

Dickie Duck is 17-to-23 depending on the story. She must be, for her to work thematically.

HLD are usually portrayed in Primary School, 3rd-to-5th year.

Granpa Beagle is a few years older than Scrooge. Same for Grandma Duck, Ludwig and Gideon.
The Beagle Boys varies, 20-to-40. The younger looking one might well be Grandpa Beagle's Great-Grandchildren if it helps your [ulr=http://i.imgur.com/tEIjfQK.png]headcannon[/url]

Donald, Mickey, Goofy, Daisy, Minnie, Gladstone, Fethry, etc are around 30 years old. Some of their earlier stories(especially Mickey's) happened when they were younger.

[Scrooge MacDuck]

Jul 2, 2017 21:56:47 GMT sirtao said:

Thematically speaking, Rockerduck cannot be less than one generation younger than Scrooge. The whole "Old Money vs New Rich" debacle.

You're wrong though. Rockerduck is the one who inherited his fortune (from Howard) while Scrooge is a self-made man.

[Minotaur]

Jul 2, 2017 14:54:26 GMT drakeborough said:

O'Hara's apparent age depends on the whim of the colorist: in Italian comics he has white hair and so looks like he is in his 50's at least, but I have seen American comics where he has brown hair, and because of that he looked younger, in his 30's or 40's. Since his son is five-month old, I think the brown hair better reflect the age that his creators had in mind for him.

In your list, I'll exchange Magica with the Beagle Boys: to me, the former looks younger than Donald, and the latter look older.

My guess on his age is not based on his hair color, but on his position as a Chief. He does not strike me as an extremely smart person, I figure he could not possibly be younger than 53. In fact, Chief is such a high rank that almost looks unbelievable for an average man. After all, Lieutenant Columbo stayed as a Lieutenant for more than 20 years!

I would consider Magica to be younger if she did not have under-eye bags. 

[Scroogerello]

Jul 2, 2017 9:54:42 GMT RobbK1 said:

2,000+: Magica de Spell (apparent ambient age): 27

90+: Jake McDuck

78-85: Scrooge McDuck, Grandma Duck, Flintheart Glomgold, Goldie O’Gilt, Ludwig von Drake, Grandpa Beagle

68-72: John D. Rockerduck, Blackheart Beagle, Prunella Prunepuss

53-57: Seamus O’Hara, Ollie Eiderduck, Casey, Mayor Hogg, Dr. Pulpheart Clabberhead, Philo T. Elic

50-53: Maharajah of Howduyustan, Maharajah of Eyesore, Daisy's Aunt Druisilla

43-48: Brigitta MacBridge, Mayor Dog(g), Cuthbirt Coot, J.P. McSwine (McBrine), Uncle Mortimer Mouse

38-41: Cousin Slye McDuck, Neighbour (Jughead) Jones, Ratchet Gearloose, Hairy Harry

34-37: Miss Quackfaster

29-34: Beagle Boys

27-30: Goofy, Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, Clara Cluck

24-28: Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Gyro Gearloose, Gladstone Gander, Gus Goose, Fethry Duck, Whitewater Duck, Moby Duck, Dick Duck (Private Eye), Fulldrip Pulpbugle

21-24: Miss Swansdown Swoonsudden, Rosita (dance instructor), "Wee" Angus McDuck,

18: Dickie Duck

12-14: Socrates Goose ("Cousin Soc")

10-12: Gilbert (Goofy's nephew)

5-11: Huey, Dewey & Louie (Barks showed them in Kindergarten ("Want To Buy an Island?")

6-9: Morty & Ferdie Mouse

4-5: Herbert Hogg, Gyro's Helper

1-2 Helper's Girlfriend

I agree with most of this. I wonder, though; do you think of Ludwig Von Drake as Donald's great-uncle instead of his uncle (given the age gap)? To me, Von Drake seems considerably younger than Scrooge, somewhere around his 60s or so.

Also, there were two more Barks stories where the nephews were kindergarteners: "Kite Weather" (where it is said that they are under six) and "The Crazy Quiz Show". On the other hand, in Barks' "Truant Officer Donald", they were shown to be in the 2nd grade, making them around 7-8 years of age, so their age has fluctuated throughout different stories.

