Donald Duck appeared in comedic roles inanimated cartoons. Donald's first appearance was inThe Wise Little Hen (1934), but it was his second appearance inOrphan's Benefit that same year that introduced him as a temperamental comicfoil to Mickey Mouse.[8] Throughout the next two decades, Donald appeared in over 150 theatrical films, several of which were recognized at theAcademy Awards. In the 1930s, he typically appeared as part of a comic trio with Mickey andGoofy and was given his own film series starting withDon Donald (1937). These films introduced Donald's love interest and permanent girlfriendDaisy Duck and often included his three nephewsHuey, Dewey, and Louie. After the filmChips Ahoy (1956), Donald appeared primarily in educational films before eventually returning to theatrical animation inMickey's Christmas Carol (1983). His last appearance in a theatrical film was inFantasia 2000 (1999). However, since then Donald has appeared in direct-to-video features such asMickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004), television series such asMickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006–2016), and video games such asQuackShot (1991),Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers (2000) and theKingdom Hearts series.
In addition to animation, Donald is well known worldwide for hisappearances in comics. Donald was most famously drawn byAl Taliaferro,Carl Barks, andDon Rosa. Barks, in particular, is credited for greatly expanding the "Donald Duck universe", the world in which Donald lives, and creating many additional characters such as Donald's rich uncleScrooge McDuck. Donald has been a popular character in Europe, particularly inNordic countries. InItaly, Donald is a major character in manycomics, including a juvenile version namedPaperino Paperotto, and a superhero alter ego known asPaperinik (Duck Avenger in the US andSuperduck in the UK).
The character is known for possessing anonly partly intelligible voice, developed by Donald's original performer,Clarence Nash. During an interview, Tony Anselmo revealed that "Most people believe that Donald's voice is done squeezing air through the cheek, that is not true. I can't reveal how it's actually done, but it is definitely not done by squeezing air through the cheek. TheHanna-Barbera character 'Yakky Doodle' is done that way. Donald Duck is not."[9] Nash reputedly originally developed the voice as that of a "nervous baby goat" before Walt Disney interpreted it as sounding like a duck.[10]
Personality
Donald Duck is known for his fiery temper.
The character of Donald Duck is portrayed as an impatient, immature,[11] and arrogant duck with a pessimistic attitude and an insecure disposition. In addition, his two dominant personality traits are his fiery temper and his upbeat attitude to life. Many Donald shorts start with Donald in a happy mood, without a care in the world until something comes along and spoils his day. His rage is a great cause of suffering in his life. On multiple occasions, it has caused him to get in over his head and lose competitions. There are times when he fights to keep his temper in check, and he sometimes succeeds in doing so temporarily, but he always returns to his normal angry self in the end.
Donald's aggressive nature has its advantages, however. While at times it is a hindrance, and even a handicap, it has also helped him in times of need. When faced with a threat of some kind (for example,Pete's attempts to intimidate him) he is initially scared, but his fear is replaced by anger. As a result, instead of running away, he fights. In fact, his anger can make him powerful enough to defeat ghosts, sharks, mountain goats, giant kites, and even the forces of nature.
The Duck gets a big kick out of imposing on other people or annoying them, but he immediately loses his temper when the tables are turned. In other words, he can dish it out, but he can't take it.[12]
However, with a few exceptions, there is seldom any harm in Donald's pranks. He almost never intends to hurt anyone, and when his pranks go too far, he is often apologetic. InTruant Officer Donald, for example, when he is tricked into believing he has accidentally killed Huey, Dewey, and Louie, he shows great regret, blaming himself. His nephews appear in the form of angels, and he willingly endures a kick by one of them—that is, of course, until he realizes he has been tricked, whereupon he promptly loses his temper.
Donald is also a bit of aposeur. He likes to brag, especially about how skilled he is at something. He does, in fact, have many skills—he is something of aJack-of-all-trades. Amongst other things, he is a talentedfisher, a competenthockey player, and a skilledpianist. However, his love of bragging often leads him to overestimate his abilities, so that when he sets out to make good on his boasts, he gets in over his head, usually to hilarious effect.
Another of his personality traits is perseverance. Even though he can at times be aslacker, and likes to say that his favorite place to be is in ahammock, once he has committed to accomplishing something, he goes for it 100 percent, sometimes resorting to extreme measures to reach his goal.
Health
There is arunning gag in the Donald Duck comics about him being physically unhealthy and unmotivated toexercise. Usually, some character close to Donald annoys him by saying he is being lazy and needs to get some exercise. But despite his apparent idleness, Donald proves that he is muscular. In the short filmSea Scouts, Donald is traveling with his nephews in a boat when it is attacked by a shark. Donald makes several attempts to defeat the shark, each of which proves ineffective, but then finally triumphs and defeats the shark with a single well-placed punch. Additionally, as discussed below, Donald had a stint in theU.S. Army duringWorld War II that culminated with him serving as a commando in the filmCommando Duck, and he was frequently away serving in theU.S. Navy in the television cartoon seriesDuckTales.
