Duck cartoon characters like Donald Duck and Daffy Duck are widely recognized and are featured in countless cartoons and movies.
More niche duck characters like Howard the Duck and Launchpad McQuack actively engage dedicated fan bases.
Duck characters in animation, from the mischievous Daffy to the endearingly bumbling Scrooge McDuck, vividly display exaggerated personalities and quirks.
Fans cherish duck cartoon characters for their comedic exploits and captivating personalities, irrespective of their unique traits.
The Top Cartoon Duck Characters
It is no secret that cartoon ducks are one of the most lovable creatures on the planet. Whether they are shuffling around in a Disney movie or swimming through a pool of ice cream on a kids’ show, we cannot help but love these feathered friends.
There is just something about their silly faces and easygoing nature that makes us all smile.
We have comprehensively ranked all the most famous ducks in cartoons, from old-school classics to modern-day hits.
1Donald Duck
Disney’s House of Mouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Quack Pack
First episode date: January 13, 2001
Networks: Toon Disney, American Broadcasting Company
First appearing in 1934’s animated short “The Wise Little Hen,” Donald Duck has appeared in over 150 films and numerous comic books. Donald’s famous personality characteristics are a hot temper and an inability to hold on to money. While Donald has many flaws, he is also known for his loyalty to his friends and family.
Donald Duck always comes out on top, whether fighting pirates with his nephews or competing in a chili cook-off with Daisy Duck.
So next time you see Donald sporting his sailor shirt and cap, be sure to give a wave and remember the wise words of
Walt Disney: “Of all the cartoon characters, Donald Duck probably has the most recognizable voice.
2Daffy Duck
TV Shows: Baby Looney Tunes, Space Jam
With over 250 animated appearances, Daffy Duck has earned his place as one of the biggest stars of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. He has delighted audiences since his debut in 1937’s “Porky’s Duck Hunt.”
Despite being a rival, Daffy eventually becomes a trusted friend and ally of Bugs Bunny.
Despite his foolish antics, Daffy is known for his quick wit and cunning schemes, often relying on his charm and persuasive speech to get what he wants (even if it means double-crossing those around him).
It does not matter if he outsmarts Porky Pig or teams up with Bugs Bunny to defeat Marvin the Martian; Daffy always steals the show. Let us toast Daffy Duck, the wacky waterfowl we cannot resist.
3Daisy Duck
TV Shows: Disney’s House of Mouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Quack Pack
She has been a fixture in American pop culture since her debut in 1940 as a mainstay of Disney’s animated universe. Daisy’s character quickly develops into her independent and spirited personality after becoming Donald Duck’s girlfriend.
Daisy has also appeared in comic books, video games, and cartoons. She is often portrayed as a strong, assertive woman who is a devoted friend to those in her inner circle. A beloved member of the Disney family, Daisy has a positive attitude and a fashion sense.
4Melissa Duck
TV Shows: Baby Looney Tunes, Muscle Tussle
Creators: Chuck Jones, Warren Foster
In Baby Looney Tunes, Melissa Duck portrays adult characters from the original Looney Tunes shorts as their infant selves. As a child, Melissa had a crush on Daffy Duck.
The yellow duckling Melissa plays the comedian role in Baby Looney Tunes, and she enjoys making her friends laugh, even when she sometimes gets into trouble because of her humor.
There is a similarly designed character called Tina Russo on The Looney Tunes Show from 2011.
5Scrooge McDuck
Cartoon Show: DuckTales
Known for his love of money and notorious Scrooge Dive, Scrooge McDuck is a childhood favorite. Nevertheless, Scrooge’s character goes far beyond just being a penny-pinching miser.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie consider him a devoted uncle, a successful businessman, and a skilled treasure hunter.
Despite earning more than $65.4 billion (making him Duckburg’s richest duck), Scrooge’s heart is in the right place as he supports his family and community with his wealth.
Despite being a notorious tightwad, Scrooge is an iconic Disney character because of his determination and resourcefulness.