[Baar Baar Jinx]

Do the Italian comics explicitly state that Magica is a supernatural, immortal, ageless being, or is that just fan speculation? In any case, I consider Magica a normal person who is merely a student of sorcery, so she can only live a normal lifespan and look roughly her age. I don't think Barks meant for her to have eyebags ... he has stated that he designed her to be an alluring, seductive and sexy antagonist, so I doubt he intentionally gave her a feature that would be considered unattractive and a sign of aging. I always thought the lines under her eyes, as drawn by Barks, were pronounced lower eyelids because of the excessive makeup she wears. The impression that she is young comes from the way many other characters address her or refer to her, viz., "young lady", "that girl" or "Miss" (IIRC, this was particularly true in the early Barks stories that featured her).

It's obvious that a lot of characters, in particular Donald and HD&L, matured and aged as Barks proceeded through his body of work. So, for simplicity's sake, in describing character ages, I'll stick to what I think about with regards to the way they were left when Barks retired (and extrapolate from there for characters he never used). I agree with the general consensus that Donald, Daisy, Gladstone, Gyro, Fethry are all late twenties to (more likely) early thirties. I would pitch HD&L older than most other people do, probably 14 or 15; I think Della may have had them in her late teens (Barks hinted that she was a young mother, I believe, in an interview reported on a scans-daily page), and if Donald and Della are twins and Donald is around 30, HD&L'd have to be around that age. They certainly are not kindergartners, despite Barks occasionally portraying them as such, that simply makes no sense to me.

As for Grandma, I see her as about a decade older than Scrooge, so not quite in the previous generation. Grandma probably married young (as was, I assume, common during that time) and may have had her first child, Quackmore when she was 19 or 20, at a time when Scrooge was 10 and Hortense was an infant, so it works out (did Rosa ever comment on Hortense and Quackmore's age differences?).

How about Brigitta? On the old DCF we had an entire thread devoted to her, and it seemed that the idea of a much younger woman like Brigitta shamelessly pursuing a wealthy elderly man(Scrooge)old enough to be her father brought about unpleasant images of gold-digging (not to mention the misogynistic trope of a besotted woman constantly running after a man who treats her like dirt, at least in public). Most people felt she was probably in her sixties, so it wasn't that bad, but I always saw her as in her forties or early fifties, making her a generation younger than Scrooge. I don't like Brigitta as a character, and she doesn't really exist in my headcanon, but it's still an interesting discussion.

As for O'Hara, I think he must be at least in his fifties, and not just because of his hair color or his position; he's drawn with features that are more identified with late middle age than being in your thirties or forties, like heavy jowls and advanced baldness.

[Hector]

I go with Don Rosa's headcanon, which means Scrooge was born in 1867 and most stories take
place at around 1955, because Matilda said she hadn't spoken to Scrooge for 25 years (since
1930).
-Scrooge McDuck: 88
-Donald Duck: At 11th part of Scrooge's biography, he looked like an infant. Considering that,
in 1947, he was old enough to live alone, i place his birth at 1924, so he's 31.
-Huey/Lewey/Dewey: Considering the way they thought and talked in 1947, no matter how
precocious they were, they had to be at the very least 7 years old, so i place their birthdate
at 1940. That means that, in late Don Rosa stories, they're supposed to be teens, which is a
little inconsistent, considering they still look younger than Scrooge at the second chapter of his
biography (when he was 13), but i guess that, just like at humans, puberty can hit at different
times, depending on the person. They're 15 with a late puberty.
-Daisy: Lol, dunno. Same age as Donald? A little younger? Considering that, at times, she acts
like a mother to her fiance, she might as well be a little older than him. Why not? Maybe that's
the kind of relationship Donald needs. I'll say 33.
-April/May/June: Same as Donald's nephews.
-Gladstone: Same as Donald.
-Flintheart Glomgold: It was stated, in 6th part of Scrooge's biography, that he's the same age
as Scrooge.
-Rockerduck: Considering how young he looks at the 4th chapter of Scrooge's biography (1885),
i place his birth at 1880, meaning he's currently 75! I guess he spent millions of dollars on plastic
surgeries to look so young!
-Brigitta: I always viewed her as a young woman, but i saw most of you consider her middle
aged. I guess that, to have a crush on a 88 year old man, she must be at least middle aged,
otherwise it'd be totally ridiculous. Maybe she was a toddler when Scrooge came at Duckburg
and changed everything (1902), maybe he was her childhood hero and she had been dreaming
of getting to know him since she was an infant. I'll say she's a 56 year old woman, whom years
have been really good to.
-Grandpa Beagle: At 2nd chapter (1880), he looked at the very least 40. Considering that, if he
was any older, he'd have now surpassed logical human lifespan, we have to accept he was 40
(i guess he had his sons at a very young age, when he was 15 or even younger!). Alas, he's now
115! Who knows what the secret of his longevity, let alone of his energeticness at such an age,
is. He must really love stealing, just like Barks loved drawing and lived 100 years.
-Beagle Boys: At 10th chapter (1902), Grandpa Beagle advices his sons to get married and have
kids, so that the gang increases in numbers. I feel they followed his advice immediately, so Beagle
Boys were born in 1903 and are now 52.
-Magica De Spell: Tough one. At her first appearances in Barkes stories, she looked visibly younger
and more beautiful than later. Maybe all that anxiety and depression she has gone through in her
attempts to get the dime have aged her prematurely. Considering that, when she visits Scrooge for
the first time, Donald still wonders whether his uncle's dime is a lucky one or not, which means he
wasn't very familiar with what Scrooge is about yet, i'll place that meeting soon after Scrooge's
first meeting with Donald and nephews, i'll place it in 1948. Most likely, Magica went to find Scrooge
right after she finished ''magic college'' (assuming there is such a thing) or maybe she also spent a
few years after graduation doing research about what kind of spells would give her riches. All in all,
i'll place her birthdate at 1920, so, currently, she's a badly aged 35 year old.
-Grandma Duck: She has to be at least a few years older than Scrooge, considering she had adult
offsprings when Scrooge was 35, no matter how young she was when she first gave birth. Let's
say she's 5 years older than Scrooge, so she's currently 93.

