Today is a triple birthday in the Disney cartoon world! Donald’s three nephews celebrate their birthday on April 15 because their first animation appearance was on April 15, 1938. This trio looks pretty good for 83, don’t you agree? To celebrate this special day, I’m sharing five fast facts about Donald’s nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie!

 

Their First Appearance Wasn’t in a Film.

While most Disney characters got their start in an animated film, this wasn’t the case for the duck triplets. Their first appearance was actually in a Sunday newspaper comics section on October 17, 1938! Created by writer Ted Osborne and cartoonist Al Taliaferro, the idea of Donald’s triplet nephews was inspired by Mickey’s two nephews, Morty and Ferdie. They thought Donald needed a supporting cast of his own, and the rest is history.

In Taliaferro’s Silly Symphony Sunday comic strip, Donald is reading a letter from his sister Della (the triplets’ mother) where he finds out the triplets are coming to stay with him while their father is in the hospital. The strip ends with the trio playing a trick on him — and so Donald’s supporting cast was born! Although the trio has made several appearances in films and television, comics are their primary medium. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are the 11th most published comic book characters in the world! Outside of the superhero genre, they come in second to their uncle, Donald Duck.

 

What’s in a Name?

We call them Huey, Dewey, and Louie, but did you know their full names are Hubert, Deuteronomy, and Louis? In true Disney fashion, there’s more to the story when it comes to these triplets’ names! Disney artist and employee Dana Coty named the triplets after Politician Huey Long of Louisiana, Politician Thomas Dewey of New York, and Disney Studio animator Louis Schmitt. I personally love this extra detail — especially since one of the triplets was named after a past Louisiana governor!

 

You Can Watch Their Original Animated Film Appearance on Youtube.

Similar to the initial comic strip appearance from October 17, 1937, in Donald’s Nephews, Donald receives mail from his sister. (This time it’s a postcard, and she refers to herself as “Dumbella” instead of “Della.”) The triplets cause a number of problems for Donald in this short, but their first animated appearance was a hit with the audience — proving they would be here to stay!

The trio went on to be featured in 27 theatrical shorts, a number of movies, television series, video games, and more. You probably remember them from DuckTales, a Disney animated series from the 80s and 90s that recently had a 3-season reboot that launched almost 30 years to the day after its original premiere date!

 

 

How Can You Tell the Triplets Apart?

Although the triplets have been around since 1937, it wasn’t until the 1980’s that it was established which duck triplet was which. Since Huey, Dewey, and Louie sometimes wore identical outfits for cartoons, there was really no way to tell them apart!

We now know that Huey is dressed in red, Dewey is dressed in blue, and Louie is dressed in green, thanks to Disney’s archivist, Dave Smith. In “Disney A to Z” he said, “Note that the brightest hue of the three is red (HUEY), the color of water, dew, is blue (DEWEY), and that leaves Louie, and leaves are green.”

 

You Can’t Meet Huey, Dewey, and Louie in the Disney Parks.

 

Despite their popularity with Disney fans thanks to shows like DuckTales, you cannot meet Huey, Dewey, and Louie in the Disney Parks these days. In the past, the triplets have only appeared at Tokyo Disney and Disneyland Paris. They’ve appeared seasonally in 2011 and 2012 in these parks, and that’s about it. With Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park hosting Donald’s Dino-Bash, with so many other favorite Disney Ducks, we can only hope that one day the nephews will join the crew!

Happy Haunting: Party at Disneyland

Campout at Walt Disney World

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Although they were never meet and greet characters at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, they did make appearances in three Disney Sing-Along Songs videos in the 90s! (You can watch all three videos on Youtube.) One was filmed in Disneyland and one was filmed in Walt Disney World — how lucky were those kids to star in these sing-along videos with them back in the day?!

 
Huey, Dewey, and Louie don’t appear as characters in Walt Disney World and Disneyland, you can still find their presence in other ways around the parks from time to time. For example, during EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival they are featured as colorful topiaries. I bet now that you keep an eye out for it, you’ll start to spot hints of them in the parks!

 

If you love the Disney Ducks as I do, you can shop this fun art piece from Thomas Kinkade! This piece stood out to me because I love that Donald, Daisy, and the boys are enjoying their time together at the beach. Notice Donald’s phone case features Mickey and Minnie, and you can peep Minnie, Mickey, his nephews, Pluto, and Donald playing on the beach below. Even Scrooge McDuck makes an appearance! You can shop other Thomas Kinkade art pieces featuring Donald Duck here.

 

 

 

Each Disney Character has its own story, personality, and impact on the media they’ve been a part of. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are no exception to this fact! I loved getting to learn more about Donald’s nephews, and I hope these fast facts taught you something new, too. If you have a friend who is a fan of the Disney Ducks, be sure to share this article with them!

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