Friendly rivalry with Mickey Mouse
Throughout his appearances, Donald has shown that he is jealous of Mickey and wants his job as Disney's greatest star, similar to the rivalry betweenDaffy Duck andBugs Bunny. In most Disney theatrical cartoons, Mickey and Donald are shown as friends and have little to no rivalry (exceptions beingThe Band Concert,Magician Mickey and near the end ofSymphony Hour,which were due to Donald's antagonistic schemes). However, by the timeThe Mickey Mouse Club aired on television (after Bugs vs. Daffy cartoons such as the "hunting trilogy" ofRabbit Fire,Rabbit Seasoning, andDuck! Rabbit, Duck!), it was shown that Donald always wanted the spotlight.
One animated short that rivaled the "Mickey Mouse March" song showed Huey, Dewey, and Louie asBoy Scouts and Donald as theirScoutmaster at a cliff near a remote forest and Donald leads them in a song mirroring the Mouseketeers theme "D-O-N-A-L-D D-U-C-K! Donald Duck!" The rivalry has caused Donald some problems, for example in a 1988TV special, where Mickey is cursed by asorcerer to become unnoticed, the world believes Mickey to be kidnapped. Donald Duck is then arrested for thekidnapping of Mickey, as he is considered to be the chief suspect, due to their feud. However, Donald did later get the charges dismissed, due to lack of evidence.Walt Disney, in hisWonderful World of Color, would sometimes make reference to the rivalry. Walt, one time, had presented Donald with a giganticbirthday cake and commented how it was "even bigger than Mickey's", which pleased Donald. The clip was rebroadcast in November 1984 during aTV special honoring Donald's 50th birthday, withDick Van Dyke substituting for Walt.
The rivalry between Mickey and Donald was shown in the 2001-2003 television seriesHouse of Mouse. It was shown that Donald wanted to be the club's founder and wanted to change the name fromHouse of Mouse toHouse of Duck, which is obvious in the episodes "The Stolen Cartoons" and "Timon and Pumbaa". In the episode "Everybody Loves Mickey", Donald's jealousy is explored and even joins sides with Mortimer Mouse. However, Donald has a change of heart when Daisy reminds Donald how Mickey has always been there to support him. Since then, Donald accepted that Mickey was the founder and worked with Mickey as a partner to make the club profitable and successful.
The Italian-produced comicPKNA – Paperinik New Adventures stars Donald Duck asPaperinik, orDuck Avenger, in his battles against new alien enemies: Evronian Empire, founded by emperorEvron.
Origin
Voice performerClarence Nash auditioned forWalt Disney Studios when he learned that Disney was looking for people to create animal sounds for his cartoons. Disney was particularly impressed with Nash's duck imitation and chose him to voice the new character. Disney came up with Donald's iconic attributes including his short temper and his sailor suit (based on ducks and sailors both being associated with water).[14] WhileDick Huemer andArt Babbit were the first to animate Donald,Dick Lundy is credited for developing him as a character.[15]
On April 29, 1934, five days beforeThe Wise Little Hen's first theatrical release, bandleader Raymond Paige performed the score to the cartoon on hisCalifornia Melodies program for the Los Angeles AM radio stationKHJ. The main vocals were performed by a trio, the Three Rhythm Kings. Clarence Nash andFlorence Gill performed the character voices for this radio treatment, with Nash performing both Donald Duck and Peter Pig, making it the first time the public heard Nash's duck voice.[16]
An apocryphal alternative story for how Donald was created came about from a claim that Disney was watching an exhibitioncricket match betweenAustralia and the New YorkWest Indians and Australia's star batsmanDon Bradman wasout for aduck. Disney allegedly used this as inspiration for the character. However, the veracity of this has been doubted by modern historians.[17]
Donald Duck's first film appearance was in the 1934 cartoonThe Wise Little Hen, which was part of theSilly Symphonies series of theatrical cartoon shorts.[18] The film's given release date of June 9 is officially recognized by the Walt Disney Company as Donald's birthday,[19] though historianJ.B. Kaufman, consultant ofThe Walt Disney Family Museum, discovered in recent years thatThe Wise Little Hen was first shown on May 3, 1934, at theCarthay Circle Theater for abenefit program, while its official debut was on June 7 at theRadio City Music Hall.[16] Donald's appearance in the cartoon, as created by animatorDick Lundy, is similar to his modern look – the feather and beak colors are the same, as are the blue sailor shirt and hat – but his features are more elongated, his body plumper, his feet smaller, and his sclerae white. Donald's personality is not developed either; in the short, he only fills the role of the unhelpful friend, along with acquaintancePeter Pig.
Burt Gillett brought Donald back in a 1934Mickey Mouse cartoon,Orphans' Benefit. Donald is one of a number of characters who are giving performances in a benefit for Mickey's Orphans.[20] Donald's act is to recite the poems "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Little Boy Blue", but every time he tries, the mischievous orphans heckle him, leading the duck to fly into a squawking fit of anger. This explosive personality would remain with Donald for decades to come.
