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Bernice Florence Hufnagel, often referred to as Aunt Bernice, is one of the main characters of Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man. She is Duckman's buxom and opinionated sister-in-law who takes any opportunity to undercut his authority.
Character[]
Bernice was described by Dr. Susan Fox as "a domineering mother figure who delights in cruelly emasculating the men in her life." She is the identical triplet of Beatrice and Beverly. She is a fanatic fitness buff and hates Duckman with a passion, often mocking him alongside her signature cackling laugh.
Though she loathes and reviles their father, Bernice is very loving to her nephews and is considered to be their primary caretaker. Despite this, Duckman views her as an abrasive, domineering, self-righteous shrew who constantly tries to control his life.
Despite being physically identical to his wife, Duckman harbors no physical attraction to her. In fact, when she ordered him to lotion her back, he put a glove on his hand and expressed disgust. However, they once engaged in sex while intoxicated.
She eventually was appointed as a congresswoman, because her family values came to popular light by destroying her singing career for her nephews. She was concerned about leaving them with Duckman, until Beverly found her way to the family. So she left them in Beverly's care, still visiting home occasionally to catch up.
Official Character Bios[]
DVD Bio[]
On the Duckman DVD collection, her bio was given as the following;
- Duckman's sister-in-law, his deceased wife, Beatrice's, identical twin sister
- Forced by her deceased sister's final wishes to live in a house with Duckman
- Homemaker/Fitness buff/Overachiever
- Community activist
- Primary caretaker of Duckman's sons, her beloved nephews, Ajax, Charles and Mambo
Aunt Bernice Loves:
- Wearing spandex
- The latest exercise trends
- Multi-tasking
- Beating up Duckman
- Pointing out Duckman's many shortcomings to him and anyone else who will listen
- Caring for her nephews and comatose mother
Aunt Bernice Hates
- Duckman. Passionately.
- Calories
Cooltoons2.com Character Bio[]
On Klasky Csupo's flash website, Bernice's bio is given as the following;
Aunt Bernice is Duckman's sister-in-law. Because she blames him for the death of his wife, Bernice hates Duckman with a passion. She would like nothing more than to see him fail or get in over his head on one of his investigations. Too bad she has to live with him! Bernice is a fitness freak, always trying out the latest exercise trend to keep her body fit and muscular. To Duckman's kids Ajax, Charles and Mambo, she is considered to be their primary caretaker, since their father is usually either running off on a dangerous case or dealing with a dangerous case of the runs. Bernice does have a soft spot though... she never fails to show her appreciation to anyone who can show up her no good brother-in-law.
Family and Relationships[]
Eric Duckman[]
Bernice yelling at Duckman.
Bernice moved in with Duckman to help raise his children after Beatrice's death, as Beatrice's will granted her custody of the children and the deed to the family's house. She would appear to have nothing but contempt for Duckman, a sentiment he very much returns. She has no patience for his irresponsibility and sexual deviance.
When Bernice moved in, she kicked Duckman out of the master bedroom he had shared with Beatrice and took it over herself. She constantly tells him he is a bad role model and a bad father to his children. She is consistently disrespectful and belittling towards him, something she encourages the children to do as well. Bernice has not seemed to have lowered Ajax's opinion of Duckman, but it's hinted that her influence greatly devalued Charles' and Mambo's view of their father. It is later suggested that, although Ajax joins in on insulting Duckman, he doesn't fully understand it.
Despite all of this, Bernice does seem to have some sort of love for Duckman deep down. Although her approach is often cruel, and can even be abusive, many of the things she wants from Duckman are for his own benefit, such as spending more time with his children and getting him to quit smoking.
Not much is known about their relationship before she moved in, but it was probably similar. One small tidbit of information we get about their prior relationship was that they both attended a party once, where Duckman snuck up behind her in a hot tub, mistaking her for Beatrice. Bernice slapped him for this, but later admitted that it was an honest mistake.
In "It's the Thing of the Principal", while posing as husband and wife in order to save Ajax from becoming a child groom, they get drunk in the hotel room and end up sleeping together. The next morning, they are both disgusted by this revelation and try to deny it.
