List of characters in Alfred J. Kwak

The following is a list of characters in the television series Alfred J. Kwak.

Alfred
Alfred J. Kwak is a duck. As a kid he lives in a giant clog with his family, later on he lives with his adoptive father Henk in a clog-shaped house. He is very concerned with other people. Although he has gone through a lot of sad things, his favourite song is 'Ik ben vandaag zo vrolijk' (I'm so happy today).

Dolf
Dolf is Alfred's nemesis and first appears in episode 4. In the first episode Dolfs parents, a crow and a blackbird, can be seen making disparaging comments on the eggs of Alfred's mother. Both are dressed in traditional German garment. The father wears Lederhosen, a feathered hat and, in the Dutch original, speaks with a heavy German accent, while Dolfs mother is seen in a dirndl outfit.

Dolf gradually develops from a mere naughty schoolboy, to a merciless dictator, an arms dealer, a reckless politician, and overall criminal. Though the show clearly portrays Dolfs acts as inherently negative and wrong, it also provides the background on how Dolf became who he is. For example, when a child, Dolf is prone to blame others for problems in which he too played a role. Dolf can also be seen to express a sense of self hate and poor self image; as he is disgusted by the fact that he is only part crow, and paints his orange beak black to disguise his true identity. When Alfred accidentally finds out about this, he cannot understand why Dolf is so ashamed and urges him to drop the secret and tell others about it. Dolf however is petrified and convinced that his friends will make fun of him, and makes Alfred swear he will never tell anyone about it.

Episode 22 through 25 are essentially an allegory of the rise and fall of Fascism/Nazism, with Dolf himself, though wearing a Napoleonic uniform, as a clear caricature of Adolf Hitler. It begins with Dolf returning from abroad, in a train with Austrian markings, and meeting up with his friends. He then discusses the current political climate in Great Waterland, and expresses disgust of it. Dolf then decides to found a political party, the later National Crows Party, for which he goes to Alfred to lend money. he explains his ideas, but Alfred refuses and Dolf barges out of Alfred's house in a fit of rage. Alfred and Henk express their fear of Dolf, but Henk reassures Alfred that Dolf will never gather enough money to fund his indented party. Not much later however, Dolf inherits a huge fortune. He found his party, which trough promising employment and change, quickly becomes a major and powerful political movement. Dolf eventually stages a coup d'etat and takes over the country. Political opponents, including Alfred, are imprisoned on the charge of high treason. Alfred and his friends barely escape and flee abroad to the neighboring country of Great reedland. Not much later the King of Great Waterland himself flees as well, and Dolf proclaims himself Emperor Dolf I. Alfred and the other political dissidents however devised a plan to dispose of Dolf and steal Dolfs inheritances from the vaults of his palace. Without his money, Dolf's power quickly dwindles and he is imprisoned.

Dolf is eventually released from prison, and makes as an appearance illegal arms dealer and general criminal in further episodes. In the 43rd and 44th episodes, the King has decided to abdicate and for the first time democratic elections are held. Dolf once again attempts to rule Great Waterland as one of the three official candidates. He cunningly withdraws his entry as one of the other candidates is much more popular than he is. He then pays Lispel the Jellyfish to causes a huge flood in Great Waterland. Dolf then publicly gives away all his money to help the victims; sky rocketing his popularity and prompting his reentry in the presidential race. He then, in an attempt to get rid of any compromising evidence, tries to kill Lispel, who escapes and, though heavily wounded, tells Alfred the truth on the flood.

Dolf is once again imprisoned, yet after his release again continues his life of crime. In the final two episodes, Dolf becomes the henchman of an oil magnate who is attempting to get his hands on the blueprints of a environmentally friendly fuel, invented by Professor Buffon. After a fight, in which Dolf attempts to kill Alfred by pushing his car of the road, Dolf is again captured and is sentenced to be imprisoned for 26 years. This time however, he escapes, aided by a former member of his Crows Party, and takes Winnie, Alfreds girlfriend, hostage. In the series finale, and after a manic hunt, Alfred finds and defeats Dolf.

Supporting characters

 * Henk is a mole. He raised Alfred after his family died. In the Israeli version he is called Hafi, a shortcut for "Hafarperet" - the Hebrew word for "mole".


 * Winnie is a black duck and Alfred's girlfriend. In the Dutch version she speaks Afrikaans.


 * Professor Paljas is an interdisciplinary academic. He is a polar bear, talking with a German accent. In the UK and Israeli versions he is called Professor Buffon.
 * Ollie is Alfred's close school-friend, a stork who grows up to be a lawyer, and later, after the defeat of Dolf, the first democratically elected president of Groot Waterland (Great Waterland).
 * Pikkie is an another friend of Alfred's from his schooldays. A magpie, Pikkie is prone to stealing shiny objects, a trait which often lands his friends in trouble. Pikkie is called Stibitzi in the German version, Ruby in the Israeli version, and Grabbie in the UK version.
 * Franz Ferdinand is a lion and the king of Groot-Waterland, the country in which Alfred lives. He is a well meaning, yet lazy and incompetent monarch, with no interest in politics. He is named after the real historical figure Franz Ferdinand.
 * Lispel is a sinister jellyfish and a spy working for the mayor of the city. As his name suggests, he talks with a lisp.