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Queer Duck

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Queer Duck was an animated series that originally appeared on Icebox.com in 1999, and later moved to the American cable television channel Showtime in 2002, where it aired as a followup feature of the American version of Queer as Folk. Although far from being the first homosexual cartoon character, Queer Duck was the first animated TV series to have homosexuality as its predominant theme. Like several later television cartoons, Queer Duck was animated in Macromedia Flash.

Cast

The title character (voiced by Jim J. Bullock) is a homosexual anthropomorphic duck who works as a nurse. His boyfriend, the indigent artist Openly Gator (voice by Kevin Michael Richardson, in the style of Harvey Fierstein), is shy and insecure. Their friends throughout the series are Bi Polar Bear (voice by Ren & Stimpy/Futurama actor Billy West, in the style of Paul Lynde) and the urbane Oscar Wildcat (veteran voice actor Maurice LaMarche).

Recurring supporting characters include Queer Duck's in-denial mother (played by Estelle Harris, George's mother on Seinfeld) and the group's nemesis, Dr. Laura Schlessinger (played by prolific voice actress Tress MacNeille).

The show was created and written by Mike Reiss, executive producer of network cartoons The Simpsons and The Critic. The animation was directed and designed by Xeth Feinberg.

Recurring themes

Although each four-minute episode stands by itself rather than being part of a larger narrative, several themes and events occur through the 20-episode series. Queer Duck reveals his homosexuality to his parents in the first episode. In the course of the series, Queer Duck and Openly Gator get married, and it's revealed that Queer Duck has a lesbian sister. In another episode, he has a brother and a nephew. Queer Duck also meets Santa Claus and attends Mardi Gras.

Much like The Critic, Queer Duck features numerous cameo appearances by celebrities, whose voices are impersonated by the cast. In addition to Dr. Laura, the Queer Duck gang encounter Bob Hope, Jack Nicholson, Cary Grant, and in particular Barbra Streisand, with whom Queer Duck is obsessed. These celebrities are the only human characters, all other characters are anthropomorphic animals like Duck and his friends, except for one episode where a Ku Klux Klansman is unmasked to reveal that it's really Jerry Falwell.

Other Characters

  • Truman Coyote, a paradoy of Truman Capote
  • K.Y. Jellyfish, a parody of the brand of sex lubricant K.Y. Jelley
  • Ricky Marlin, a parody of Ricky Martin
  • Dr. Ben Swine (a psychiatrist)
  • H.I.V. Possum, A play on word with HIV, the Human Imunodeficiency Virus

Trivia

  • The theme song is performed by drag icon RuPaul.
  • The show's music composer, Sam Elwitt, produced a CD of Muzak-style Ramones songs, under the name the Nutley Brass.
  • Part of the opening shows Queer Duck traipsing across a green hill, in a parody of a similar scene in the film The Sound of Music.
  • Due to its adult themes, Queer Duck is rated TV-14 in the US.
  • Queer Duck was voted #94 in a 100 Greatest Cartoons program on Channel 4 in the UK.

The Movie

Queer Duck: the Movie, an all-new feature film, was released on DVD July 18, 2006. The film reunites the original creators and cast of Queer Duck, plus special guest stars Conan O'Brien, Tim Curry, Bruce Vilanch, and David Duchovny as "Tiny Jesus".[1] Gay-themed channel Logo premiered the film on July 16.

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