Donald continued to be a hit with audiences. The character began appearing regularly in most Mickey Mouse cartoons. Cartoons from this period, such as the cartoonThe Band Concert (1935) – in which Donald repeatedly disrupts the Mickey Mouse Orchestra's rendition ofThe William Tell Overture by playing "Turkey in the Straw" – are regularly noted by critics as exemplary films and classics of animation. AnimatorBen Sharpsteen also created the classic Mickey, Donald, and Goofy comedy in 1935, with the cartoonMickey's Service Station.[20]
In 1936, Donald was redesigned to be a bit fuller, rounder, and cuter, beginning with the cartoonMoving Day. He also began starring in solo cartoons, the first of which was Ben Sharpsteen's 1937 cartoon,Don Donald. This short also introduced a love interest of Donald's,Donna Duck, who evolved intoDaisy Duck.[21] Donald's nephews,Huey, Dewey and Louie, would make their first animated appearance a year later in the 1938 film,Donald's Nephews, directed byJack King (they had been earlier introduced in theDonald Duck comic strip byAl Taliaferro, see below). By 1938, most polls showed that Donald was more popular than Mickey Mouse.[22]
Wartime
Donald worked in a Nazi factory during a nightmare inDer Fuehrer's Face (1943).
DuringWorld War II, Donald appeared in several animatedpropaganda films, including the 1943Der Fuehrer's Face. In this cartoon, Donald plays a worker in an artillery factory in "Nutzi Land" (Nazi Germany). He struggles with long working hours, very small food rations,[23] and having tosalute every time he sees a picture of theFührer (Adolf Hitler). These pictures appear in many places, such as on the assembly line in which he is screwing in the detonators of various sizes of shells. In the end, he becomes little more than a small part in a faceless machine with no choice but to obey until he falls, suffering a nervous breakdown. Then Donald wakes up to find that his experience was, in fact, a dream. At the end of the short, Donald looks to theStatue of Liberty and the American flag with renewed appreciation.Der Fuehrer's Face won the 1942Academy Award for Animated Short Film.Der Fuehrer's Face was also the first of two animated short films to be set during the War to win an Oscar, the other beingTom and Jerry's short film,The Yankee Doodle Mouse.[24]
Other shorts from this period include a six film mini-series that follows Donald's life in theU.S. Army from his drafting to his experiences in basic training under SergeantPete to his first actual mission as acommando having to sabotage a Japanese air base. Titles in the series include:
Donald Gets Drafted (May 1, 1942) (shown in his Selective Service Draft Card close-up, we learn Donald's full name: Donald Fauntleroy Duck)[25]
Thanks in part to these films, Donald graced the nose artwork of virtually every type of World War IIAllied combat aircraft, from theL-4 Grasshopper to theB-29 Superfortress.[26]
Donald also appears as a mascot—such as in theUnited States Army Air Forces'309th Fighter Squadron[27] and theU.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, which showed Donald as a fierce-looking pirate ready to defend the American coast from invaders.[28] Donald also appeared as a mascot emblem for the415th Fighter Squadron;438th Fighter Squadron;479th Bombardment Squadron; and531st Bombardment Squadron. He also appeared as the mascot for theFire Department atMarine Corps Air Station El Toro, as well as the Army Air Forces (now currently theUnited States Air Force) 319 Aircraft Maintenance Unit atLuke Air Force Base — where he is seen wearing an old-style pilot's uniform with a board with a nail in it in one hand, and a lightning bolt in the other hand. Donald's most famous appearance, however, was on the North American Aviation B-25B Mitchell medium bomber (S/N 40-2261) piloted by Lt. Ted W. Lawson of the 95th Bombardment Squadron, USAAF. The aircraft, named the "Ruptured Duck" and carrying a picture of Donald's face above a pair of crossed crutches, was one of sixteen B-25Bs which took off from the aircraft carrierUSSHornet to bomb Tokyo on April 18, 1942, during theDoolittle Raid. The mission was led by Lieutenant Colonel (later General)Jimmy Doolittle. Like most of the aircraft that participated in the mission, the Ruptured Duck was unable to reach its assigned landing field in China following the raid and ended up ditching off the coast near Shangchow, China. The Ruptured Duck's pilot survived, with the loss of a leg, and later wrote about the Doolittle Raid in the book, later to be the 1944 movie,Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.
During World War II, Disney cartoons were not allowed to be imported intoOccupied Europe owing to their propagandistic content. Since this lost Disney revenue, he decided to create a new audience for his films in South America. He decided to make a trip through various Latin American countries with his assistants, and use their experiences and impressions to create two feature-length animation films. The first wasSaludos Amigos (1942), which consisted of four short segments, two of them with Donald Duck. In the first, he meets his parrot palJosé Carioca. The second film wasThe Three Caballeros (1944), in which he meets his rooster friendPanchito.