[stuftmcduck]

There's quite a few very long-lived characters in the Duckverse. And yet poor Fergus didn't make it to seventy... did losing Downy just break him, you think?

[RobbK1]

Jul 3, 2017 0:01:19 GMT Scroogerello said:

Jul 2, 2017 9:54:42 GMT RobbK1 said:

2,000+: Magica de Spell (apparent ambient age): 27

90+: Jake McDuck

78-85: Scrooge McDuck, Grandma Duck, Flintheart Glomgold, Goldie O’Gilt, Ludwig von Drake, Grandpa Beagle

68-72: John D. Rockerduck, Blackheart Beagle, Prunella Prunepuss

53-57: Seamus O’Hara, Ollie Eiderduck, Casey, Mayor Hogg, Dr. Pulpheart Clabberhead, Philo T. Elic

50-53: Maharajah of Howduyustan, Maharajah of Eyesore, Daisy's Aunt Druisilla

43-48: Brigitta MacBridge, Mayor Dog(g), Cuthbirt Coot, J.P. McSwine (McBrine), Uncle Mortimer Mouse

38-41: Cousin Slye McDuck, Neighbour (Jughead) Jones, Ratchet Gearloose, Hairy Harry

34-37: Miss Quackfaster

29-34: Beagle Boys

27-30: Goofy, Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, Clara Cluck

24-28: Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Gyro Gearloose, Gladstone Gander, Gus Goose, Fethry Duck, Whitewater Duck, Moby Duck, Dick Duck (Private Eye), Fulldrip Pulpbugle

21-24: Miss Swansdown Swoonsudden, Rosita (dance instructor), "Wee" Angus McDuck,

18: Dickie Duck

12-14: Socrates Goose ("Cousin Soc")

10-12: Gilbert (Goofy's nephew)

5-11: Huey, Dewey & Louie (Barks showed them in Kindergarten ("Want To Buy an Island?")

6-9: Morty & Ferdie Mouse

4-5: Herbert Hogg, Gyro's Helper

1-2 Helper's Girlfriend

I agree with most of this. I wonder, though; do you think of Ludwig Von Drake as Donald's great-uncle instead of his uncle (given the age gap)? To me, Von Drake seems considerably younger than Scrooge, somewhere around his 60s or so.

Also, there were two more Barks stories where the nephews were kindergarteners: "Kite Weather" (where it is said that they are under six) and "The Crazy Quiz Show". On the other hand, in Barks' "Truant Officer Donald", they were shown to be in the 2nd grade, making them around 7-8 years of age, so their age has fluctuated throughout different stories.

Yes, I agree with you. Ludwig was an oversight.  I copied the original post as a format, but forgot to change his numbers.  I'd put him at about 70 years old, and he'd be Donald's great uncle.  Also, Blackheart Beagle, as shown by Barks, should be in his late 30s (perhaps 5-7 years older than the other Beagle Boys).  I gave a range of 5 (for kindergarten, through 7 and 8 (2nd grade), up to 11 (adult behaviour and reasoning in later stories) for Huey, Dewey and Louie).

