Send in the Clones is the sixth episode of Season 1 of DuckTales 1987 and the first regular episode of the series. It aired on September 21, 1987 on syndication.
Synopsis[]
Everyone begins seeing double when Magica DeSpell gets the Beagle Boys to help her steal the Number One Dime, disguising them as the nephews.
Plot[]
Magica De Spell is after Scrooge's Number One Dime, so that she can melt it down and merge it with her amulet, which will grant her enough power to take over the world (and return her brother back to normal). To help her in stealing the dime, Magica helps the Beagle Boys (Big Time, Babyface, and Burger) escape from jail.
The next morning at McDuck Manor, Scrooge awaits the arrival of Webra Walters, a reporter from Duckweek Magazine, while Huey, Dewey, and Louie go to the movies to see Invasion of the Quacker Snatchers. While the nephews are gone, Magica and the Beagle Boys show up outside the house. Magica then turns Burger, Bigtime and Babyface into exact doubles of Huey, Dewey and Louie, respectively, but with one catch - mirrors will reflect their true forms.
The disguised Beagle Boys infiltrate the mansion. Big Time and Babyface split up from Burger while they search for the dime. Mrs. Beakley, however, forces them to dress up for when Webra Walters arrives, but she sees their true reflections in a mirror and passes out. They then meet up with Burger, who's having a tea party with Webby, and ruin her Quacky Patch doll before continuing their search for the dime.
When Miss Walters arrives, Scrooge is anxious to give her a proper interview, but Mrs. Beakley and Webby embarrass him due to their reactions to the Beagle Boys' antics. Then, when the Beagle Boys blow up the ceiling of Scrooge's study, Scrooge Scrooge takes Miss Walter to the other room instead of his ceiling. When Scrooge sends the Beagle Boys to the nephews' room, with Duckworth guarding the door, they yells at Magica, that they're being trapped. Magica learns of this and turns herself into a double of Mrs. Beakley in order to get the Beagle Boys escape from the nephews' room.
Dewey and Louie split up from Huey and find the disguised Burger, who isn't behaving like Huey at all. Magica runs into Mrs. Beakley and magically renders her unconscious. Meanwhile, Huey runs into the disguised Big Time and Babyface, and unintentionally leads them to the dime. Magica finds them, turns herself back to normal, and plans to go back to her lair, bringing the real Mrs. Beakley with them. On the way back to the lair, Magica undoes the spell she cast on the Beagle Boys earlier, which affects Burger, even though he's still at the mansion. Upon being returned to his normal form, Burger confesses what's really going on to Scrooge, so Scrooge takes him, Dewey and Louie in his helicopter to Magica’s lair, while Webra "tags along".
At Magica's lair, as Magica prepares to melt down the dime, while Huey and Mrs. Beakley are tied up off to the side. Huey uses his knot untying skills to get out of the rope and steals a potion, which he uses to get Magica and the Beagle Boys’ attention (and ends up turning Magica's hair into a sparkly aqua-green brush). Soon Huey, Mrs. Beakley, Magica and the Beagle Boys get into a potion fight involving many transformations. In the end, Magica turns everyone back to normal and holds Huey hostage as Scrooge and the others arrive. Scrooge explains that the dime that Magica has isn't the actual Number One Dime, and that he'll offer her the real dime if she lets Huey go. She agrees, but Huey knocks both dimes out of Scrooge and Magica’s hands, mixing them up. Thinking that she has the real dime now, Magica and the Beagle Boys prepare to take over the world.
On the way home from Magica’s lair, Scrooge explains the mix-up to Miss Walters. He then explains that he pulled the old switcheroo on Magica, and wound up with the real lucky dime, while Magica has a normal one. An explosion then occurs from Magica's lair, as she attempted to melt the normal dime. Magica, furious at being fooled, swears that she will have her revenge. They laugh saying "She gets too carried away!".
Cast[]
- June Foray as Magica De Spell
- Joan Gerber as Mrs. Beakley and Webra Walters
- Chuck McCann as Burger Beagle
- Terry McGovern as Babyface Beagle
- Russi Taylor as Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck and Webby Vanderquack
- Frank Welker as Big Time Beagle and Poe
- Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck
Video releases[]
VHS
- "DuckTales: Masked Marauders" (US release)
- "DuckTales: High Sea Adventures" (International release)
Laserdisc
- "DuckTales: Fearless Fortune Hunters / Masked Marauders" (US release)
DVD
- "DuckTales: Volume 1" (Reg. 1)
- "DuckTales: 1st Collection" (Reg. 2)
- "DuckTales: Volumes 1-3" (Reg. 4)
Adaptations[]
- Picture book: "Masters of the Genie and Send in the Clones"
Trivia[]
- This episode's title is a play on the song "Send in the Clowns" by Stephen Sondheim.
- This episode marks Magica De Spell's first appearance in animation. This also marks the first appearance of Babyface Beagle, the youngest of the Beagle Boys.
- When Magica zaps Mrs. Beakley unconscious, she shouts "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!", in reference to the song from Cinderella.
- This episode has several snippets that are used in the 1987 theme, including Magica and Poe laughing and Huey scurrying up the wall away from the beagle boys.