Several decades after the war, because Donald was never officially separated from service in either his animated shorts or his comic strips, as part of Donald's 50th Birthday celebrations during the 25th AnnualTorrance, CaliforniaArmed Forces Day Parade, the U.S. Army retired Donald Duck from active duty as a "Buck Sergeant"[29] (i.e. "Buck Sergeant Duck").[30]
Post-war
Many of Donald's films made after the war recast the duck as the brunt of some other character's pestering. Donald is seen repeatedly attacked, harassed, and ridiculed by his nephews, by thechipmunksChip 'n' Dale, or by other characters such asHumphrey the Bear,Spike the Bee,Bootle Beetle, theAracuan Bird,Louie the Mountain Lion, or a colony of ants. In effect, much likeBugs Bunny cartoons fromWarner Bros, the Disney artists had reversed the classicscrewball scenario perfected byWalter Lantz and others in which the main character is theinstigator of these harassing behaviors, rather than the butt of them.
Donald had a rather small part in the animated television seriesDuckTales. There, Donald joins the U.S. Navy and leaves his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie with theirUncle Scrooge, who then has to take care of them. Donald's role in the overall series was fairly limited, as he only ended up appearing in a handful of episodes when home on leave. Some of the stories in the series were loosely based on the comics byCarl Barks.
Donald made some cameo appearances inBonkers, before getting his own television showQuack Pack. This series featured a modernizedDuck family. Donald was no longer wearing his sailor suit and hat, but a Hawaiian shirt. Huey, Dewey, and Louie now are teenagers, with distinct clothing, voices, and personalities. Daisy Duck has lost her pink dress and bow and has a new haircut. No other family members, besides Ludwig von Drake, appear inQuack Pack, and all other Duckburg citizens are humans and not dogs.
Donald made a comeback as the star of the "Noah's Ark" segment ofFantasia 2000 (1999), as first mate to Noah. Donald musters the animals to the Ark and attempts to control them. He tragically believes that Daisy has been lost, while she believes the same of him, but they are reunited at the end. All of this is etc toEdward Elgar'sPomp and Circumstance Marches 1–4.
In an alternate opening for the Disney filmChicken Little (2005), Donald would have made a cameo appearance as "Ducky Lucky". This scene can be found on theChicken Little DVD.Donald also played an important role inMickey Mouse Works andHouse of Mouse. In the latter show, he is the co-owner of Mickey's nightclub. He is part of the ensemble cast of characters in the TV showMickey Mouse Clubhouse as well. He also appears in the new 3-minuteMickey Mouse TV shorts for Disney Channel.
Donald also appears in theDuckTales reboot, in which he is a main character as opposed to his minor role in the original cartoon. The series depicts him as having once been Scrooge's partner in adventure along with his sisterDella. However, ten years prior to the series' beginning, Della went missing, leading to Donald and Scrooge going their separate ways and not speaking to each other throughout that time. In the present, Donald reluctantly brings Della's sons and his legal charges, the triplets, to Scrooge's mansion so he can babysit them while Donald attends a job interview, though he still has not forgiven Scrooge for their past history. Donald is temporarily hired by Scrooge's rivalFlintheart Glomgold and ends up at the city of Atlantis, where Scrooge has also brought the boys. After some initial conflict Scrooge offers to let them stay with him in his mansion. Donald owns a boat in the series, which is relocated to Scrooge's pool at the conclusion of the series premiere. Later in the series, it is revealed that Donald's anger is the result of a fear that no one can understand him, though with the help of an anger management counselor and while taking care of Huey, Dewey, Louie, he was able to channel it into protective instinct.
Voice actors
Tony Anselmo and Clarence Nash
Donald's first voice was performed byClarence Nash, who voiced him for 50 years.[31] As long as Nash was alive no one else was permitted to do Donald's voice. Nash voiced Donald for the last time inMickey's Christmas Carol (1983), making him the only character in the film to be voiced by his original voice actor. He did, however, continue to provide Donald's voice for commercials, promos, and other miscellaneous material until he died in 1985.Jack Wagner voiced Donald and other Disney characters in the 1980s, primarily for live entertainment offerings in the parks,Disney on Ice shows, and live-action clips for television.[32][33]
Walt Disney insisted on character consistency and integrity. Continuing in that tradition, in 1988, Roy E. Disney created the department of Disney Character Voices to ensure continuation of character integrity, consistency, and quality in recording methods. Roy named one official voice for all Walt Disney legacy characters. Tony Anselmo was approved byRoy E. Disney as Disney's official voice of Donald Duck.[35]
For Roadster Racers Donald was voiced byDaniel Ross.[36][37] Anselmo continues as the official voice of Donald on all other Disney projects, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse +, Hot Ones, Kingdom Hearts IV, Disney Cruise Lines, Disney Parks, Attractions, Consumer Products, as well as both drawing and voicing Donald again in "Once Upon a Studio"
Several alternate voices for Donald appeared in the 2017 reboot ofDuckTales. A young Donald was voiced byRussi Taylor in the episode, "Last Christmas!", using the same voice that she used for Huey, Dewey, and Louie in various Disney media since 1987. After Taylor's death in 2019, she was replaced byCristina Vee in the episode, "The First Adventure!".[38]Don Cheadle provided a more intelligible version of Donald's voice, after he swallows a device made by Gyro Gearloose in the episode "The Shadow War!" and after making a wish to live a normal life in the episode "Quack Pack!".[39] In the episode "Louie's Eleven", Donald's clear singing voice during the song "Hear My Voice" was performed by an uncredited Dominic Lewis, who is also the show's composer.[40]
While Donald's cartoons continue to be shown in the United States and around the world, his weekly and monthly comic books enjoy their highest profile in many European countries, especially Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland, but also Germany, the Netherlands, and Greece. Most of them are produced and published by the Italian branch of theWalt Disney Company in Italy (Disney Italy) and byEgmont in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden. In Germany, the comics are published by Ehapa which has since become part of the Egmont empire. Donald comics have also been produced in The Netherlands and France. Donald also has been appeared in Japanese comics published byKodansha andTokyopop.