[rasterax]

Jul 3, 2017 1:01:57 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

How about Brigitta? On the old DCF we had an entire thread devoted to her, and it seemed that the idea of a much younger woman like Brigitta shamelessly pursuing a wealthy elderly man(Scrooge)old enough to be her father brought about unpleasant images of gold-digging (not to mention the misogynistic trope of a besotted woman constantly running after a man who treats her like dirt, at least in public). Most people felt she was probably in her sixties, so it wasn't that bad, but I always saw her as in her forties or early fifties, making her a generation younger than Scrooge. I don't like Brigitta as a character, and she doesn't really exist in my headcanon, but it's still an interesting discussion.

In her first appearance Brigitta and Scrooge have known each other for decades (Disney Wiki says the story states they met in Klondike - can anyone verify?), so yes, she's supposed to be older. She looked older early on too, but artists (including Scarpa) started to make her look younger at some point.

When Goldie and Brigitta meet in "Arriva Paperetta Yè Yè" (1966), they don't look like there are a lot of years between them:

[Scrooge MacDuck]

Jul 3, 2017 1:01:57 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

Do the Italian comics explicitly state that Magica is a supernatural, immortal, ageless being, or is that just fan speculation? In any case, I consider Magica a normal person who is merely a student of sorcery, so she can only live a normal lifespan and look roughly her age. I don't think Barks meant for her to have eyebags ... he has stated that he designed her to be an alluring, seductive and sexy antagonist, so I doubt he intentionally gave her a feature that would be considered unattractive and a sign of aging. I always thought the lines under her eyes, as drawn by Barks, were pronounced lower eyelids because of the excessive makeup she wears. The impression that she is young comes from the way many other characters address her or refer to her, viz., "young lady", "that girl" or "Miss" (IIRC, this was particularly true in the early Barks stories that featured her).

How about Brigitta? On the old DCF we had an entire thread devoted to her, and it seemed that the idea of a much younger woman like Brigitta shamelessly pursuing a wealthy elderly man(Scrooge)old enough to be her father brought about unpleasant images of gold-digging (not to mention the misogynistic trope of a besotted woman constantly running after a man who treats her like dirt, at least in public). Most people felt she was probably in her sixties, so it wasn't that bad, but I always saw her as in her forties or early fifties, making her a generation younger than Scrooge. I don't like Brigitta as a character, and she doesn't really exist in my headcanon, but it's still an interesting discussion. 

Magica is never said to be very long-lived at all (in fact, the notion is discouraged by our seing relatives such as her grandmother who behave like she's a rookie); that's Witch Hazel. However, she is often shown to be inherently supernatural rather than using only artifacts, with such feats as teleportation managed with her bare hands. The way I see it is that Magica does have inherent, genetic magical power, but it's incredibly weak, so she compensates with artifacts. It neatly ties the two ideas together.

As I said, Scarpa himself established Brigitta was at least in her sixties when he had her refer to already courting Scrooge in 1896 in The Last Balaboo.

[Scroogerello]

This story: coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+PM++132-1 supposedly shows how Scrooge and Brigitta met in the Klondike. I haven't read the story myself, though, so I can't confirm it. I suppose it's based on the fact that Scarpa said they met in 1898 (I believe), which would make them closer in age.

[Scrooge MacDuck]

Jul 3, 2017 10:29:13 GMT Scroogerello said:

This story: coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+PM++132-1 supposedly shows how Scrooge and Brigitta met in the Klondike. I haven't read the story myself, though, so I can't confirm it. I suppose it's based on the fact that Scarpa said they met in 1898 (I believe), which would make them closer in age.

Oh my goodness. Could someone locate scans of this, please?

[drakeborough]

Jul 2, 2017 9:54:42 GMT RobbK1 said:

43-48: Brigitta MacBridge, Mayor Dog(g), Cuthbirt Coot, J.P. McSwine (McBrine), Uncle Mortimer Mouse

The correct spelling is Cuthbert Coot. By the way, I am on the idea of Cuthbert being many years younger than his sister Fanny (Gus' mother), explaining why Donald considers Cuthbert a cousin and Fanny an aunt.