"Sperms of Endearment" reveals that Bernice and Duckman's mutual hatred for each other is so great that it influences their genetics, and are utterly incompatible with each other to the point that it is literally impossible for them to conceive a child together (a microscope close-up shows Bernice's egg and Duckman's sperm attacking each other).
Nonetheless, this episode also reveals that the two are able to put aside their differences and get along to an extent, as Duckman actually attempted to be there for Bernice while they believed she was pregnant with his child.
Beatrice Hufnagel-Duckman[]
Bernice's photograph of Beatrice's wedding day.
Not much is known about Bernice's relationship with her twin sister Beatrice before her death. It is obvious that she loved her very much, as like the rest of the family she never speaks ill of her. She keeps a framed picture of herself with Beatrice on her wedding day (with Duckman's face torn out) on her dresser.
Beatrice obviously trusted Bernice very much, because she left her children in Bernice's custody in her will, and had the deed to the house transferred to Bernice's name.
And, of course, she feels sorry for her that she married Duckman. Once, Duckman was dazed and mistook Bernice for Beatrice, to where Bernice responds with "No, I'm the one who had the sound judgement not to marry you."
Ajax Duckman[]
Bernice trying to take Ajax with her.
Ajax is Bernice's oldest nephew. Bernice is very protective of Ajax, even more so than with Charles and Mambo, because Ajax is less capable of doing things on his own. She is sensitive to Ajax's low brain wattage, usually speaking to him in a very soft tone of voice and often referring to him as "dear". Ajax loves his aunt and thinks of her as a second mother.
Bernice is also upset with Duckman for not taking much interest in Ajax, and it's said that Bernice doesn't have much time to give to him either, otherwise she would.
In "It's the Thing of the Principal", Bernice was excited to hear that Ajax was in love, because it meant that he's becoming a man.
She found it shocking that he had a crush on his school's vice principal (Vanessa La Pert), but she felt it was natural since she once had a crush on an older authority figure when she was a teenager herself. She claims that "a boy's first love is a very special memory", but becomes less enthused about it upon finding out that Vanessa loves Ajax back.
However, rather than assertively confronting Vanessa about the situation like she's usually characterized as doing, she instead tries to calmly talk Ajax and Vanessa out of running away together before having to follow after them. This may be because of the fact that she, again, coddles Ajax, and would prefer to keep things as amicable as possible without hurting his feelings.
When on their way to meet Ajax's new girlfriend's family in "Cock Tales for Four", Bernice seems to carry the same sentiment as before. She believes that this is a very important moment for Ajax, and she wants to make sure that she and Duckman make the best impression possible.
In "Exile in Guyville", Bernice attempts to disguise Ajax as a girl, so that Ajax could join her in the East Coast division with the rest of the women. She did this because she doesn't believe that Ajax is as capable of fending for himself as his brothers are, and she knows that Duckman won't take care of him properly.
Charles and Mambo Duckman[]
Bernice overreacts when Charles and Mambo were seen sneaking a cigarette.
Bernice's youngest nephews. She is loving and protecting of them, but does not dote on them the way she does with Ajax, because she knows they are more independent. She often gets after Duckman not to miss events that are important to the twins, such as their birthdays and tuba recitals. She worries greatly about the example being set for them by Duckman, particularly his sexual depravity and his smoking.
When Bernice caught Mambo smoking a cigarette outside the house, she fell to her knees screaming uncontrollably.
Despite all of this, Bernice herself is not always the best example, either. She teaches them to have very little respect for their father, and once told them she was sorry they had to be born male.
King Chicken[]
Bernice holding King Chicken.
King Chicken and Bernice's ongoing flirtation first began in the episode "Ride the High School".
When Bernice, Duckman and Cornfed go to rescue Ajax from his clutches, he traps them in a cage. Bernice uses King Chicken's attraction to her to trick him into letting them go, but later does really get turned on from his description of corporal punishment.
They've greatly bonded over their hatred of Duckman and are constantly physically affectionate with each other whenever they're together, much to Duckman's disgust.
