Declan

**Declan Ground Beetle**  is one of the six main characters in Lu & the Bally Bunch.

## Other Info

### Likes

his friends, Shell School, wibble blobs, playing Tower Tower Wow, his dad's jokes, jumping in muddy puddles, pears, Dermont & Dara

### Dislikes

not being given fair chances, others having the same favorites as him (formerly), brussel sprouts, the dark

### Portrayed by

* Marcus Power (English)
* Alexander Desco (Latin American Spanish, original dub)
* Constanza Faraggi (Latin American Spanish, redub)
* Otávio Moura (Brazilian Portuguese)
* Didem Atlıhan(?)(Turkish/Türkçe)
* Maja kovač (Croatian)

## Personality

*From the 9 Story Media Group website:*

*Declan loves being the center of attention, taking risks, and pushing rules.*

Declan is Shell School's resident class clown. He loves joking around with his friends and making them laugh, such as when he acted like a chicken in Droopy Patrick and wore an orangey smile in Fruit Caboose. He tends to push the rules a bit, such as when he brought his Super Slug action figure to school in Home Toy, despite it being against the rules, and when he refused to follow the rules in Lu's game in Penguin Please due to his impatience for the Turnip Truck.

Despite his occasional defiance, Declan shows great empathy and care for his friends. In Goodbye Rain Boots he did not hesitate to give Lu his old Super Slug boots after witnessing hers break, and in Droopy Patrick he felt so bad for Lu's grief over Patrick that he cried along with her, despite not being as close to Patrick as she was. He takes pride in his family and their accomplishments; Declan's dad owns the Teapot Cafe, and the three-year-old is very proud of that. He loves his older brothers Dermot and Dara and looks up to them, despite their occasional arguments.

Underneath Declan's clownish attitude lies a more emotional side. Declan is prone to going into periods of anger and grumpiness when a situation doesn't to the way he wanted it too. In Down in the Grumps, he entered a state of unbreakable grumpiness after ripping his favorite blankie. In Power Flower, after Lu and Barnaby abandon his game, he takes his anger out on a small pebble, kicking it away. In, That's My Favourite, his anger over Lu having the same favorite thing as him results in the ground beetle yelling at the young ladybird. He isn't immune to scaredness, either- as seen in Swim Class, Declan has a slight fear of the water and going into new situations he is not comfortable in.

Declan has an interesting knack for toilets. He drew a toilet in Counting Spaghetti and in Lu's New Shoes, he questioned if the characters in the fairy tale Elodie showed him had one.

## Relationships

### Lu

Declan and Lu have a friendly rivalry. They frequently squabble and compete with each other, as demonstrated in episodes such as Fruit Caboose, That's My Favourite, and Penguin Please. Despite this, they have shown genuine care for each other in episodes like Goodbye Rain Boots and Down in the Grumps.

### Biba

Declan and Biba get along well. Biba finds Declan's antics funny, as shown in episodes such as Counting Spaghetti and Wiggling and Flapping.

### Gus

Declan and Gus' relationship is special, as it shows that even two people with almost-contrasting personalities can be friends. Declan is loud and energetic, while Gus is quiet and introverted. Despite this, they can be shows hanging out together in episodes such as Wiggling and Flapping and But Why?. They've shared a few starring roles in episodes, which include Tower Tower Wow, Spotty Rocket, and the aformented But Why? Like any friends, they have their ups and downs. Their squabbling over Gus' rocket caused it to break and Gus was not very happy with Declan for intentionally knocking over his tower. But overall, they are close, if not best friends in the series.

### Elodie

Elodie and Declan are on good terms. Declan often pretends to have Elodie's wiggly tail, implying that he admires her abilities.

### Barnaby

Barnaby and Declan do not interact much, so there is little to base their relationship on. Barnaby was jealous of Declan's perfect roly-poly in What if I Can't.

## Physical Description

Declan is a ground beetle. He wears a blue striped sweater with blue sneakers and blue eyeglasses.

## Appearances

Declan appears in every episode except for:

* Elevator Play Date
* A Twig's Tale
* Play With Me!
* The Long Goodbye
* Squeaky Squid
* Mon Ami Celeri
* Bubble Trouble
* Lu's Decision
* Bike Ride
* Elodie Wants to Decide
* Boat Trip
* Scary Tara
* Home School Day
* Barnaby’s Choice
* Baby Trouble
* Baby Horsefly
* Grow Lines
* Packing for France

## Quotes

* "AAAAH! \*gibberish\* Marshall's broken!" -Squeak Jumps
* "Why did the monkey cross the road? He thought he was a chicken!" -Droopy Patrick
* "The power flower wants to listen to you now. Will you play again?" -Power Flower

## Trivia

* Declan's favorite fruit is a pear.
* Declan's original name was Warren.
* Declan's favorite rainy day activity is jumping in puddles.
* Declan is the only bug to have an absent mother.
* Because his design is not as easily identifiable as the other bugs, for a while, Declan was the only main character whose exact species was unknown. The general fan consensus was that he is a [1]dung beetle. Cartoonito later confirmed Declan was in fact a beetle, specifically a ground beetle.

## Sources

1. ↑ Lu and the Bally Bunch: These little bugs are big fun! (rte.ie)
2. ↑ https://www.rte.ie/kids/2023/1127/1418730-lu-and-the-bally-bunch-these-little-bugs-are-big-fun/
3. ↑ https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=805317444937294&set=a.738367158298990&type=3
4. ↑  Edie Chue- Ladybird Lu Script Read
5. ↑  That's My Favourite
6. ↑ Cartoonito Africa added a new photo. - Cartoonito Africa (facebook.com)