Jul 3, 2017 0:01:19 GMT Scroogerello said:

Also, there were two more Barks stories where the nephews were kindergarteners: "Kite Weather" (where it is said that they are under six) and "The Crazy Quiz Show".

I checked the latter, and kindergarten is mentioned indeed. In the Italian version the reference was changed to school.

Jul 3, 2017 1:01:57 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

Do the Italian comics explicitly state that Magica is a supernatural, immortal, ageless being, or is that just fan speculation?

Italian comics regard her as a real witch who often interacts with other withces, and this has been a plot point in some stories. I don't think it was ever stated that she is immortal or super-old, but apparently some Italian readers think she is (see the Papersera poll).

Jul 3, 2017 1:01:57 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

In any case, I consider Magica a normal person who is merely a student of sorcery, so she can only live a normal lifespan and look roughly her age. I don't think Barks meant for her to have eyebags ... he has stated that he designed her to be an alluring, seductive and sexy antagonist, so I doubt he intentionally gave her a feature that would be considered unattractive and a sign of aging. I always thought the lines under her eyes, as drawn by Barks, were pronounced lower eyelids because of the excessive makeup she wears. The impression that she is young comes from the way many other characters address her or refer to her, viz., "young lady", "that girl" or "Miss" (IIRC, this was particularly true in the early Barks stories that featured her).

I also think that the lines around her eyes are part of her makeup rather than eyebags, and at any rate many moder stories removed them so there's no room for cunfusion anymore. Like you, I consider her a normal person who is a student of sorcery.

Jul 3, 2017 1:01:57 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

It's obvious that a lot of characters, in particular Donald and HD&L, matured and aged as Barks proceeded through his body of work. So, for simplicity's sake, in describing character ages, I'll stick to what I think about with regards to the way they were left when Barks retired (and extrapolate from there for characters he never used). I agree with the general consensus that Donald, Daisy, Gladstone, Gyro, Fethry are all late twenties to (more likely) early thirties. I would pitch HD&L older than most other people do, probably 14 or 15

HDL's being younger in the earlier stories makes sense, since in that stories (and in Taliaferro's early strips) they phisically looked younger. It is a bittle puzzling when kidergarten is mentioned in later stories, but it's not a big deal since I don't see the stories as necessarily taking place in the same order in which they were published. As for when HDL moved to Donald's house, I think it happened in 1945: they were created in the 1930's, it's true, but I have no problem imagining that their first years of stories took place some years after their publication date. On the other hand, many early stories included references to WW2, so I'll have their stories starting in 1945, the last year of the war.

Jul 3, 2017 1:01:57 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

I think Della may have had them in her late teens (Barks hinted that she was a young mother, I believe, in an interview reported on a scans-daily page), and if Donald and Della are twins and Donald is around 30, HD&L'd have to be around that age. They certainly are not kindergartners, despite Barks occasionally portraying them as such, that simply makes no sense to me.

I don't remember that Barks interview, can you link that? Anyway, since Rosa said Donald and Della were born around 1920 and HDL around 1940, that would mean that Della was about 20 when she became a mother, and I see no reason for making her younger than that.

Jul 3, 2017 1:01:57 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

As for Grandma, I see her as about a decade older than Scrooge, so not quite in the previous generation. Grandma probably married young (as was, I assume, common during that time) and may have had her first child, Quackmore when she was 19 or 20, at a time when Scrooge was 10 and Hortense was an infant, so it works out (did Rosa ever comment on Hortense and Quackmore's age differences?).

According to Rosa, Grandma was born in 1855 (making her 12 year older than Scrooge), Quackmore in 1875 and Hortense in 1876. By the way, you said Quackmore was Grandma's first child, but I don't recall the story saying which one of her three children was the oldest or youngest.

Jul 3, 2017 1:01:57 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

As for O'Hara, I think he must be at least in his fifties, and not just because of his hair color or his position; he's drawn with features that are more identified with late middle age than being in your thirties or forties, like heavy jowls and advanced baldness.

You have a good point about the advanced baldness. I could argue that than many men have problems of baldness at an earlier age, but you could argue that many men in their 50's have newborn children.