6Dean Tightbill
Darkwing Duck
The dean of St. Canard University is Dean Tightbill, known for his penny-pinching ways. Dr. Reginald Bushroot’s experiments were not profitable, so he cut his funding.
Dean Tightbill was placed under Darkwing Duck’s protection after Bushroot sought revenge against him. Tightbill escaped after Darkwing distracted Bushroot’s enormous tree so he could break into the Dean’s office and kidnap him.
7Drake Mallard
Darkwing Duck
In the fictional city of St. Canard, Drake Mallard is known as Darkwing Duck, a superhero crime fighter. Using his gas gun and clever wit, he fights villains in a black costume with a purple cape and mask.
The alter ego of Drake was created accidentally when he stumbled upon a secret laboratory and gained enhanced strength and agility. Drake assumes the role of Darkwing Duck to protect his city from evil-doers.
Drake usually saves the day when he causes collateral damage and gets into various shenanigans.
8Psyduck
Pokémon: The First Movie
A yellow duck with a headache, Psyduck is a water-type Pokémon. As a result of its telekinetic abilities, which it cannot control, it suffers from constant headaches.
As a result, Psyduck becomes confused and frustrated when its headache becomes severe enough to enable it to use its psychic powers.
With its ditzy personality and psychic powers, Psyduck can still be an invaluable Pokémon trainer’s team member. When exposed to a Water Stone, Psyduck evolves into Golduck.
9Huey Duck
Disney
Parents: Della Duck
TV shows: DuckTales, Quack Pack, DuckTales Shorts, This Duckburg Life, 30 Things With DuckTales
Notable aliases: Huey, Tick Duck
Creators: Al Taliaferro, Ted Osborne
A typical rivalry exists between Donald Duck and his mischievous nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. They have some similarities, even though they each have distinct character traits.
Each appears crafty and troublesome, and they usually think the same way. Early cartoons often showed them fighting among themselves and whining and crying.
10Webby Vanderquack
DuckTales
Her dream is to become an explorer, and she is zealous, adventurous, and eager to achieve it. Throughout her life prior to “Woo-oo!”, Webby has had minimal social contact, making her socially awkward when meeting new people. It is hard to stop Webby from rambling and talking, as she is an excitable young girl.
11Launchpad McQuack
DuckTales
As Scrooge McDuck’s limo driver and later as his air and submarine pilot, Launchpad is a fearless and big-hearted person. Even though Launchpad is not a Carl Barks original character, he is still an endearing friend to the McDuck family.
12Dewey Duck
There are three trio members, but Dewey is the most adventurous and daring. He enjoys exploring and doing bold and exciting things to stand out, get noticed, and have fun.
It is not uncommon for Dewey to act impulsively, often without considering the consequences. To stand out among his brothers, Dewey seeks to do big extraordinary things to impress everyone around him.
13Louie Duck
Disney
Louie is always up for adventures with his family, especially when the treasure is involved. He is a laid-back, resourceful trickster. It is no secret that Louie is greedy and has an eye for treasure and money, like his great uncle Scrooge. Louie is sometimes lazy, careless, and adventurous, but he can also be caring and adventurous.
14Ludwig Von Drake
DuckTales
As an eccentric and quirky scientist, Ludwig helped Scrooge on many past adventures with his gadgets.
The Walt Disney Company created Ludwig Von Drake’s cartoon character in 1961. A paternal uncle, he is the brother of Donald Duck. His first appearance was as a presenter in Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color’s first episode, An Adventure in Color.
15Plucky Duck
Tiny Toon Adventures
A young, green male duck wearing a white tank top is named Plucky. In many ways, Plucky resembles his egotistical hero, Daffy Duck, his mentor and favorite teacher. An alumnus of Acme University and resident of Acme Acres, he studies at Acme University.
