Synopsis:
Donald takes the nephews on a holiday trip to the formerly oh-so Wild West where he volunteers to catch some cattle rustlers. He claims to be an expert...

Comments:
The ducks performed many deeds of genuine heroism in the stories (WDCS288 Hero of the Dike is one example), but Barks also made pastiches of the subject. This story is notably influenced by old Westerns, a genre that Barks enjoyed although he occasionally parodied its conventions. Here he parodies the lone gunman, in this case Donald, who has to battle the villain in the usual showdown in the end.
In FC0328 In Old California! we are treated to an all-embracing story that has all the ingredients of a traditional Wild West film; a dashing hero, a beautiful heroine, shady characters, golddiggers, settlers, cowboys, and campfire songs...
In WDCS176 'Wild Bill Hiccup' Barks pokes fun of the typical image of the Wild West hero by dressing Donald in a decorated gun belt complete with pearl-handled, filigreed firing irons, as the flabbergasted 'ghost' sheriff exclaims. To make this scene even more satiric, we already know that Donald had tried to get some genuine 45s, but he had to make do with a pair of Trigger Strongheart cap pistols!

Synopsis:
Donald thinks he can become famous by sitting on a flagpole. It is not all that easy!

Comments:
In this story Barks presents us with caricatures of actors of the time: Marlon Brando, Jayne Mansfield, and Brigitte Bardot. He also mentioned or drew famous people in several other stories, of which a selection can be enjoyed HERE.
But Barks also made heavy parodies on his fellow Americans. One of the most striking examples is found in U$23 The Fabulous Tycoon, in which Scrooge and Donald pay a visit to a farmer who is rich beyond comparison, who owns most of Texas, and who grows crops of unprecedented sizes. A biting parody on how everyone in the USA can supposedly strike it rich.
In several stories during the so-called Cold War Barks used heavy satire when describing a fictional nation called Brutopia, which is an easily recognizable parody of the former Soviet Union. The name alone (a combination of Brutal and Utopia) leaves us with little doubt as to what kind of country this is. The eerie feeling is rapidly reinforced when we meet some of its pig-faced inhabitants: they are all criminals and spies...

Synopsis:
Gyro gets a new neighbour and - lo and behold - he turns out to be an inventor as well. Soon a feud has started to see who is the better inventor!

Comments:
The duck universe has seen lots of competitions and feuds between characters who want to win at any cost. Just think of Donald against Gladstone or J. Jones, and Scrooge against Glomgold or the Beagle Boys.
But even the most unlikely character to join in in such escapades, the meek and uncompetitive Gyro, once went overboard. Maybe it was because his honour as a prime inventor was at stake; in any case he went to great lengths to beat his neighbour in a feud where Barks satirically made them invent one impossible invention after another.

Synopsis:
Donald has started a beauty salon which enjoys enormous success. Even the ugliest and most repulsive of ladies wind up beauties.

Comments:
In a number of stories similar to this one Barks aired his views on new fashion events - most of which after all have survived to this day:
In WDCS272 Spare that Hair from 1963 Donald is a successful barber who can cope with the most outrageous requests. People leave his salon with very modern hairdos.
In U$52 The Great Wig Mystery from 1964 wigs are the latest craze in Duckburg. Big wigs - the bigger the better - in all imaginable colours are just hip.
In WDCS312 The Not-So-Ancient Mariner from 1966 Barks described fashion at its most exaggerated form. He even used Gladstone and Daisy as regular clotheshorses...

Synopsis:
Donald is on a tightly scheduled tour through Europe but he gets left behind. Now he has to catch up with his fellow-travellers!

Comments:
In several stories Barks put his finger on typical American fads - in this one he parodies a new way of taking trips abroad. The general idea seemed to be that groups of Americans would visit as many European countries and cities as they could in the shortest amount of time possible. Barks wrote a biting satire of this phenomenon, which has not yet ceased to exist.
In WDCS099 'The Quiz Whiz' from 1948 and WDCS152 'The Talking Dog' from 1953 Barks parodied the phenomenon, where the networks were broadcasting all sorts of silly and mind-numbing quiz shows.
In FC1055 The Beauty Queen from 1959 Barks took up a type of special event that originated in the USA - young women's competitions to be elected as beauty queen.
In WDCS269 A Matter of Factory from 1963 Barks made a story built on the concepts of drive-ins and motels which were relatively new at the time. In the story he delivered a heavy satire of people's treatment of this new development.

Synopsis:
Scrooge longs to be part of the posh inner circles but he lacks the position. Then he remembers he owns the prestigeous striped ruby. Where is it?