According to theInducks, which is a database about Disney comics worldwide, American, Italian and Danish stories have been reprinted in the following countries. In most of them, publications still continue: Australia, Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark (Faroe Islands), Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the former Yugoslavia.
Early development
The character's first appearance incomic strip format was the 1934Silly Symphony comic strip sequence based on the shortThe Wise Little Hen.[42] For the next few years, Donald made a few more appearances in Disney-themed strips, and by 1936, he had grown to be one of the main characters in theSilly Symphony strip.Ted Osborne was the primary writer of these strips, withAl Taliaferro as his artist. Osborne and Taliaferro also introduced several members of Donald's supporting cast, including his nephews,Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
In 1937, an Italian publisher namedMondadori created the first Donald Duck story intended specifically forcomic books. The eighteen-page story, written byFederico Pedrocchi, is the first to feature Donald as an adventurer rather than simply a comedic character.Fleetway in England also began publishing comic book stories featuring the duck.
Developments under Taliaferro
A dailyDonald Duck comic strip drawn by Taliaferro and written byBob Karp began running in the United States on February 2, 1938; the Sunday strip began the following year. Taliaferro and Karp created an even larger cast of characters for Donald's world. He got a newSt. Bernard namedBolivar,[43] andhis family grew to include cousinGus Goose and grandmotherGrandma Duck. Donald's new rival girlfriends wereDonna andDaisy Duck. Taliaferro also gave Donald his very own automobile, a 1934 Belchfire Runabout, in a 1938 story, which is often nicknamed by Donald's "313" car plate in the comic incarnation of Donald's world.
In 1942,Western Publishing began creating original comic book stories about Donald and other Disney characters. Bob Karp worked on the earliest of these, a story called "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold". The new publisher meant new illustrators, however,Carl Barks andJack Hannah would later repeat thetreasure hunting theme in many more stories.
Barks soon took over the major development of the duck as both writer and illustrator. Under his pen, Donald became more adventurous, less temperamental and more eloquent.Pete was the only other major character from theMickey Mouse comic strip to feature in Barks' newDonald Duck universe.
Barks placed Donald in the city ofDuckburg, creating a host of supporting players, includingNeighbor Jones (1944), UncleScrooge McDuck (1947),Gladstone Gander (1948),the Beagle Boys (1951),Gyro Gearloose (1952),April, May and June (1953),Flintheart Glomgold (1956),Magica de Spell (1961), andJohn D. Rockerduck (1961). Many of Taliaferro's characters made the move to Barks' world as well, including Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Barks placed Donald in both domestic and adventure scenarios, and Uncle Scrooge became one of his favorite characters to pair up with Donald. Scrooge's profile increased, and by 1952, the character had a comic book of his own. At this point, Barks concentrated his major efforts on the Scrooge stories, and Donald's appearances became more focused on comedy or he was recast as Scrooge's helper, following his rich uncle around the globe.
Further developments
Dozens of writers continued to utilize Donald in their stories around the world.
For example, the Disney Studio artists, who made comics directly for the European market. Two of them,Dick Kinney (1917–1985) and Al Hubbard (1915–1984) created Donald's cousinFethry Duck.
The American artists Vic Lockman andTony Strobl (1915–1991), who were working directly for the American comic books, createdMoby Duck. Strobl was one of the most productive Disney artists of all time and drew many stories which Barks wrote and sketched after his retirement. In the 1990s and early 2000s, these scripts were re-drawn in a style closer to Barks' own by Dutch artistDaan Jippes.
Italian publisher Mondadori created many of the stories that were published throughout Europe. They also introduced numerous new characters who are today well known in Europe. One example is Donald Duck's alter ego, asuperhero calledPaperinik in Italian, created in 1969 byGuido Martina (1906–1991) andGiovan Battista Carpi (1927–1999).
