THEGRANDMA

Grandma Elvira Duck is a prototype from the past. She wears very old-fashioned clothes, drives an antique car, cooks on a woodstove, has no electricity and ploughs without a tractor. Even her moro up-to-date telephone is from a bygone age. But she has many friends and she is dearly loved by her large family. She is a genuine Grandma...

Carl Barks drew 33 stories in which she participated but it is important to be aware that most of the stories were just drawn by Barks from scripts written by others.

THE START

Carl Barks did not invent Grandma Duck. She was invented by Al Taliaferro who began working on the Donald Duck daily newspaper strips in 1938. Taliaferro also invented Daisy, the three nephews, Bolivar the dog, and Gus Goose, to name but a few of the characters that still appear in modern comics.
Grandma was modelled after Taliaferro's own mother-in-law, Donnie Wheaton, who lived on a farm and even had the same bee-hive hair style.
Grandma was first seen merely as a portrait on Donald's wall in the Sunday strip from the 11th of August, 1940, but she officially appeared for the first time - much later - on Monday the 27th of September, 1943, in the daily strip reproduced below.

The very first comic strip with Grandma

THE APPEARANCE

Neither Taliaferro nor Barks felt any need to change Grandma's appearance over the years. Barks more or less stuck to Taliaferro's version apart from one single time in 1945 when he probably forgot to supply her with the characteristic bootees.

1945
FG1945

1950
CP2

1951
WDCS132

1959
FC1073

1961
U$32

THE FRIENDS

Besides her close family duck members Grandma seems to have contacts and friends everywhere. Gyro and Little Helper, Gladstone, Daisy, and Dumbo are visitors at the farm where these characters live:

Billy the Goat FC1161	Johnny the Bull WDCS182	Dobbin the Horse FC1010
Bossy the Cow FC1073	Eggetha the Hen FC1010	Gus and Jaq the Mice WDCS132

THE FIENDS
Even the most lovable creature is bound to have a few adversaries. This is also true for Grandma. But luckily there are only a handful...*
Si Bumpkin the Neighbour FC1073	Brer Fox the Chicken thief FC1010	Big Bad Wolf the Sheep rustler FC1010	The Beagle Boys the Menaces FC1162

THE HELP
Well, it would not be right to call Gus Goose anything else than a loafer but he has been seen working on the farm on rare occasions. However, his favourite pastime is lying under a shady tree watching Grandma work while he munches on a snack. He never fails to compliment Grandma on her rich cooking which is probably a major reason for her to keep him on. Another reason would be her kind heart...
VP1		WDCS132