Yes, the "Louie" thing is mysterious, all right. I have no idea why he didn't spell it "Lewey". Can't help you there.

Moving on, I ought to do a couple more character sketches:

Daisy - A remorselessly shallow and self-absorbed little society girl is this duckess, always predictable, always determined to have her way, materialistic, social-climbing, manipulative, and domineering. One wonders why Donald (and his rival, Gladstone) would go through the hell of dealing with her, but that's typical, isn't it? Among Daisy's good points...she is practical, and not easily fooled, and she has a strong sense of responsibility toward the little ducks' safety. Anyone who dates her basically gets what he deserves, I suppose...

Gladstone Gander - A jerk. A jerk with amazing luck. What could possibly be more annoying than that? Gladstone does not believe in working, he just waits for his luck to deliver him whatever he wants (money, cars, clothes, a date with Daisy, food, whatever...). His one great weakness is his colossal arrogance...so outrageous that it draws down the wrath of the gods on his head every now and then. Donald's hatred of Gladstone is totally understandable. Now and then the two of them actually get in a physical fight over some issue, providing some of the funniest moments ever seen in comics. The burning question is...is Gladstone a duck or is he a goose? I think that he is clearly a duck, despite the surname "Gander". There are goose characters seen now and then in Duckburg, and they look very different from Donald and Gladstone. Gladstone's wavy "hairdo" marks him as a slippery character, a letcher, a fop, and a major irritant. He looks like a character from the era of "The Great Gatsy" to me. Daisy probably knows Gladstone is a jerk, but she doesn't care...she's in it for whatever she can get. They deserve each other.

Uncle Scrooge - THE most classic character of them all (although Donald is still "everyduck")...Scrooge is a rugged elder survivor who was born sometime in the 1800's...dirt poor in Sotland. He started out with a single dime (made shining shoes), invested it wisely, and fought his way up tooth and nail to become the richest tycoon in history. He panned for gold in both the Yukon and the Klondike. He fought warring Indians, claim-jumpers, rustlers, and thieves. He faced down desperados in some of the most notorious saloons of the Old West and Alaska, where he found his one true love, and then lost her to his own wanderlust. He has survived encounters with every raging wild beast known to biology or pulp fiction, and some that are only rumoured (like the Yeti, for example).

He is almost unstoppable. What drives him? A desire to forever leave behind the poverty of his youth, and attain "security". But security eludes him, as it does all who think in those terms. The Beagle Boys and other top thieves constantly scheme to get his money. Other ruthless tycoons (like his archrival, Flintheart Glomgold) battle him for the gold ring. Foreign despots vie for the chance to sieze his assets. The tax people harass him.

For Scrooge it is a never-ending struggle to remain on top and in control of the World's largest fortune. He has more cold cash in one place than anyone else in history...including Saddam Hussein or the Saudi royal family. He could buy the whole USA if he wanted to.

Scrooge's brief moments of joy and relaxation come when he swims and frolics in his nine cubic acres of cash, safe inside the walls of his impregnable "money bin", the biggest building of its kind ever constructed.

His life is a testament to the futility of storing up "treasures on Earth". Still, he's a likeable old curmudgeon, and he's very courageous.

Quack!!!