“Hello, 'dere'! Professor Ludwig Von Drake, here. Certified scientist, and all-around expert on brilliant things!”―Ludwig Von Drake
Professor Ludwig Von Drake (voiced by Paul Frees, then Walker Edmiston, and now Corey Burton currently) is a world renowned scientist, psychiatrist, and lecturer, Ludwig is incredibly wacky, somewhat bumbling, and as he puts it "Cooky!". He is known for being extremely intelligent and more than likely to know nearly everything about a certain topic ranging from science to music. During many of his classic lectures, Ludwig was known to get sidetracked rather quickly, with the end results being a comical shenanigan. Most of the professor's time is spent creating an array of magnificent inventions meant to make life easier for both himself and the world. However, more often than not does one of the professors inventions go off the deep end. He also has a habit of having every invention's naming beginning with "The Von Drake" heading. A notable recurring goal for the professor has been to discover the source of his nephew Donald's temper tantrums. His catchphrase is "Hello there!", which he has been known to shout when greeting someone or at the beginning of one of his cartoons. Ludwig has a fascination with knowledge. Since his youth he has been trying to obtain as many diplomas, in any science, as possible. He is often shown as having little social competence, however, and is often portrayed as being very forgetful, sometimes even somewhat senile. In the comics Ludwig usually visits with Donald Duck and Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. On occasion, Daisy Duck would coax (or even trick) the professor into giving lectures and tours for her ladies' club. Sometimes Ludwig and Gyro Gearloose have competed to see who is the greater inventor.