Grandpa Beagle

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Eyes: Black
Hair: None
Race: Dog, beagle


Occupation: Career criminal
Legal status: U.S citizen with a criminal record.
Marital Status: Single
Identity: Publicly known
Known relatives: Beagle Boys (grandsons)
Base of operations: Duckburg, USA


Story: Grandpa Beagle is the Beagle Boys' grandfather. He often help his lazy and inept grandchildren and keep them on their toes.


Equipment: Assorted tools for breaking and entering.


Continuity: Disney
Publisher(s): Columbia Pictures
First app.: Comics: Uncle Scrooge #21 (1958)
Creator(s): Carl Barks
Country of origin: USA


Background notes: When Carl Barks created the Beagle Boys in 1951, there wasn't a fixed number of members, and they weren't distinguishable at all. Grandpa Beagle was the first deviation from this, and apparently he only used the character this once. It was the Italians who picked up the character and started producing stories with the old criminal, a few years later, in 1962. In the States, a few stories were produced in the 1960s and 70s, but after Barks created and used the character that one time, he basically became an Italian character. Up until 1975, he was a recurring character, seen a couple of times per year, but in 1975 this changed. The reason is unknown, but from then on, he became a regular in the Beagle Boys stories, and still is today.

Over the years, the character has changed. In the beginning, he was a big guy like the Beagle Boys, and also a calm person. The Italians made him a skinny and feisty old guy, and contrary to his lazy and inept grandsons also a smart and physically fit person. He was also given a pipe, which he still uses, even though it is not considered politically correct. For a while he was retconned into being the same character as Blackheart Beagle, but this was changed back again.

While the character has been around for more than 50 years, it appears he has really never been used for anything outside comics. Most likely because he is an Italian phenomenon, for all intents and purposes. A couple of figurines has been seen, but that's is.


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