History WesternAnimation / AlfredJKwak

* AnAesop: It even has the animals.

* GreenAesop: Numerous examples.

To an adult viewer, the show may come off as a string of {{Anvilicious}} [[AnAesop Aesops]], including a fascist dictator called '[[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Dolf]]' and a land of black ducks and white geese where the latter oppress the former.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* {{Animesque}}: The series was animated by three Japanese animations studios (''Creator/TMSEntertainment'', ''Telescreen Japan'', and ''Teleimage'') during it's run. It's more notable with the way the characters are talking and Alfred frequently doing the HandBehindHead gesture common in anime.

* AndNowYouMustMarryMe: A rare [[GenderInvertedTrope gender-reversal]] when a WickedWitch tries to force Alfred to marry her. The witch actualy succeeds, [[spoiler:but it thankfully [[AllJustADream turns out to a nightmare]] Alfred was having.]]

* ArtEvolution: Harald Siperman's original design for [[https://pictures.abebooks.com/isbn/9783551716026-us.jpg Alfred resembled Donald Duck]]. In a 1985 back cover for the German audio of it's live performance. [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81mboHQUCtL._SX522_.jpg Henk and The King had very different designs]] before the 1989 series began production.

** In the Finnish dub, Dolf's name is Korppi (Finnish for [[ADogNamedDog raven]]) and the National Crows Party is Kansallinen Korppipuolue (Finnish for "National Raven Party").

* WillTheyOrWontThey: Alfred and Winnie. [[spoiler: {{They Do}} in episode 39.]]

** There's also Pikkie, translated as "Grabbie", a friend of Alfred's who's affable and easy-going, but due to being a [[ThievingMagpie magpie]] has an unfortunate penchant for taking/stealing shiny stuff, which usually results in a lot of trouble for everyone involved. A better translation for his name would be "Pecker", which [[LuckyTranslation actually conveys all three possible Dutch meanings]]: "to peck with a beak", "to steal something away" and "[[UnfortunateCharacterDesign tiny penis]]".

* GagBoobs: The witch, when transforming herself into a gorgeous duck to seduce Alfred, becomes rather... exceptionally well-endowed.

* NiceHat:
** Igor wears a stylish, sparrow-sized fedora as part of his standard outfit.
** Professor Paljas' standard look also includes a NiceHat of his own.
** As a reward for dealing with the Evil Genie Of Darkness, Alfred is given a fancy turban complete with a sparkling diamond.
** Inspector Holmes wears a sweet hat of his own as part of the grizzled detective look he has going on.
** As the president of the National Crows Party, Dolf wears a red and gold bicorne with the NCP pin on the side.

* GenderBender: Ollie the Stork in the Dutch dub is referred to as female in the first handful of episoders, but as male in later ones, while keeping the same (female) voice actor. It may seem like a goof-up, but WordOfGod confirms he's a female to male transgender. Most other dubs stick with one gender.

* AdultFear: All of Alfred's adventures often cause Henk to fear for his life, especially after what happened to the rest of the Kwak family.

* FreudianExcuse: Sort of; Dolf had a rather crappy childhood. It's made relatively clear though that a crappy childhood ''excuses'' nothing. After all, Alfred himself had a relatively crappy childhood too.

* EvilCounterpart: Dolf to Alfred. They both experience traumas during childhood — Alfred loses his parents and siblings too soon after he hatched and ends up ''twice'' in a cell on ungrounded charges, while Dolf has serious issues with his origins (see ParentalIssues below). Dolf bullies Alfred for being raised by a mole while dying his yellow beak black out of fear of being bullied himself. At adulthood, both birds prove themselves to be highly capable and charismatic, but unlike Dolf, Alfred doesn't let his past traumas to influence his presence and justify selfish and evil acts.

** A more subtle one happens somwhere between episode 25 and episode 27. Ollie, last seen in 25 as a university student is a successfull lawyer in 27 and in the same arc we learn that Wannes now has a nephew in Atrique.

* UnfortunateNames: Pikkie. His name is a pun on "pikken", a Dutch slang term for stealing (because he can't resist stealing shiny objects). Unfortunately, Pikkie is also a Dutch slang term for [[spoiler: a small penis.]]

* SpaceDoesNotWorkThatWay: When floating around in zero gravity, professor Paljas points out to Alfred that he can simply swim around as if he were underwater. Also, the professor's flying windmill, while equipped with a rocket engine, also makes use of the helicopter blades on top to maneuver in space.

** During the early years of the franchise (specially before Harald Sieperman became the illustrator for the characters from 1985 till his death in Feburary 2013). Between 1976 till 1985, Alfred alongside the other cast of animals weren't anthropomorphic. Instead they had more realistic designs and capable of speaking like humans.
** The original version of "Spetter Pieter Patter" (known as "Plitscher, Plätscher, Feder" in Germany) was much shorter. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDaRe8u8Doc The current version]] heard in the series' intro which included Van Veen humming and an instrumental section wouldn't get added until 1985 when the musical gained an overhaul.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: It seems like Alfred's house was originally suposed to be [[https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/vLUAAOSwmIZfkDG5/s-l400.jpg an egg]].

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: It seems like Alfred's house was originally suposed to be [[https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/vLUAAOSwmIZfkDG5/s-l400.jpg an egg]].

To an adult viewer, the show may come off as a string of {{Anvilicious}} [[AnAesop Aesops]], including a fascist dictator called '[[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Dolf]]' and a land of black ducks and white geese where the latter oppress the former. However, SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped.

* AnimatedAdaptation: The series is an animated adaptation of both the 1987 comic series by Harald Siepermann, [[https://haraldsiepermann.com/2018/02/18/alfred-j-kwak-comic-book-31st-anniversary/ which was itself a comic adaptation of the one-man musical]] starring Herman Van Veen.
* AdaptationDistillation / AdaptationExpansion: The show expands greatly upon the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BasYtaPE7WQ&t=2837s original 1976 one-man musical]]. The musical itself was roughly adapted into episode 21 of the show ("The King Takes A Loan"). There are considerable differences; some of the musical's more outlandish characters (among other things, a [[AnimateInanimateObject Flamboyant talking french ladder]] and a [[GeniusLoci sentient river]]) were taken out. In the musical, the king was the BigBad and Alfred ends up becoming the new king. In the show, the episode directly leads up to the infamous Emperor Dolf arc.

* AllMythsAreTrue: Many times when Alfred and professor Paljas end up chasing after some old legend, it turns out to be exactly true. Averted in Atlantis' case; its inhabitants have been around for so long that even they're not sure whether the legend of their city's creation is true or not.