As for his position, i wonder: what does "Chief" exactly mean? In the Italian version he is said to be a commissario ("commissioner"), while Detective Casey (who takes orders from O'Hara) is said to be an ispettore ("inspector"); on the other hand, Inducks says that O'Hara is an inspector. Something similar happens in the English localization of the Italian book series and tv series about commissario Montalbano, in which he is referred to as "inspector Montalbano", despite the fact that in the original version the title ispettore is given to a character who takes orders from Montalbano. I don't know the exact differences between Italian police ranks and American police ranks (actually, I know virtually nothing about ranks at all), but I wonder if it there was a particular reason for these changes. Anyway, I think that Montalbano became a commissario when he was in his 30's.

Jul 3, 2017 1:52:34 GMT Hector said:

-Donald Duck: At 11th part of Scrooge's biography, he looked like an infant. Considering that, in 1947, he was old enough to live alone, i place his birth at 1924, so he's 31.

Trivia: in a recent Italian Fantomius story it is said that Donald and Della were born in 1920. This was of course based on Rosa's timeline which had them born around 1920.

Jul 3, 2017 1:52:34 GMT Hector said:

-Flintheart Glomgold: It was stated, in 6th part of Scrooge's biography, that he's the same age as Scrooge.

I don't remember that it was stated that, though they looked about the same age.

Jul 3, 2017 1:52:34 GMT Hector said:

-Grandpa Beagle: At 2nd chapter (1880), he looked at the very least 40. Considering that, if he
was any older, he'd have now surpassed logical human lifespan, we have to accept he was 40
(i guess he had his sons at a very young age, when he was 15 or even younger!). Alas, he's now
115! Who knows what the secret of his longevity, let alone of his energeticness at such an age,
is. He must really love stealing, just like Barks loved drawing and lived 100 years.

I guess that if he had his sons at an early age, and if his mustachioded sons were only a few years older than Scrooge (who was 13 in 1880) then Blackheart can be about 20 years older than Scrooge, which would make him about 100 in Lo$ part 12 and 105 in "A Little Soemthing Special". He certainly looks and moves better than most centenarians: Rosa once joked that "Maybe during his riverboat days he wandered over to the Everglades and sipped from the fountain of "That's No Fable"".

Jul 3, 2017 1:52:34 GMT Hector said:

-Beagle Boys: At 10th chapter (1902), Grandpa Beagle advices his sons to get married and have kids, so that the gang increases in numbers. I feel they followed his advice immediately, so Beagle Boys were born in 1903 and are now 52.

They could not follow his advice immediately because they had just been arrested, though we don't know how long they stayed in jail. About that scene, back in 1994 Rosa said on the DCML:

"In my chapter 10 I have Blackheart telling his bachelor sons that it's time they had families to breed more Beagles for modern crime -- this was 1902, so let's say these hard-to-wed boys had kids by 1910. These will be the BBs that Grandpa Beagle introduces to $crooge in my Lo$ #12 (1947). So the modern Beagles would have been born about 1910-1920 (not all at once, surely) and would therefore range in the ages of 35-45. Remember that my stories take place sometime in the mid-1950's".

Jul 3, 2017 1:52:34 GMT Hector said:

-Magica De Spell: Tough one. At her first appearances in Barkes stories, she looked visibly younger and more beautiful than later. Maybe all that anxiety and depression she has gone through in her attempts to get the dime have aged her prematurely. Considering that, when she visits Scrooge for the first time, Donald still wonders whether his uncle's dime is a lucky one or not, which means he wasn't very familiar with what Scrooge is about yet, i'll place that meeting soon after Scrooge's first meeting with Donald and nephews, i'll place it in 1948. Most likely, Magica went to find Scrooge right after she finished ''magic college'' (assuming there is such a thing) or maybe she also spent a few years after graduation doing research about what kind of spells would give her riches. All in all, i'll place her birthdate at 1920, so, currently, she's a badly aged 35 year old.

I like the idea of the first Magica story being among the first post-Bear Mountain adventures despite being published in 1961. It fits well with the fact that in "A Little Something Special" (which takes place in 1952) Glomgold tell her and the Beagle Boys that they should have thought about that team-up "years ago".

Jul 3, 2017 1:52:34 GMT Hector said:

-Grandma Duck: She has to be at least a few years older than Scrooge, considering she had adult
offsprings when Scrooge was 35, no matter how young she was when she first gave birth. Let's
say she's 5 years older than Scrooge, so she's currently 93.

Indeed, she is the mother-in-law of Scrooge's sister, so it wouldn't look good to have her being younger than Scrooge (even though things like that happen in real life, and I even have an example in my family). Rosa placed her birth date around 1855, making her about 12 years older than Scrooge (i.e., she is a generation older, but the age gap is less than a full generation).