Giorgio Cavazzano and Carlo Chendi createdUmperio Bogarto, a detective whose name is an obvious parody onHumphrey Bogart. They also createdO.K Quack, an extraterrestrial Duck who landed on earth in a spaceship in the shape of a coin. He, however, lost his spaceship and befriended Scrooge, and now is allowed to search through his money bin time after time, looking for his ship.
Romano Scarpa (1927–2005), who was a very important and influential Italian Disney artist, createdBrigitta McBridge, a female Duck who is madly in love with Scrooge. Her affections are never answered by him, though, but she keeps trying. Scarpa also came up withDickie Duck, the granddaughter ofGlittering Goldie (Scrooge's possible love interest from his days in the Klondike) andKildare Coot, a nephew ofGrandma Duck.
Italian artistCorrado Mastantuono created Bum Bum Ghigno, a cynical, grumpy and not too good-looking Duck who teams up with Donald and Gyro a lot.
The American artistWilliam Van Horn also introduced a new character:Rumpus McFowl, an old and rather corpulent Duck with a giant appetite and laziness, who is first said to be a cousin of Scrooge. Only later, Scrooge reveals to his nephews Rumpus is actually his half-brother. Later, Rumpus also finds out.
Working for the Danish editor Egmont, artistDaniel Branca (1951–2005) and scriptwriters Paul Halas and Charlie Martin created Sonny Seagull, an orphan who befriends Huey, Dewey and Louie, and his rival, Mr. Phelps.
One of the most productive Duck artists used to beVictor Arriagada Rios, (deceased 2012) better known under the name Vicar. He had his own studio where he and his assistants drew the stories sent in by Egmont. With writer/editors Stefan and Unn Printz-Påhlson, Vicar created the character Oona, a prehistoric duck princess who traveled to modern Duckburg by using Gyro's time machine. She stayed and is still seen in occasional modern stories.
The best known Duck artist of this time is AmericanDon Rosa. He started doing Disney comics in 1987 for the American publisher Gladstone. He later worked briefly for the Dutch editors but moved to work directly for Egmont soon afterwards. His stories contain many direct references to stories by Carl Barks, and he also wrote and illustrated a12-part series of stories about the life of Scrooge McDuck, which won him twoEisner Awards.
Other important artists who have worked with Donald areFreddy Milton andDaan Jippes, who made 18 ten-pagers which experts claim, were very difficult to separate from Barks' own work from the late 1940s.
Donald Duck is known in Nordic countries asKalle Anka in Sweden,[44]Anders And in Denmark,Andrés Önd in Iceland,Donald Duck in Norway,[45] andAku Ankka in Finland.[44] In the mid-1930s,Robert S. Hartman, a German who served as a representative of Walt Disney, visited Sweden to supervise the merchandise distribution of Sagokonst (The Art of Fables). Hartman found a studio called L'Ateljé Dekoratör, which produced illustrated cards that were published by Sagokonst. Since the Disney characters on the cards appeared to be exactly 'on-model', Hartman asked the studio to create a local version of the English-languageMickey Mouse Weekly.
In 1937 L'Ateljé Dekoratör began publishingMusse Pigg Tidningen (Mickey Mouse Magazine), which had high production values and spanned 23 issues; most of the magazine's content came from local producers, while some material consisted of reprints fromMickey Mouse Weekly. The comic anthology ended in 1938. Hartman helped Disney establish offices in all Nordic countries before he left Disney in 1941. Donald became the most successful of the Disney characters in the Nordic countries,[44] and Nordic peoples recognise him better than Mickey Mouse.[citation needed]
Kalle Anka & C:o, (Donald Duck & Co.) Donald's first dedicated Swedish anthology, started in September 1948. In 2001 the Finnish Post Office issued a stamp set to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Donald's presence in Finland. By 2005 around one out of every four Norwegians read the Norwegian editionDonald Duck & Co. per week, translating to around 1.3 million regular readers. During the same year, every week 434,000 Swedes readKalle Anka & C:o. By 2005 in Finland the Donald Duck anthologyAku Ankka sold 270,000 copies per issue. Tim Pilcher and Brad Books, authors ofThe Essential Guide to World Comics, described the Donald anthologies as "the Scandinavian equivalent of the UK'sBeano orDandy, a comic that generations have grown up with, from grandparents to grandchildren".[44]
Hannu Raittila, an author, says that Finnish people recognize an aspect of themselves in Donald; Raittila cites that Donald attempts to retrieve himself from "all manner of unexpected and unreasonable scrapes using only his wits and the slim resources he can put his hands on, all of which meshes nicely with the popular image of Finland as driftwood in the crosscurrents of world politics". Finnish voters placingprotest votes typicallywrite "Donald Duck" as the candidate.[46] In Sweden voters often voted for Donald Duck or theDonald Duck Party as a nonexistent candidate until a 2006 change in voting laws, which prohibited voting for nonexistent candidates. In a twenty-year span, Donald won enough votes to be, in theory, Sweden's ninth-most popular political organization. In 1985, Donald received 291 votes in an election for theParliament of Sweden.[47]
