Count Duckula

In the heart of Transylvania In the Vampire Hall of Fame, yeah There's not a vampire zanier than Duckula! He won't bite beast or man, Cause he's a vegetarian, And things never run to plan for Duckula! If you're looking for some fun You can always count upon The wild and wacky one they call Duckula! Count Duckula!

Count Duckula was an animated series by Cosgrove Hall, the creators of Danger Mouse. Indeed, the title character originally appeared as a bad guy on Danger Mouse, but on his own show he was a fairly amiable vegetarian with aspirations of fame and world travel. As the opening sequence of each episode explains, there was a slip-up in the performance of a ceremony that allowed the count to come Back From the Dead whenever he was killed, where tomato ketchup was mistakenly used instead of blood.

And so, with his butler Igor (not The Igor, but instead a sarcastic hunchbacked vulture who wished his master would act more like a traditional vampire) and his maid Nanny (a hulking, dim but loveable hen with a bad habit of going through doorways without opening them first) in tow, Count Duckula would travel the world, running afoul (excuse the pun) of all manner of folks, including Dr. Von Goosewing, a bumbling vampire hunter who refused to believe Duckula was anything but a threat.

Tropes used in Count Duckula include:

• Accent Adaptation: In the German dub of Count Duckula the German accent of Dr. Von Goosewing is dubbed into modern Saxon dialect, which has always been the Butt Monkey of the german dialects. The pirate pinguins talk in very strong low german from the regions where most major ports of Germany are located.
• Artifact of Doom: Igor sometimes tries to get Duckula to find these in the hope that they'll bring him back to "The Good Old Days". (The Mystic Saxaphone from the first episode being a good example.) They never work though.
• Black Sheep: The eponymous Count.
• Catch Phrase: The Narrator's closing remark "Goodnight out there... whatever you are!")
  • Nanny: I'll get it!
  • Usually followed by Duckula saying "Igor, order another door."
    • or "Close the wall behind you, Nanny."
  • Don't forget Nanny's archetypal cry of 'MY DUCKYPOOS' in reference to the eponymous vampire duck.
• Came Back Wrong: Inverted Trope - Count Duckula was an evil, murderous vampire who, after a botched resurrection ritual, came back right.
  • Well, from Igor's perspective the trope is played straight...
• Deadpan Snarker: Igor.
• Expository Theme Tune
• Falling Chandelier of Doom: Too bad Igor relied upon Nanny to trigger it.
• Finger-Snap Lighter: Igor is capable of doing it.
• Friendly Neighborhood Vampire: Though the titular Duckula is as friendly as they come, the previous Counts most certainly were not.
• Funny Foreigner: Used repeatedly in the traveling-the-world episodes, especially the Frenchmen...er, -ducks...Gaston et Pierre)
• Gentle Giant: Nanny.
  • About as gentle as Lenny, anyway...
• Getting Crap Past the Radar - In the first episode, "No Sax Please, We're Egyptian", Count Duckula is singing the "Drunken Sailor" sea shanty with Humite and Yubi. They stop before getting to the mature verses. Mind you, it's not a song for CHILDREN.
  • And on top of that, The episode title itself is a reference to a play in London called "No Sex Please, We're British."
  • In "There Are Werewolves at the Bottom of Our Garden" Dr.Von Goosewing trips over the cords of his moon simulator, muttering "Goden Damnavou,you stupid cord!"
• The Ghost: Von Goosewing's assistant, Heinrich.
  • The show actually seems to imply that Heinrich doesn't exist at all, and Goosewing is delusional. The comic adaptation clears this up somewhat; he used to have an assistant named Heinrich, who was always threatening to quit. Apparently he did, and Goosewing didn't notice.
• Hammerspace: Nanny's sling.
• Heroic BSOD: Duckula has a small one when he faces a group of sentient vegetables, and they start accusing him of hate crimes.
• The Hunter: Von Goosewing.
• Inspector Javert: Also Von Goosewing.
• Inopportune Voice Cracking: Igor does this sometimes in the German dub.
• Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: Tremendous Terrance for Dan Dare.
  • Also, there's more than a bit of Bluebottle in Pierre's character.
• Limited Wardrobe: Notable in Nanny always wearing her arm in a medical sling for some reason.
• Long Title: One episode is titled, "Return of the Curse of the Secret of the Mummy's Tomb Meets Franken Duckula's Monster..."
• Mouthful of Pi
• The Nth Doctor: Not with a replacement actor, but a few episodes revolved around the fact that Duckula's ancestors were actually him, and he just comes back slightly different every time he is resurrected. This latest incarnation is just particularly unique due to the ketchup mishap.
• Poirot Speak: Gaston et Pierre speak as though applying French grammar to English:

Pierre: What is it that it is that you are referring to, mah Gaston?

• Secret Underground Passage: In the comics, Von Goosewing makes one of these into Duckula's castle. Subverted in that Igor and Duckula are fully aware of the fact that he's doing this and occasionally entertain themselves by watching him dig his 'secret' tunnel.
• Sliding Scale of Vampire Friendliness: Very, very friendly.
  • In early episodes at least, Duckula was unaware that he was a vampire, or of what a vampire even is.

Duckula: Hold on, how can I be my own father?

• Spin-Off: The show was itself a Spin-Off of Danger Mouse, but also Gaston et Pierre were modified slightly and given their own series as Victor And Hugo.
  • Additionally there was a Duckula / Victor and Hugo crossover episode.
• Teleporters and Transporters: The castle is capable of teleporting itself around the world, but must return to Transylvania by dawn Transylvanian time. Some episodes revolve around Duckula trying to con people into buying it and the castle then vanishing.
• There Was a Door and We Have the Keys: Nanny.
• This Is a Work of Fiction: The cartoon disclaims any resemblance to persons "living, dead, or undead".
• Trailers Always Lie: Well, sort of. The closing credits make Duckula out to be a traditional bloodsucking-type vampire.
• Uberwald
• Van Helsing Hate Crimes: Von Goosewing is trying to kill a vegetarian vampire merely because he's a vampire.
• Vegetarian Vampire: Duh. One of the most blatantly literal uses of the trope.
  • I'm a vegetarian, said to a group of intelligent vegetables.
• White Sheep
• Who's on First?: Hoomite Yubi?
  • Who, Ra? And Upshi rises! Who, Ra? And Upshi rises! Who, Ra? And Upshi rises! Early in the mornin'
• You Monster!:

Von Goosewing: Duckula! Your Days Are Numbered! Soon, you monster, you will be no more!