Carl Barks drew numerous characters from all walks of life and from all corners of the globe in his duck stories. They can be grouped as businessmen, criminals, families, foreigners, millionaires, royalty, and much more, and they came from all steps of the so-called social ladder. This page aims to pay tribute to a group which is commonly thought of as being at the bottom of the social ladder namely the poor people - the paupers.
It is interesting - and reassuring - that Barks never portrayed his paupers in a dismissive or degrading way. Despite their undoubted hardship he always drew the group in a disarming way which ensured them a natural place in the duck universe.
| BEGGARS, BUMS, HOBOES, VAGABONDS | ||
 WDCS235 Want to Buy an Island? |
 FC0386 'Begging for Coffee' |
 U$04 'Bum Deal' |
 U$61 'Coated Coats' |
 U$32 Clothes Make the Duck |
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| MORE STEREOTYPES | ||
 VP1 'Vacation Time' Hillbillies |
 FC0238 Voodoo Hoodoo Zombie |
 WDCS137 'Donald the Songwriter' Hermit |
| BREADWINNERS | ||
 FG1945 Donald Duck's Best Christmas The poor and kindhearted widow gladly offers the family's last glass of warm milk to the freezing Donald. |
 WDCS124 'Under New Management' The poor washing lady has to support her husband and three sons-in-laws. Donald pitches in... |
 WDCS144 'Billion Dollar Spree' Donald eyeballs a poor, shoeless man who supports 23 kids, 16 brothers, 12 sisters and their kids... |
| CHILDREN | ||
 FC0367 A Christmas for Shacktown Shacktown - a desolate and utterly poor quarter of Duckburg. The inhabitants are not able to make ends meet, and we see lots of very poor and sad kids. |
 WDCS063 'The Lost Dollar Bill' The girl was sent to the store for her poor mother, but she dropped her money... |
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 FC0367 A Christmas for Shacktown Donald walks around in an effort to raise a few dollars for the kids in Shacktown, and in the midst of all the desolation he stumbles across this poor family with 11 kids. |
 WDCS196 'The Snow Statue Contest' The poor widow's kids try to win money so they can buy their mother a warm coat... |
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| ROYALTY | ||
 WDCS138 Maharajah of Howduyustan |
 U$70 King Kumquat |
 U$09 The Tuckered Tiger Maharajah of Swingingdore |
 U$57 'Elephant Cup' Unnamed Maharajah |
 WDCS269 A Matter of Factory Oscar, King of the Hoboes... |
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EXTRA
| THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS | ||
 FC0456 Back to the Klondike Glittering Goldie |
 FC1010 The Flying Farm Hand Brer Fox |
 FC1010 Sheepish Cowboys Big Bad Wolf |
| THE PRIMARY CHARACTERS | ||
| Normally, none of the primary characters can be characterized as paupers - except in a few isolated instants... | ||
 WDCS095 'Fund Raising' Donald is the one who suffers most... |
 WDCS148 'Free Christmas Dinner' ...from poverty. There are many examples... |
 FC0367 A Christmas for Shacktown ...besides these throughout the stories. |
 FC0386 Only a Poor Old Man Scrooge was poor when toiling in the gold rush to amass his fortune. |
 FC0367 A Christmas for Shacktown Scrooge's money falls down a pit and he resorts to begging. |
 FC0456 Something Fishy Here Scrooge is tricked into believing that his money has lost its worth. |
 WDCS124 'Under New Management' Scrooge lets Donald manage his affairs whereupon all his money disappears... |
 U$21 The Money Well The Beagle Boys succeed in locating all of Scrooge's money. |
 U$18 'Poor Pauper' When the family comes to borrow money Scrooge comes prepared... |
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| http://www.cbarks.dk/THEPAUPERS.htm | Date 2007-11-12 |