By 1978, within Finland, there was a debate over the morality of Donald Duck. Matti Holopainen jokingly criticized Donald for living with Daisy while not being married to her, for not wearing trousers, and for, in the words of theLibrary Journal, being "toobourgeois".[48][49] Some observers from Finland from the same time period supported Donald, referring to him as a "genuine proletarian ... forced to sell his labor at slave rates to make a living". TheLibrary Journal said it was revealed that, since 1950, Donald had secretly been married to Daisy.[50]An annual Christmas special in Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden isFrom All of Us to All of You, in Norway and Sweden with a title ofDonald Duck and His Friends Celebrate Christmas. Segments includeFerdinand the Bull, a short with Chip 'n' Dale, a segment fromLady and the Tramp, a sneak preview of a coming Disney movie and concludes withJiminy Cricket performing "When You Wish Upon a Star". To many people watching this special is a tradition as important as having a Christmas tree.[citation needed]
Germany
Donald Duck-themed comics sell an average of 250,000 copies each week in Germany, mostly published in the kids' weeklyMicky Maus and the monthliesDonald Duck Special (for adults) andLustiges Taschenbuch [de].[51]The Wall Street Journal called Donald Duck "The Jerry Lewis of Germany", a reference to American starJerry Lewis' popularity in France.[51] Donald's dialogue in German comics tends to be more sophisticated and philosophical, he "quotes from German literature, speaks in grammatically complex sentences and is prone to philosophical musings, while the stories often take a more political tone than their American counterparts",[51] features especially associated withErika Fuchs's German translations of the comics created byThe Good Duck ArtistCarl Barks. Christian Pfeiler – former president of D.O.N.A.L.D., the German Organization for Non-commercial Followers of Pure Donaldism (German: Deutsche Organisation nichtkommerzieller Anhänger des lauteren Donaldismus) – says Donald is appreciated in Germany because "almost everyone can identify with him. He has strengths and weaknesses; he lacks polish but is also very cultured and well-read."[51] It is through thiseveryman persona that Donald is able to voice philosophical truths about German society that appeal to both children and adults.[51] Donald's writers and illustrators Carl Barks,Don Rosa andUb Iwerks are well known in Germany and have their ownfan clubs.
Italy
In Italy, new stories about Donald Duck (named Paolino Paperino) and Scrooge McDuck are hosted in the kids' weeklyTopolino and the monthlyPaperino. WhilePaperino is written by many authors, he still maintains several characteristics. He is mostly an everyman, but the fierce, harsh temper he has in the American comic appears to be diluted into a meek, weaker personality, prone to comical fits of rage that are mostly subdued by the realization of its impotence. His frustration at Gladstone's luck is comically enhanced: in the Italian comics, Donald is chronically unlucky, unable to do or get anything right, with Gladstone taking advantage of his superiority or taking genuine pity of his unlucky cousin and trying several plans to grant him some better luck, always failing.
Donald Duck asPaperinik, also known asDuck Avenger andSuperduck outside Italy. Art byMarco Rota.
However, the constant search for an outlet to vent his frustration led the Italian rendition of Donald Duck to seek his catharsis in several ways: in the sixties, vexed by Scrooge's antics and Gladstone's luck, he reinvented himself asPaperinik, theDuck Avenger (as he came to be known outside Italy), an anti-hero at first, a self-assured, well-adjusted, brilliant hero in later stories, no longer bound by the self-doubt and the mockery Donald is constantly subjected.[52]Duck Avenger is referred to the characterDorellik (parody ofDiabolik) performed byJohnny Dorelli, Italian actor and crooner, in the Anglo-Italian movieArriva Dorellik (How To Kill 400 Duponts). Further along the years, he fashioned for himself the additional identities ofQQ7, a bumbling secret agent protecting Scrooge's riches[53] andDoubleDuck, a more confident and suave secret agent, in the mold ofJames Bond, a more equilibrate mold of the heroic Duck Avenger and the tricky QQ7, often accompanied by the beautiful spyKay K.[54] Donald's "secret identies" are hosted in the mainTopolino comics, but also in several themed comics, like the now-defunctPaperinik,PKNA,PK^2 and the currentPaperinik AppGrade, the latter hosting reprints and new stories as well. Paperinik / Duck Avenger also appeared in the video gamesPK: Out of the Shadows,PK: Phantom Duck,[55] andThe Duckforce Rises.
Having several full lives to live does not hamper Donald's ability to live adventures on his own: he still lives adventures with his uncle Scrooge and his nephews (often acting as a reluctant bumbler, a ballast to the enthusiasm of his nephews and the wanderlust of his uncle), and he lived a star-crossed love story with a princess from another planet,Reginella.[56] Despite Reginella leaving a deep trace in Donald's heart, he is still depicted as extremely faithful to Daisy, with a small hiccup deriving by Daisy Duck having a secret identity on her own (Paperinika), with Paperinik and Paperinika, both unaware of their secret identities, cultivating a permanent status of belligerent tension.
