Beards are seen again and again in Carl Barks' duck universe. He would often 'equip' his male characters with all sorts of different facial hair, from sideburns to moustaches, from goatees to full-grown beards. Some beards are stylish, some are long, and some are just large and bushy. Let's have a look at some of the many bearded characters.

THE PRIMARY CHARACTERS
Beards are extremely rare among the primary male characters. No wonder, because who has ever seen a feathered duck with a beard? Still, it is safe to argue that Barks perceived Scrooge with sideburns that were not just fluffed-up, larger feathers. A striking example of this way of thinking can be found in the one-pager in FC0495, where Scrooge consults several barbers in order to get the lowest price for shortening his sideburns. The only Barks' primary duck with a beard is Flintheart Glomgold who seems to have an abundance of beard. The Beagle Boys seem to have the right genes for growing a beard; they are always presented with stubbles...

DONALD
When Donald wears a fake beard it is always to disguise himself from other members of the duck family. Surprisingly, he usually succeeds although the beards are sometimes rather 'transparent'.
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SCROOGE
Scrooge also disguises himself in order to fool his family members. In his case Barks even adds another twist; Scrooge, as part of his disguise, always presents himself as a very stout character.
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DOCTORS
The majority of the doctors Barks portrayed have large, bushy beards without any sort of finesse. Normally, the beards are white reflecting the doctors' advanced age.
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SPECIALISTS
The specialists' beards are usually of a more sophisticated kind. The common denominator seems to be beards with a curve.
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HERMITS
All Barks' hermits have large beards which is perfectly understandable. What hermit would visit a barber on a regular basis? Here are three hermits with increasingly large beards.
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MESSENGERS
Barks had a running gag in the way he portrayed messengers. He deliberately made them old and slow, i.e. the opposite of what you would expect a messenger boy to be. This series also show beards of an increasing length.
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PROFESSORS
Barks drew numerous professors - some without and some with beards. Again, you are shown a few characters with beards of an increasing length.
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CHEATERS
Several recurrant characters from time to time disguised themselves with fake beards. Here are a few examples:
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See a corresponding page on Hair Styles HERE.