Alfred J. Kwak

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Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

Alfred Jodocus Kwak is a Dutch-Japanese children's cartoon character created in 1989, based on a Dutch theatre show by Herman van Veen. Compared to other children's television series, Alfred J. Kwak is exceptionally sad. In the second episode, just after Alfred is born, his entire family dies when they're hit by a car. Alfred gets raised by Henk, a mole.

The cartoon is also notable for the political themes it touches on. In the cartoon Alfred fights against a fascist dictator, takes in refugees fleeing from a country under Apartheid (with white geese and black ducks), saves whales against hunters, and oversees the changeover of his country from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. Such themes are far from typical in a children's cartoon, and form a big part of Alfred J. Kwak's appeal. Other episodes have satirised the Japanese love of golf, and criticised countries which have sharp north/south economic divides.

The cartoon is also unusual for the subtlety of its long-term narrative. In most children's cartoons, the characters do not age. In Alfred J Kwak, we see the progress of the main characters from very young children to adulthood as the series progresses. This is particularly striking in the character of Dolf. At first merely a naughty schoolboy, we watch as his evil steadily progresses.

Alfred J. Kwak was based on a theatre show by Herman van Veen who also wrote and performed the theme music for the cartoons. The cartoons were drawn by Harald Siepermann. Alfred J. Kwak was broadcast in The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Israel (where Alfred was re-named with the unusual first name She'altiel), Finland, the United Kingdom, Serbia, Poland , Sweden and Denmark as well.

1 Main characters
2 Other facts
3 See also
4 External link

Main characters

Alfred J. Kwak. He is a duck. He lives in a clog. He is very concerned with other people. Although he has gone through a lot of sad things, his favourite song is 'Ik ben vandaag zo vrolijk' (I'm so happy today).
Henk. He is a mole. He raised Alfred after his family died.
Winnie. She is a black duck and Alfred's girlfriend.
Professor Paljas. He is an interdisciplinary academic. He is a polar bear, talking with a German accent. In the UK version he is called Professor Boffin.
Dolf. Dolf is Alfred's enemy. He is the leader of the 'Kraaienpartij' (Crows' Party). He is a brute figure who is only interested in power. Although he wears a Napoleonic uniform, Dolf clearly depicts Adolf Hitler. Dolf is called Kra in the German version.
Ollie Alfred's close school-friend, a stork who grows up to be a lawyer, and later, after the defeat of Dolf, Groot-Waterland's first democratically elected president.
Grabbie another friend of Alfred's from his schooldays. A magpie, Grabbie is prone to stealing shiny objects, a trait which often lands his friends in trouble.
Franz Ferdinand. He is the king of Groot-Waterland (Great Waterland), the country in which Alfred lives. He is named after the real historical figure Franz Ferdinand.
Lispol A sinister octopus, prone to spying on people.

Other facts

Dolf indulges in a great many villainous acts aside from the fascist-style coup he stages. At various points he steals gems, indulges in arms dealing, captures an intelligent dragon to sell to a zoo, shoots Lispol, and deliberately damages a dam during the country's election campaign, leading to several deaths. The depiction of Dolf's rule is a satire on Nazism, complete with references to Dolf enforcing "racial purity". Dolf is revealed at one point as being "part-jackdaw", a sly reference to Hitler himself hardly living up to the Aryan ideal.
Aside from Dolf and Lispol, other villains Alfred has to face include the corrupt Mayor Crocodile, selfish landowning ape Mr NittyLocopan, Scratchpaws the ravenous cat, and the authorities of the Apartheid South African style state "Atrique".
That Alfred's girlfriend fleeing Apartheid is called Winnie is probably a reference to the ex-wife of Nelson Mandela.
One episode features a womanising pop star duck who nearly steals Winnie off Alfred. He appears to be loosely based on Prince (artist).
The time setting of the cartoon is somewhat surreal. On the whole the technology and dress of most characters seems appropriate to the late 20th century, and yet Alfred and Paljas/Boffin often travel in a spaceship with a technology far more advanced than that, while many characters such as the King's staff, Scratchpaws the cat, and Dolf in his Napoleonic incarnation wear clothes more appropriate to previous ages. Other surreal elements to the cartoon include such strange characters as the Pied Piper style Clown On The Moon, and aliens who appear like ducks except for their human-style feet, and a "dream" style Wild West episode during which Dolf seems to become aware that he is merely a character in a cartoon.
British actor Melvyn Hayes, best known for It Ain't Half Hot Mum, voiced several characters, including Dolf, in the UK, English-dubbed version.
In the UK version the main character is Alfred Jonathan Kwak.
In the UK version Alfred has an occasionally used catchphrase:- "Peekabello!"; used to express extreme enthusiasm or happiness.