Henk and Alfred J. Kwak

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 a car hits them. Alfred then gets raised by Henk, a mole. Alfred J. Kwak This work is copyrighted. ... Alfred J. Kwak This work is copyrighted. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of art, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A Show is a Television program. ... Herman van Veen (born 14 March 1945) is a Dutch musician, actor and songwriter/writer. ... Genera Uropsilus Desmana Galemys Talpa Mogera Parascaptor Scaptochirus Scaptonyx Scapanulus Urotrichus Neurotrichus Scalopus Parascalops Scapanus Condylura Moles are members of the family (Talpidae) of mammals in the order Insectivora that live underground, burrowing holes. ...

The cartoon is also notable for the political themes on which it touches. 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. Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... Absolute monarchy is a monarchial form of government where the ruler has the power to rule his or her land or country and its citizens freely, with no laws or legally-organized direct opposition in force. ... A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchical government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. ...

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 a mere 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, Belgium, Germany, Austria, 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. Herman van Veen (born 14 March 1945) is a Dutch musician, actor and songwriter/writer. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ... The Republic of Serbia (Serbian: Република Србија) is a republic in southeastern and central Europe, which is united with Montenegro in a loose commonwealth known as the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. ...

Main characters

• Alfred J. Kwak is a duck. As a kid he lives in a giant clog with his family, later on he lives with his adoptive father Henk in a clog-shaped house. 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 is a mole. He raised Alfred after his family died.
• Winnie is a black duck and Alfred's girlfriend.
• Professor Paljas is an interdisciplinary academic. He is a polar bear, talking with a German accent. In the UK version he is called Professor Boffin.
• 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 is 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.
• Pikkie is an another friend of Alfred's from his schooldays. A magpie, Pikkie is prone to stealing shiny objects, a trait which often lands his friends in trouble. Pikkie is called Stibitzi in the German version, and Grabbie in the UK version.
• Franz Ferdinand is a lion and the king of Groot-Waterland (Great Waterland), the country in which Alfred lives. He is named after the real historical figure Franz Ferdinand.
• Lispel is a sinister jellyfish, prone to spying on folks. Talks with a lisp.

Subfamilies Dendrocygninae Oxyurinae Anatinae Merginae Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. ... Plain willow-wood clogs, in use every day Traditional clogs A clog is a type of shoe or sandal made predominantly out of wood. ... Genera Uropsilus Desmana Galemys Talpa Mogera Parascaptor Scaptochirus Scaptonyx Scapanulus Urotrichus Neurotrichus Scalopus Parascalops Scapanus Condylura Moles are members of the family (Talpidae) of mammals in the order Insectivora that live underground, burrowing holes. ... ... (help· info) (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer (Leader) of Germany from 1934 until his death. ... Francis Ferdinand His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Franz Ferdinand Karl Ludwig Joseph of Austria-Este (sometimes called Francis Ferdinand in English) (December 18, 1863 – June 28, 1914) was born in Graz, Austria and was a Habsburg Archduke of Austria and heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. ...

Other facts

• Dolf indulges in a many great 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 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 Dutch, German and UK version Alfred has an occasionally used catchphrase:- "Piccobello!"; used to express extreme enthusiasm or happiness.

A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... The arms industry is a massive global industry. ... Chinese dragon, colour engraving on wood, Japanese Chinese school, 19th Century A dragon is a legendary creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. ... Scrivener Dam, in Canberra, Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood event A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment. ... The term National Socialism has been used in self-description by a number of different political groups and ideologies, some of which have no connection with the Nazis; see National socialism (disambiguation). ... Aryan is an English word derived from the Indian Vedic Sanskrit and Iranian Avestan terms ari-, arya-, ārya-, and/or the extended form aryāna-. The Sanskrit and Old Persian languages both pronounced the word as arya-. Beyond its use as the ethnic self-designation of the Proto-Indo-Iranians... A mayor (from the Latin maÄ«or, meaning larger,greater) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ... Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela IPA: (born July 18, 1918) was the first President of South Africa to be elected in fully-representative democratic elections. ... A celebrity is a person who is widely recognized in a society. ... Prince (born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958), known as from 1993 to 2000, is a popular and influential American musician. ... A cow standing on a pole. ... Pied Piper is a novel by Nevil Shute, first published in 1942. ... Great Basin region, typical American West The Western United States has played a significant role in history and fiction. ... Melvyn Hayes is an English actor, born 11 January 1935. ... It Aint Half Hot Mum was a 1970s British sitcom, set in India during the Second World War. ...

See also

• Anti-hero
• Cartoon