This nutty professor, who is also Donald Duck's uncle,
is interrested in every science : mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry,
psychology, history, archeology,... He is very cultivated. He has a strong
Austrian accent. It is said that he was born in Vienna, Austria, on about
1870. He is sometimes said to be from a German or an Austrian root of the
Duck family tree. According to Don Rosa, he just married Matilda McDuck
($crooge's sister and Donald's aunt). In many cartoons and stories, his
relation with the Ducks isn't shown... He often uses Donald, or even Goofy,
for his experiences.
I think I remember that in a releasing of the cartoon "Mickey and
the Beanstalk", he presents the cartoon together with his grasshoper
pet who was named "Herman" or something like that... (at least,
in the French version...)
He was originally created for the TVshow "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color: An Adventure in Color", from September 24, 1961. Then, he first appeared in a comicbook in "Ludwig von Drake" #1 (Nov. 1961), in "Duckburg, U.S.A.". In this story, he arrives in Duckburg by train, and it is said that the Ducks had never seen this reative before.
see Rich Bellacera's page about Ludwig
Von Drake ;
see Per Starbäck's page about Ludwig
Von Drake ;
see Sigvald Grøsfjeld jr.'s page about Ludwig
Von Drake.