Whenever King Chicken disguises himself for his evil plots against Duckman, he continues to flirt with Bernice and she—not knowing it's King Chicken—always becomes flattered and reciprocates. While he's disguised as the female live-in tutor known as Regine Poulet in "Forbidden Fruit", the two still show attraction to each other, with Bernice even giving Regine a necklace as a gift.
Despite their lustful relationship, sometimes Bernice and the rest of the Duckman family are used as pawns in King Chicken's evil schemes against Duckman. This never seems to affect their relationship, and they continue to be interested in each other afterward with no mention of the betrayals and near-death experiences (except for in "Hamlet 2: This Time It's Personal", where Bernice is offended that King Chicken's intentions of being in her home and discussing marriage with her were just to kill Duckman).
They are first mentioned to have had sex in "Inherit the Judgment: The Dope's Trial". In "Cock Tales for Four", it is established that they've been having an ongoing affair, however this was unknown to Bernice as King Chicken kept his marriage a secret from her. She is, of course, furious about this, but King Chicken tries to lie and say that his wife is dead. Bernice is shocked, but becomes angry again when she finds out the truth. Their secret affair and arguments make the night very tense, but they're still attracted to each other and end up having sex in his kitchen, in clear earshot of Honey Chicken and Duckman in the dining room.
Bernice tells King Chicken that she just wants him to divorce Honey so they can be together, but King Chicken wants to keep having sex with both women while never acknowledging Bernice in public. This angers Bernice, but she still seems to come to his defense when Honey confronts him about the affair.
Honey puts a stop to their relationship, however "Hamlet 2: This Time It's Personal" reveals that they're still seeing each other behind her back because King Chicken is once again lying about Honey being dead. Bernice strangely believes his excuses despite having seen Honey the day before.
Honey Chicken[]
King Chicken's wife. Bernice and Honey don't have many interactions with each other, however it's obvious that they don't have much respect for each other due to King Chicken's affair. They both want each other out of the picture so they can have King Chicken to themself.
During Honey's debut episode, she first feigns naivety about the whole ordeal, and appears to be a welcoming (yet drunk) hostess for Duckman, Bernice, and Ajax while they're guests in her home. Despite this, Bernice insults her intelligence during dinner, but Honey just drunkenly agrees with her.
When Bernice and King Chicken go into the kitchen to have sex, Honey ignores it. Bernice and Honey don't talk for much of the night, choosing to drink in silence when left alone with each other.
Honey does eventually allude to the affair in a condescending manner, which stresses both Bernice and King Chicken out.
When Honey finally confronts King Chicken about the affair, Bernice steps in and ridicules Honey for her alcoholism, seemingly in defense of King Chicken. Honey calls Bernice a "homewrecker" and a "skank", and tries to forbid Bernice and King Chicken from seeing each other ever again.
Sexuality[]
Bernice about to accidentally drive everyone away at a church mixer.
In spite of her beauty, Bernice is usually portrayed as a very desperate woman, with very few dates. Despite her mockery of Duckman, she is far less lucky in love than him, despite her rather attractive physique and curves. She seems to be desperate for marriage in some episodes, mainly so that she can force Duckman out of his house, and because of her loneliness.
In "American Dicks", she flaunts herself in the reality TV show, hoping to find a husband; Ajax, Charles and Mambo all help advertise the positive aspects of being in a relationship with her (e.g., Ajax wears a shirt that says "She loves doing laundry"). At the end of the episode, she has a date with the camera man, but Duckman punches him out.
In "Married Alive", Bernice nearly married a manipulative millionaire named Baron Von Dillweed out of desperation.
In "Forbidden Fruit", she finds herself attracted to the boys' female tutor, who turns out to be King Chicken in disguise. She is relieved when this is revealed because she thought she may be a lesbian. She was attracted to Angela after her makeover, however.
She had a one night stand with Cornfed in "Pig Amok", but only did so to help save his life, but nonetheless considers him a good friend.
When she was fourteen years old, she was involved in an inappropriate relationship with her tennis coach.
