FC0029 The Mummy's Ring

FC0275 Ancient Persia

U$34 Mythtic Mystery

Barks was always fascinated by ethnic history and archaeology. These interests also shine through in a number of his stories. Here are some examples:

In FC0029 The Mummy's Ring from 1943 we are presented to Barks' first single-handed adventure story, and he chose an exotic place - The Valley of Kings in Egypt - and proceeded to build a story around the picturesque scenery. This was to be the first story of several in which he would rely heavily on the National Geographic magazines in order to get details as historically correct as possible.

In FC0275 Ancient Persia from 1950 Barks described his favourite ancient location areas namely Persia (mainly Iran today) and Mesopotamia (mainly Armenia, Iraq, and Syria today) and it was even done using the topic of modern excavations as the main plotline.

In U$44 Crown of the Mayas from 1963 Barks filled the story with precise scenery and artifacts from the National Geographic magazines to such an extend that they almost overshadow the main plotline of Scrooge wanting to become an honoured member of the Archaeologists' Club in Duckburg.

Barks was also very interested in mythology. From time to time he looked to the tales of Nordic, Roman and Greek mythology in order to get ideas for his stories. Examples:

In U$10 The Fabulous Philosophers' Stone he allows the main story - about the medieval Philosophers' Stone - to go in several mythological directions such as the story of King Midas and the fabled Labyrinth of Crete, in U$34 Mythtic Mystery he manages to combine the Gods from all the three mythological worlds mentioned above, and in U$40 Oddball Odyssey he lets Magica de Spell play the role of the Greek sorceress Circe. Barks also used mythological themes in several of his story titles such as U$12 The Golden Fleecing, U$36 The Midas Touch, and WDCS292 Instant Hercules.
You can see a complete listing of Barks' use of mythological persons HERE.

U$05 'Atlantis'

U$25 The Flying Dutchman

U$32 That's no Fable!

Barks made several stories in which elements from known legends were incorporated. Examples are: A zombie in FC0238 Voodoo Hoodoo, a unicorn in FC0263 Trail of the Unicorn, El Dorado in FC0422 The Gilded Man, Menehunes in U$04 'Hawaiian Hideaway', conquistador treasure in U$07 'Cibola', and the Loch Ness monster in WDCS237 Mystery of the Loch.
Sometimes Barks went further than that and borrowed larger chunks of known legends. Here are some examples from the U$ stories:

In U$05 'Atlantis' from 1954 the myth and the whereabouts of the sunken Atlantis were - once again - being debated and Barks decided to offer his version of the elusive place. The 'excuse' for the adventure was an idea Barks had conceived: A coin is only valuable when it is scarce, so what could happen to the only existing coin of a series?

In U$10 The Fabulous Philosophers' Stone Barks spun a tale from the medieval myth of a philosophers' stone which originally was believed to be a chemical that could change base metals into silver or gold. A perfect setting for a Scrooge wealth adventure. Barks also entwined two ancient myths into the story: the Greek myth of King Midas who wished that everything he touched would turn into gold and he also incorporated a fraction of another myth namely that of the Minotaur in the labyrinths of Crete.

In U$12 The Golden Fleecing Barks once again got his story idea from the Greek mythology, namely the story about Jason and the golden fleece guarded by a dragon. He blends ancient and modern times together as he lets the ducks search for the original wool in the present time.

In U$19 The Mines of King Solomon Barks, of course, had to let Scrooge have a go at the mythical, gem-filled mines of King Solomon. As usual he found his background material (legend, location, folklore) in the National Geographic magazines.

In U$25 The Flying Dutchman Barks joined a long row of authors who have written about the so-called Flying Dutchman, the ship that was cursed to sail the high seas forever, because its Dutch captain had made a blasphemous remark. In Barks' version, the merchant ship is carrying a load of gold bullion and this effectively triggers a treasure hunt at sea for Scrooge.

In U$28 The 'Paul Bunyan' Machine Scrooge is trying to hide his money from the Beagle Boys by putting it into hollow trees. But the Beagle Boys are both actively and intelligently seeking - and finding - the money. The name of Paul Bunyan is a reference to a popular set of North American stories about a giant lumberjack whose 'legend' was created in the bunkhouses of logging camps, by ordinary working men, while they gathered around the glowing woodstoves on cold winter evenings. The lumberjacks heard and then retold the fables, often weaving in local or personal embellishments as they passed the tales on.

In U$32 1960 That's No Fable! Barks was inspired by the Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon who, in 1493, joined Christopher Columbus' second voyage to the Americas. After de Leon had discovered Puerto Rico he went on to search for the fabled Fountain of Youth. He discovered Florida which he explored meticulously for 8 years without finding any trace of the elusive waters. But Scrooge and the Ducks did...