[Hector]

Jul 3, 2017 12:54:02 GMT drakeborough said:

1. <abbr>T</abbr>rivia: in a recent Italian Fantomius story it is said that Donald and Della were born in 1920. This was of course based on Rosa's timeline which had them born around 1920.

<abbr>2. </abbr>I don't remember that it was stated that, though they looked about the same age.

<abbr>3. </abbr>I guess that if he had his sons at an early age, and if his mustachioded sons were only a few years older than Scrooge (who was 13 in 1880) then Blackheart can be about 20 years older than Scrooge, which would make him about 100 in Lo$ part 12 and 105 in "A Little Soemthing Special". He certainly looks and moves better than most centenarians: Rosa once joked that "Maybe during his riverboat days he wandered over to the Everglades and sipped from the fountain of "That's No Fable"".

4. They could not follow his advice immediately because they had just been arrested, though we don't know how long they stayed in jail. About that scene, back in 1994 Rosa said on the DCML:

"In my chapter 10 I have Blackheart telling his bachelor sons that it's time they had families to breed more Beagles for modern crime -- this was 1902, so let's say these hard-to-wed boys had kids by 1910. These will be the BBs that Grandpa Beagle introduces to $crooge in my Lo$ #12 (1947). So the modern Beagles would have been born about 1910-1920 (not all at once, surely) and would therefore range in the ages of 35-45. Remember that my stories take place sometime in the mid-1950's".

1. Did Don Rosa ever mention that Donald was born in 1920? Even if he did, he was probably asked by someone and answered with
a rough estimation without giving it much thought. If Donald was born in 1920, that means he's 10 at 11th chapter, but the way
he's drawn indicates Rosa considered him way younger than 10 at that point. I still think my 1924 estimation makes more sense.

2. If it wasn't stated, it's an error of my country's translation. In the version i read, when Scrooge and Glomgold were sitting next
to the fire and eating, at some point, Glomgold said something like: ''I wish i could teach you something'' and Scrooge answered:
''You? But, we have the same age''.

3. Are you sure they were only a few years older than 13? They look at least in their early 20s to me.

4. I forgot they were arrested. Can you remind me what they were arrested for? That could help us estimate how long they stayed
in jail.

[Monkey_Feyerabend]

Guys, I love this thread. Is so (nerdly) interesting to see how everyone of us has his view of the age of these characters. And in the end all our interpretations look very reasonable. 

I do not have much time now to comment on your specific posts, so let me just cut&copy my OT-post which started the discussion: 

Personally, I like to think that:

Donald is around 30 years old
Gladstone is as old as him
Fethry and Daisy a couple of years younger than Donald
Mickey and Minnie some 32 or 33
Goofy and Clarabelle around 36
Horace between 37 and 39
Gyro around 45, or in any case already in his forties
Jones in his late forties, but not more than 50
O'Hara in his late 50's, something like 58 or 59 (remark: in Italy he has completely white hair, not brown)
Casey not more than 45

and add a couple of quick observations.

On the youth of characters. I assigned ages to the modern version of the characters. It is clear that if one puts Gottfredson's stories from the 30's and 40's in his own Disney head canon, then she must consider that period as "the youth" of Mickey, as if he was in his early 20's back then, or even younger! That would explain a bit the difference in behavior (you know, the frizzy Mickey, but also the annoying Dippy Dawn, the hyper hot-tempered Donad, and so on).
By the way, I like to think that for an important period of time in his youth (around 18-20 years old?) Donald Duck left Duckburg (actually, Grandma's farm) to move to Mouseton. That would explain his friendship with Mickey, Goofy, Horace, Clarabelle, Minnie, his appearance in Gottfredson's strips from the 30's, and if you like also the "cartoon's period". (If you want to go that far in your canon!) Then I guess he came back home and started the life that Barks first, and many others after him, told us.

On Magica. According to wikipedia and other sources, Barks took his inspiration for Magica from the two most famous (and among the hottest ) Italian actresses of that age, namely Sofia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida, who were respectively 27 and 34 years old when Magica was created in 1961 (Robbk, did you fixed her apparent age at 27 because you knew about the Sofia Loren reference, or is it just a chance?). Now, this does not entail that one must look at her as being that young...but surely not in her 40's or 50's! Also, someone said "some 35 old bad aged". Well, more than bad aged, I would rather say that she has an old school make-up, with heavy eyeliner.