The cartoon "Ducktales" is about an old miser, Scrooge McDuck, who is the richest man in the world. He's rather greedy about making money, and seems almost to be in love with the stuff. He even keeps all his money stored in a huge building that he calls his "moneybin", and he actually likes going for swims in his money.

I was just thinking, the character of Scrooge McDuck is a pretty good reflection of the mentality of the 80s. It was the decade when stockbrokers were thought of as superheroes, and making money was the primary pursuit of society in general. The quest for material possessions and status symbols was paramount, and greed was considered to be good. Scrooge McDuck epitomizes all that perfectly.

And when Scrooge's three nephews, Hooey, Dooey and Looey, move in with him, he's forced to move away from his love of money and concentrate more on his relationship with them instead. This was ultimately the struggle of the 80s quest for monetary gain, to reconcile the pursuit of material possessions with intangible things like family and human relationships.

The cartoon "Ducktales" is about an old miser, Scrooge McDuck, who is the richest man in the world. He's rather greedy about making money, and seems almost to be in love with the stuff. He even keeps all his money stored in a huge building that he calls his "moneybin", and he actually likes going for swims in his money.

I was just thinking, the character of Scrooge McDuck is a pretty good reflection of the mentality of the 80s. It was the decade when stockbrokers were thought of as superheroes, and making money was the primary pursuit of society in general. The quest for material possessions and status symbols was paramount, and greed was considered to be good. Scrooge McDuck epitomizes all that perfectly.

And when Scrooge's three nephews, Hooey, Dooey and Looey, move in with him, he's forced to move away from his love of money and concentrate more on his relationship with them instead. This was ultimately the struggle of the 80s quest for monetary gain, to reconcile the pursuit of material possessions with intangible things like family and human relationships.
Perhaps Scrooge McDuck can be seen as the poster boy of 80's greed, but he is actually much older than that. I remember seeing him and Huey (Hooey?!? I don't mean to pick on you, but that's just funny! ;D), Dewey, and Louie in comic books back in the 70's; and after doing a little research I found that Scrooge and his nephews actually date back to the late 1940's.

He's older than that, he made his first appearance in 1947.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooge_McDuck

I think Michael Douglas's character in Wall Street, Gordon Gekko, best symbolizes the materialism and greed of the 80's.

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/275/4303/640/Gordon%20Gekko.jpg

He's older than that, he made his first appearance in 1947.


Exactly.  And for "DuckTales", they actually toned him down quite a lot from his earlier version.

I think that a more fitting example would be Tony Montana.  Now that cat has everything that was used to excess in the 1980's.

Exactly.  And for "DuckTales", they actually toned him down quite a lot from his earlier version.

I think that a more fitting example would be Tony Montana.  Now that cat has everything that was used to excess in the 1980's.


I would have to agree with you on that on. Both Tony Montana and Gordon Gekko are prime examples of greed used to excess in the 80's.

How about Montgomery Brewster from Brewster's Millions?  Make Millions by giving it all away  ;D

  I spent my lucky dime on two pieces of gum in 1981.  The duck was smart !

  I spent my lucky dime on two pieces of gum in 1981.  The duck was smart !


He did horde alot of money...  ;D

Yes, I am well aware that Scrooge McDuck and all the Classic Disney characters have been around since the first half of the twentieth century. But he was resurrected and recreated in the 80s specifically for "Ducktales", so he can be considered as being of that time period as well.

And anyway, the human qualities of greed and avarice were around before the 80s, though they're considered as having a uniquely special place in that decade.

This, I think, makes Scrooge an appealing character.  We've all been trapped by greed at one point or another, and we can see our own failings in his ambition for wealth.  And yet underneath the lust for money is a vulnerable person who wants to be loved, even if he doesn't realize it. 

I think Michael Douglas's character in Wall Street, Gordon Gekko, best symbolizes the materialism and greed of the 80's.

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/275/4303/640/Gordon%20Gekko.jpg


I agree - what a great movie  :)  Part was played perfectly

yeah, scrooge goes way back, and i bet the "toning down" he went through for ducktales, as somebody pointed out, is what really symbolizes 80s greed...

Even though he was from the 90's, I also say Mr. Burns from The Simpsons....  ::)  ;D

Charles Keating and the Keating Five, and those other clowns who were selling junk bonds.

I can think of a lot more greedier and more publicized people of the 80's:

Donald Trump

Yeah, he was many people.