LFC7/1 Pluto Saves the Ship

WDCS057 'The Iron-billed Woodpecker'

WDCS286 The Olympian Torch Bearer

Barks used to read newspapers every day, thus keeping informed of the day's small and big events on the national and international scenes. Although his stories are mainly timeless he sometimes included a few commentaries to contemporary events of many types. Here are a few diverse examples:

In 1942 Barks and two colleagues made the story LFC7/1 Pluto Saves the Ship about saboteurs in a shipyard during the Second World War. It was only a one-shot special designed to take advantage of the wartime jitters, Barks later recalled. In the story, Pluto saves the day by neutralizing a bomb hidden inside a bone.
Later Barks used several other war and cold war topics as ingredients in his stories: In FC0029 Too Many Pets from 1943 he told about spies stealing secret warship blueprints, in CG1 Donald Duck and The Atom Bomb from 1947 he let Donald Duck produce an atom bomb, in FC0308 Dangerous Disguise from 1951 he made an entire story swarming with spies and counterspies, and in U$64 Treasure of Marco Polo from 1966 the theme was the ongoing war in a southeast Asian nation, usually perceived as Vietnam.

In 1945 Barks read about the extremely rare Ivory-billed Woodpecker from the southeastern states of the USA, that was last confirmed sighted that year. Barks used a similar bird with a similar name in the story WDCS057 'The Iron-billed Woodpecker'.

In 1956 Barks was inspired by the upcoming Olympic Summer Games to be held in Melbourne, Australia. This triggered WDCS188 'Olympic Tryouts', in which Donald competed in the Duckburg stadium for a place at the real games. In 1964 - before the games in Tokyo, Japan - Barks made yet another Olympic story, WDCS286 The Olympian Torch Bearer, in which he set the scene outside the stadium areas by letting Donald carry the traditional Olympian torch from Goosetown to Duckburg.

U$27 The Money Champ

U$29 Hound of the Whiskervilles

U$06 'Tralla La'

Scrooge and the Ducks have travelled the globe numerous times in search of treasures, and they have constantly seen different countries and met the inhabitants. Being the precise and conscious artist he was, there can be little doubt that Barks would often plow through his beloved National Geographic magazines as well as relevant picture-filled books to render the best atmospheric panels he could for a given story. It shows that he was not afraid of 'going the extra mile'  in order to obtain the most precise results.
Above are a mere three examples showing a traditionally dressed Arab in a convincing oil-rig landscape, two Scots wearing traditional gear with kilts, and a group of traditionally dressed Asian labourers next to their special housing constructions. You will easily be able to find lots of further examples...

FC0263 Land of the Totem Poles

WDCS167 'Salmon Derby'

FC1025 Mastering the Matterhorn

Barks was not known for travelling, in fact, many fans just know about his grand tour to Europe in 1994. And it is true that he preferred to remain at home making his stories, but he also managed to go on shorter or longer trips. Living quite close to the Californian/Mexican border, he and his wife would occasionally drive down south to suck up some of the folklore, but there were other destinations as well. Here are some examples with direct connections to Barks' stories presented in chronological order:

In 1949 Barks journeyed to British Columbia in Canada to do research for authentic scenery. The impressive and realistic results were presented in FC0263 Land of the Totem Poles.

In 1953 Barks' imagination was triggered by a visit to a friend who lived in Indio in the Mojave Desert, not far from Barks' home in San Jacinto. They walked about the neighbourhood where they stumbled on the remnants of an ancient Indian trail leading out onto a mesa. This was all Barks needed for a story about arrowheads and long-forgotten Indian cities as presented in U$07 'Cibola'.

During the 1950s Barks' daughter Peggy's husband managed a salmon hatchery close to Puget Sound in Washington State, and Barks made WDCS192 'The Kingfisher' in 1956 based on casual observations at the site. The couple had been acknowledged two years before, when Barks made his first duck story splash panel depicting a splendid view of the Puget Sound in WDCS167 'Salmon Derby', where the couple lived.

On several occasions (mostly as an invited guest) Barks visited California's Disneyland, and he may very well have dreamt up the location for his 1958 story FC1025 Mastering the Matterhorn - the Matterhorn in the European Alps - by seeing Disneyland's version that had been completed just a few months earlier.

It is well-known that Barks received the main plot idea for the 1962 story WDCS263 The Candy Kid from a fan who was a peanut vendor in Disneyland, California, but the location was taken from a specific real-life event, the recurring World's Fairs, which are held in different cities all over the world at certain intervals. That year's World's Fair was held from April to October of 1962 in Seattle, Washington State, USA. It is plausible that Barks visited the fair at some point, as his daughter Peggy lived in the area. This is emphasized by the fact that he copied the fair's spectacular landmark, the tall and slim Space Needle with a restaurant on top, as both a visual effect and a part of the plot. The building still stands.