Plucky shares one similarity with Daffy: the classic gag from the “Hunter Trilogy.” In the trilogy, Daffy’s bill keeps coming off; Plucky’s bill comes off frequently. The same can be said of Plucky Duck, who, like Daffy Duck, can fly with his wings but rarely does so.
16NegaDuck
Show: Darkwing Duck
Air date: September 21, 1991
Episode number: 3
Darkwing Duck’s evil doppelganger Negaduck is a “Darkwing” or Negative/opposite Darkwing Duck native to the Negaverse. In addition to using violent weapons, he causes harm to anyone and everything he can reach. The title sequence has no similarity between him and Darkwing’s negativetron half.
His voice is provided by Jim Cummings, who was also the original actor of Darkwing Duck. Once again, Cummings voices him in the 2017 reboot.
17Yakky Doodle
The Yogi Bear Show
It is a tiny duckling with yellow feathers on its head and front of its body, green feathers on its wings, a black band on its neck, black eyes, black eyebrows, an orange bill, and orange webbed feet.
He wears a red-orange T-shirt with a white “Y” as part of the Yogi Yahooeys in the series, Laff-a-Lympics.
18Ming-Ming Duckling
The Wonder Pets
Duckling Ming-Ming is confident and outgoing. Although she can only get about 4 or 5 feet off the ground, she loves flying more than anything else.
Ming-Ming is often overzealous during the show and gets ahead of herself, which provides comic relief. Three-year-old Ming-Ming represents the developmental stage of a child.
19Howard Patka
Howard the Duck
Located on Duckworld, a planet with twin moons inhabited by anthropomorphic ducks like Earth, Howard the Duck is 27 years old.
Howard’s armchair suddenly propels him out of his apartment and into outer space. Howard eventually lands in Cleveland, Ohio, after hitting the ground reading PlayDuck.
When Howard arrives, he encounters a woman being attacked by thugs, whom he defeats with a unique martial arts style. Beverly Switzler introduces herself to Howard and offers him a place to stay at her apartment.
20Magica De Spell
Darkwing Duck, DuckTales
She is the descendant of a family of magicians that has produced many generations of sorceresses. The power and drive of Magica stand out even among those standards.
Her main goal is to develop an amulet to grant her the Midas Touch and return her brother, Poe, to his former self. This amulet can only be made with Scrooge McDuck’s Number One Dime.
21Count Duckula
Count Duckula
A subversion of the vampire trope, Count Duckula himself is based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, as his name implies.
Duckula is an accident-born vegetarian vampire duck. Because ketchup was substituted for blood when reincarnated, he has no bloodlust like his family and ancestors. Igor is disappointed by his cowardice and distaste for blood and gore.
22Morgana Macawber
Darkwing Duck
Transylvanian sorceress Morgana Macawber is powerful – albeit still needing improvement – a member of the reputable Macawber Family. After a few encounters with Darkwing Duck, she reformed after trying her hand at the criminal life to pay off her student loans.
23Wade Duck
Garfield and Friends
Wade is shown as a cowardly, paranoid, nervous, and pessimistic duck throughout the comic strip and television show. He is constantly afraid of everything, much to the annoyance of Orson and almost everyone else.
A psychiatrist at the farm has determined that he has 714 fears. Even though he is cowardly, he has shown courage at times, especially when his friends are in danger.
24Eric Duckman
Duckman
The film portrays Duckman as lazy, incompetent, self-serving, morally evil, and sexually deviant. As a parent and detective, he is also remarkably clueless, which makes the character very comical.
When his wife Beatrice died, she left their house to her sister Bernice to maintain a stable environment for her and Duckman’s three children: Ajax, Charles, and Mambo.
25Flintheart Glomgold
DuckTales
Businessman Flintheart is ruthless, dishonest, and deranged. His methods are the opposite of Scrooge’s; he will lie and cheat to win, with little concern for anyone else.
As far as he is concerned, all other individuals are only tools for achieving his goals. Duke Baloney (or Flintheart Glomgold) is an obsessive, vicious, murderous, greedy, dim grifter who gladly feigns loyalty when it means leading him to the treasure he is hunting at that moment.
