Quiet - Rare Bird Nesting!

 A funny-looking bird with blue-green feathers and an extravagant hairstyle can be seen at Camp Woodchuck Kitchen, a restaurant in the Tokyo Disneyland theme park:

Yes, it's the Tri-Crested Tittertwill. But where exactly did it come from? You might think that it was created for the park, as so many characters are - but you'd be wrong. No, the Tittertwill actually showed up long before - in 1988, as a matter of fact!

So, where did the bird make its debut? In a comic by John Antrobus, Dave Angus, and famed Duck comic artist Vicar (Víctor José Arriagada Ríos).

In the story, titled Assignment Birdwatch (also printed as Protective Cacophony), Huey, Dewey, and Louie (high-ranking Junior Woodchucks all) are tasked with guarding a rare bird - you guessed it, the Tri-Crested Tittertwill - mostly by keeping the area where it's made its nest quiet.

Sound familiar?

As a matter of fact, that very sign appears in the comic story, nearly identical to the one that can be seen in the park:

And how about the bird itself?

Not quite identical, you say? True... but this is a female Tittertwill, you see, while the animatronic we see in the park is male. And how do we know this?

There she is!

So... how exactly did this obscure creature from one little-known comic become such an important character in a park attraction? I... don't really know for certain, although I'll hazard a guess below.

First, though, an interesting thing to note is that, although this comic was originally published in Danish and has since been printed in many other languages in addition to the English translation, the designers working on Camp Woodchuck Kitchen were clearly working from the English version.

How do we know? Well, for one thing, the name "Tri-Crested Tittertwill" itself comes from the English version of the comic and is not used in the others - in the German printing, for example, the bird is referred to as a rare type of vulture. And the identical "Quiet!" sign is another giveaway.

Also, as can be seen on the sign above, "Garckle", "Graak", and "Gickle-Geek" are all among the calls of the Tittertwill- and all of them are used exclusively in the English version of the comic.

And the mountain upon which the Tittertwill lives is called Pickpocket Peak in the English version - and, as you'll see in the map featured on the sign above, that is indeed listed as the home of Tri-Crested Tittertwill.

That map contains many other continuity references to Duck comics, as well. Which means that someone who worked on Camp Woodchuck was probably a fan, which might explain exactly they happened upon this story, and why the Tittertwill holds such a place of prominence in the attraction.

Consider the Woodchuck theming of the book pictured up above. A Duck comic fan working on a Woodchuck-themed attraction would be likely to seek out one of the many Duck comics about the Woodchucks for reference. And wouldn't that particular book seem like an obvious choice? A distinctive creature like the Tittertwill which featured therein would probably have been picked out as a good choice to use in the attraction.

I wouldn't be surprised if that book was one of the primary reference materials used while creating the Kitchen. And Assignment Birdwatch's inclusion therein likely led to the Tittertwill's current status as mascot of Camp Woodchuck Kitchen.

That's the tale of the origins of the Tri-Crested Tittertwill - and if anyone has any other information on the subject, I'd love to hear it! There may be more to the story.

And, speaking once again of that fabled bird, I suppose I should let it end this entry with a final word.

Tittertwill?

Lovely!