Talents and Interests[]
Athleticism[]
Bernice at the Gym.
Bernice can usually be seen working out by lifting weights, doing chin-ups, sit ups, or going to the gym. She also plays volleyball and played tennis as a teenager.
She often treats household chores like sports as well, such as attaching a scrub brush to a shoe and using it like a skate, or a contraption with brooms on the wheels of a unicycle.
Cornfed once express his notice in how Bernice carries anal-retentive micro-management to a near-sociopathic extreme. Bernice responds with "Yes, thanks!"
She was also employed by a Mexican vacation resort as a guest aerobics instructor because of her firm beliefs in positive reinforcement techniques.
Activism[]
Bernice is an outspoken feminist and has been involved in activism many times throughout the course of the series.
In "Forbidden Fruit", she was chairwoman of the group 'Womyn Against Duckman', she attended a gender equality summit in "Bonfire of the Panties", and she was a key member in the formation of the block association.
Much later in the series, in the season four episode "A Star is Abhorred", she is appointed to congress. She keeps this job until the end of the series.
Singing[]
Bernice enjoys singing karaoke, something Duckman frequently attempts to prevent her from doing in public. In "A Star is Abhorred", she became a famous singer with a large following of angry, put-upon women. However, she gave this up when she realized it was causing her to drink constantly and neglect her nephews.
Child-care[]
Despite her brash demeanor, Bernice is extremely good with kids. Children are the only people she can be tender and gentle towards. Since the death of her sister a year and a half before the start of the series, Bernice has been raising her three nephews. A job she not only takes very seriously, but finds fulfilling. In "Sperms of Endearment", she longs to have a child of her own but has never been able to find a man. As a last attempt, she gets herself inseminated at a sperm bank by what turns out to be Duckman's DNA. The insemination doesn't take, however, and she becomes depressed, feeling as though she'll never have a child of her own.
Character Conception[]
In both the original comic and the pilot of the series, Beatrice was still alive, and Bernice as a character didn't exist. However, Beatrice didn't pay much attention to Duckman due to her fitness obsession. Beatrice's personality and dynamic with Duckman in the pilot specifically appears much similar to that of Bernice's, as Beatrice is seen yelling at and getting violent with Duckman after learning of his recent mistreatment of Ajax.
During development of the show, Jeff Reno and Ron Osborn suggested having Duckman be a widower who lives with his sister-in-law rather than his wife. The rationale behind this was so that Duckman could flirt with other women without it coming off as too cruel, and because it created a more interesting dynamic between the male and female lead. Bernice inherited Beatrice's original outfit design and her trait of having a fitness obsession, with those things being taken away from Beatrice's TV series counterpart. Part of the concept behind Bernice's character was to make her a "classic harpy."
Interestingly, in the later comics that were based on the TV show, Bernice's character design is used for both Bernice and Beatrice.
Appearances[]
Major Bernice Episodes[]
Season 1[]
Season 2[]
Season 3[]
Season 4[]
Episode Absences[]
Season 3[]
- Noir Gang
- The Road to Dendron (appears singing at the end, but is muted)
Season 4[]
- Aged Heat 2: Women in Heat (appears briefly visiting Duckman, but doesn't speak)
- Duckman and Cornfed in 'Haunted Society Plumbers'
- My Feral Lady
- Westward, No!
- Das Sub
Comics[]
- Duckman #1: Naked Duck
- Duckman #2: Robo Duck
- Duckman #3: Night of the Living Duck
- Duckman #4: Think Duck
- Duckman #5: The XXX Files
- The Mob Frog Saga #1: Dead Duck
- The Mob Frog Saga #2: Where's Grandma-ma?
- The Mob Frog Saga #3: In the Name of the Duck
Other Appearances[]
Quotes[]
Click here for a collection of quotes by Bernice!
Gallery[]
Click here to view Bernice's gallery!
| Also Starring |
|---|
| Ajax ● Bernice ● Charles and Mambo ● Cornfed ● Duckman ● Fluffy and Uranus ● Grandma-ma |