26Quackerjack
Darkwing Duck
After the “Whiffle Boy” video game market expanded, he was forced out of business as a toymaker. Understandably, he dislikes Whiffle Boy videogames and merchandise in particular.
To fund his toymaking ventures, he robbed banks and used his toys to aid him in committing crimes. Although he has built many successful toys, he is a genius. His catchphrases are “It is playtime!” and “Playtime is over!”
27Abby Mallard
Chicken Little
Chicken Little is a 2005 Disney animated feature film featuring the Duck character named Abby Mallard as the deuteragonist. She has buckteeth, an orange beak, and orange feet. Two hairbands hold up her hair, and she wears a purple shirt with pink flowers and two hairbands representing an implied swan.
28Baby Huey
Noveltoons
Huey first appeared on screen in the 1950 Noveltoons short Quack a Doodle Doo. Several Famous Studios’ characters, including Katnip, were voiced by actor and comedian Sid Raymond.
29Della Duck
DuckTales
Although Della is missing in action, she is still an adventurous, high-spirited, daring, and headstrong woman who loves going on family adventures.
She has helped her family and others out of trouble in many early adventures, improving everyone around her. In addition to being a good-natured person, Della is also impulsive and mischievous. As a result of her dark sense of humor, she is referred to as a prankster in “The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!”.
30Rhoda Dendron
Darkwing Duck
Bushroot’s only friend at the university, Rhoda, often defends him when fellow scientists Dr. Gary and Dr. Larson bully him. Bushroot misinterprets her actions as evidence that she is romantically interested in him.
Rhoda is abducted from the university and taken to Bushroot’s greenhouse hideout. Using his plant transformation process, he plans to mutate her into a plant/duck hybrid like himself, but Darkwing Duck and Launchpad McQuack stop him.
31Mallard Fillmore
Mallard Fillmore
Bruce Tinsley wrote and illustrated Mallard Fillmore until 2019 and Loren Fishman since 2020. Since June 6, 1994, King Features Syndicate has syndicated the show.
As a conservative political reporter at the fictional television station WFDR in Washington, D.C., Mallard is an anthropomorphic green-plumaged duck. The name Mallard is a pun on Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States.
32Queer Duck
“Queer Duck: The Movie” is a distinctive, adult-oriented animated film released in 2006. The movie, known for its unique comedic take on LGBTQ+ themes, originates from the popular web series “Queer Duck.” The web series was a trailblazer in its own right, bringing forth LGBTQ+ characters in a light-hearted and humorous format.
The film was produced by Icebox.com, a renowned digital production company, in collaboration with Mishmash Media, Inc., a firm known for its innovative and impactful content.
33Poopy Face Tomato Nose
Family Guy
Peter Griffin created a television pilot called Handi-Quacks in “FOX-y Lady.” A series of humorous capers are enacted by three physically handicapped ducks named Poopyface Tomatonose, Colonel Tushfinger, and Red Hiney Monkey. Besides Bitchduck, there was also a leftover duck that looked like Lois.
34Dynamo Duck
The Adventures of Dynamo Duck
Created by Jean Tourane, the series has a French connection. For a children’s television series Saturnin le canard, he filmed adventures of the duckling Saturnin during the 1960s.
Real animals were dressed in a miniature world with sunglasses, hats, etc. According to the Internet Movie Database, the series aired on French television in 1964.
35Ace Duck (1987 TV series)
Ace Duck is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) universe character, first appearing in the original 1987 animated TV series. He’s a lesser-known character but holds a special place in the hearts of many fans.
Ace Duck is an anthropomorphic duck who, much like the Turtles, results from the strange and fantastic reality of the TMNT universe. His character is depicted as an adventurous pilot dressed in a classic aviator outfit with a leather jacket and goggles, a nod to the daring flyboys of yesteryears.