# Cartoon Ducks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2006, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709 "2006-08-22T06:12:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709/1 "2006-08-22T06:12:57Z")
Why are they always yellow? Rubber ones are too, and to the best of my knowledge, I’ve never seen one in nature quite like the color you see elsewhere. I would attempt to Google the pertinent information, but considering my normal woeful lack of ability, I don’t even know where to begin. Dopers? ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709/2 "2006-08-22T06:36:44Z")
[http://media.shsweb.fi/images/gulisar/baby\_duck.jpg](http://media.shsweb.fi/images/gulisar/baby_duck.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709/3 "2006-08-22T06:40:46Z")
[QUOTE=faithfool] Why are they always yellow? …? [/QUOTE] [Always?](http://www.despicable.org/daffy.png) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709/4 "2006-08-22T06:45:51Z")
[QUOTE=faithfool] Why are they always yellow? Rubber ones are too, and to the best of my knowledge, I’ve never seen one in nature quite like the color you see elsewhere. I would attempt to Google the pertinent information, but considering my normal woeful lack of ability, I don’t even know where to begin. Dopers? [/QUOTE] Well, Daffy Duck is black and Donald Duck is white. I think though the Yellow comes from the fact that many Ducklings are yellow, they lose that color when they grow up, cartoonists then use yellow in a duck to mean that the character is a young one. Babies play with Rubber duckies that are yellow for the reason that they are supposed to be also “babies”. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709/5 "2006-08-22T06:58:32Z")
[QUOTE=faithfool] Why are they always yellow? [/QUOTE] Donald is white. (As is Daisy, Huey, Dewey, and Louie and Scrooge McDuck.) Daffy is black. Darkwing is white with either a colored face or a mask, (neither yellow). Plucky is green. Domestic duck **lings** are typically yellow–giving rise to yellow rubber duckies. (Mallard ducklings tend to be a mixture of dark brown and yellow.) ---
**Author:** ![mojave66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mojave66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mojave66)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709/6 "2006-08-22T07:41:54Z")
Queer Duck is [Seafoam Teal](http://www.queermusicheritage.com/DEC2002/Q-DUCK3.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709/7 "2006-08-22T07:47:30Z")
Duckula is green. In fact, perhaps it would be more useful, at this point, if the OP could point out some examples of yellow cartoon ducks. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709/8 "2006-08-22T08:12:40Z")
Sorry y’all, I guess I’m 0 for 3 lately on being clear with what I meant and (or) putting links in for illustration. _Always_ was definitely stretching it a bit and I should have put cartoon-_type_. Regardless, I’ve got a few specimens linked below to prove that I’m not completely crazy (yet). You in the back though, quit laughing! [Example 1](http://birding.about.com/library/bl0701duck3.htm) [Example 2](http://www.purlingrollerrink.com/d1.gif) [Example 3](http://www.unitedmaskandparty.com/Mascots/images/lucky_duck.jpg) And then last of all you have those interesting and fun [land/water vehicles](http://www.theyellowduckmarine.co.uk/). However, despite my examples, I’m beginning to realize that I must have been more focused on their beaks and feet, making the overall impression of much yellowness. Also, I never stopped to consider that they were purposely portraying _baby_ ducks, like Huey. :o So, I appreciate everyone’s responses (and certainly for enlightening me previously unknown fowl, like Queer Duck, who looks incredibly cool). I needed another reason to gently nudge me towards bed after all. It seems my ability to get dingier grows with the night. ::: walks off muttering that there is a billion freakin’ cartoon ducks that do _not_ look like Big Bird, especially Daffy ya idiot, how could you forget ?!?!! ::: ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709/9 "2006-08-22T12:15:12Z")
A better question is: why do all Cartoon Ducks have speech impediments? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-ducks/369709/10 "2006-08-22T14:09:39Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] A better question is: why do all Cartoon Ducks have speech impediments? [/QUOTE] Realism.