Comments:
In a few stories we see another side of Scrooge when he wants to show self-importance by forcing himself onto certain exclusive communities. Scrooge's snobbish behaviour in this particular story is also marked by both egotism and narcissism.
Everybody has a touch of snobbery in their genes, including Donald. Barks gave us an example in WDCS070 'The Smugsnorkle Squattie', in which the nephews beg Donald for a small and lively multi-breed dog but he insists on buying a posh and pedigreed one. Why go for a common and happy dog, when you can buy a posh and haughty one with a pedigree? Donald is unable to recognize the qualities in the nephews' stray dog, an attitude which almost leads him into disaster.
It would seem that Barks had an aversion to hoity-toity professors who were widely admired for pseudo achievements. A fine example comes from WDCS092 'Pulpheart Clapperhead', in which a professor in child psychology states that children must be allowed to develop by themselves, and to do anything they wish free of parental guidance!

Synopsis:
Daisy is fascinated by strong men and Donald has to start building up some muscles.

Comments:
Barks would sometimes jump at the opportunity to satirize fads and crazes that occurred in contemporary times. Some of them even turned out to be long-lasting. In this story he parodies fitness as a phenomenon by letting Donald work hard and determined in order to develop an impressive muscular body. Donald was encouraged to do so, because Daisy's girlfriend had a fiancé that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger look scrawny!
Another sporting craze originated in Hawaii and was soon known along the Pacific coastline. Surfing. Barks wrote a story about what he thought would be a short-lived fad in WDCS280 Double Masquerade from 1964. Time has since proven him wrong.
In U$62 Queen of the Wild Dog Pack from 1966 Barks really let his hair down when describing rock music. The story is filled with ridiculing lyrics like this one: When I melt your heart - I'll find it hard - to dispose of all the lard! There can be little doubt as to Barks' attitude towards rock music...

Synopsis:
The nephews read some nonsense about a super snooper and Donald gets angry. But he accidentally acquires super powers himself...

Comments:
Donald drinks a potion that is supposed to make rats as strong as horses, and soon he enjoys having supernatural powers that even come in handy on a few occasions. It is easy to see that Barks wrote the story as a parody on the then recent introduction of new super-heroes in a variety of other comic books starting to compete with the Disney volumes at the newsstands.
In WDCS145 'Bang, You're Hypnotized' from 1952 Barks equipped Donald with temporary superpowers under the influence of hypnosis.
In FC1184 Mighty but Miserable from 1961 the most meek character in the duck universe, Gyro, invents a special power box that endows him with super-strength in order to be able to chase the Beagle Boys out of town.
In WDCS292 Instant Hercules from 1965 Donald is on a diving mission when he finds an amphora containing a strange liquid. Upon drinking the bronze-age cola Donald acquires supernatural powers.

Synopsis:
Donald hopes to discontinue Gladstone's luck by using his own new rabbit's foot. Things are in fact looking up...

Comments:
All of Barks' own invented primary characters started out in slightly parody roles, but soon most of them developed overwhelmingly distinct traits that made them even more of a parody. Gladstone Gander started by being 'just' obnoxious towards Donald, but soon Barks had made him the luckiest character in the duck universe.
In this story he is his usual obnoxious and lucky self; he and Donald visit a charity bazaar, and already on the first page Gladstone has managed to win 12 first prizes in different raffles, while Donald is stuck with zero.
Still, this sort of physical action called for some efforts on Gladstone's part, but Barks later made him lucky with no effort at all. Just think of WDCS126 'The Money Crib' where he just casually wished for a million dollars, whereupon the exact change fell right into his hat, or U$35 The Golden Nugget Boat where he could not be bothered to answer a question in a quiz to win a ticket to Alaska, where after the ticket flew right into his face in the street...

Synopsis:
Scrooge and the wealthy Maharajah of Howduyustan are competing to build the most expensive statue of Duckburg's founder, Cornelius Coot.

Comments:
This is by far not the only story in which Scrooge flaunts his immense wealth. This time he does so in a competition where it becomes apparent that his wealthy opponent is nothing less than a pauper compared to Scrooge.
In 1994 Barks answered the relevant question of the size of Scrooge's fortune and the contents of the Money Bin by stating: Uncle Scrooge's fortune stands at precisely ... Five billion quintiplitilion unptuplatillion multuplatillion impossibidillion fantasticatrillion dollars. This translates into three cubic acres of money housed in the McDuck Money Bin.
However, this cannot be the whole truth, because Scrooge has also filled all the banks in the country with his money and the remainder is stored in the Money Bin. Furthermore, according to U$24 The Twenty-four Carat Moon, he owns a solid moon of pure gold with a diameter of 500 miles...