He also keeps a cheerful rivalry with his neighbourBum Bum Ghigno, more a bumbler and a nuisance than he is, but still a good person at heart.
The Italian rendition of Donald Duck seldom, if ever, goes by his first name, having everyone, including his nephews, Daisy and Uncle Scrooge, address him asPaperino (his Italian surname).
He also appears in the Topolino comics depicting his childhood, calledPaperino Paperotto (English:Donald Duckling), which were first produced in Italy in 1998. He lives in the fictional town, Quack Town with Grandma Duck and Billy Goat.
Donald has been a frequent character in children's books beginning in 1935. Most of these books were published by Whitman Publishing, later called Western Publishing, or one of its subsidiaries. The following is a list of children's books in which Donald is the central character. This does not include comic books or activity books such as coloring books. It also does not include the 1931 bookThe Adventures of Mickey Mouse, which features an entirely different character also named Donald Duck.[57]
Whitman/Western books
Walt Disney's Donald Duck (1935), first published appearance
Donald Duck Story Book (1937)
Donald Duck Has His Ups and Downs (1937)
Donald's Lucky Day (1939), adaptation of the cartoon short of the same name
Donald Duck and His Cat Troubles (1948)
Bringing up the Boys (1948)
Donald Duck's Kite (1949)
Donald Duck and the Wishing Star (1952), a Cozy Corner book
Donald is the only significant film and television cartoon character to appear as amascot for a major American university: a licensing agreement between Disney and theUniversity of Oregon allows the school's sports teams to use Donald's image as its "Fighting Duck" mascot. In 1984, Donald Duck was named an honorary alumnus of the University of Oregon during his 50th birthday celebration. During a visit to theEugene Airport, 3,000 to 4,000 fans gathered for the presentation of an academic cap and gown to Donald. Thousands of area residents signed a congratulatory scroll for Donald, and that document is now part of Disney's corporate archives.
Donald was one of the few celebrities mentioned in the original version of the songHooray for Hollywood, which was first featured in the 1937 filmHollywood Hotel, released only three years after Donald's first appearance. While later versions of the song would change lyrics, the line mentioning Donald was always kept.
In the 1940s, Donald was adopted as the mascot of Brazilian sports clubBotafogo after Argentinean cartoonist Lorenzo Mollas, who was working in Brazil at the time, drew him with the club's soccer uniform. Mollas chose Donald because he complains and fights for his rights, like the club's managers at those years, and also because, being a duck, he does not lose his elegance while moving in the water (an allusion torowing). He was eventually replaced so that the club would not have to pay royalties to Disney (Botafogo's current official mascot isManequinho, a boy who represents theManneken Pis statue in front of the club's head office), but has since retained the status of unofficial mascot.
Donald Duck was temporarily listed as a "hired" employee in the database of theUnited States Department of Housing and Urban Development as late as 1978. Given a $99,999 salary – more than double the $47,500 take federal civil servants were legally limited to be paid at the time – the name was unchallenged by a computer intended to catch government payroll fraud. Picked as one of thirty fictitious names by the Government Accounting Office, the use of it was a test to see if the payroll system of the HUD could be manipulated to defraud the government.[58]
Donald Duck's head and neck, wearing a radio headset and wrapped in earphone wires with an expression of pain on his face and with crossed crutches below, was the nose art on LieutenantTed W. Lawson'sB-25 Mitchell bomber, the Ruptured Duck, on the famousDoolittle Raid on Tokyo in 1942.
In the 1950s, an earlyMad Magazine parody ofMickey Mouse (called "Mickey Rodent", written by "Walt Dizzy") featured "Darnold Duck", whose quacky voice had to be "translated" for the readers, and who was shamed into finally wearing pants.
Although Donald's military service during his wartime cartoons has mostly been in the U.S. Army (and to a lesser extent in the U.S. Navy inDuckTales), Walt Disney authorized Donald to be used as a mascot for theU.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard image shows a fierce-looking Donald dressed in a pirate's outfit, appearing vigilant against any potential threats to the coastal regions in the United States. This image is often used on Coast Guard bases andCoast Guard cutters.
Donald Duck is referred to in the song "The Village Green Preservation Society" byThe Kinks: "We are the Village Green Preservation Society/ God save Donald Duck, vaudeville, and variety..." The reference is ironical, as the singer is lamenting the disappearance of perceived traditional English cultural artifacts.
Donald Duck makes a cameo appearance in thecartoon sequence in200 Motels (1971).
During the late 1970s, Donald had his first and only disco song named "Macho Duck", available as part of theMickey Mouse Disco children's album.
InSweden, a comic book artist namedCharlie Christensen got into a legal dispute with Disney when his creationArne Anka looked similar to Donald Duck (albeit Arne is a pessimistic drunkard). However, Charlie made a mockery of the legal action and staged a fake death for his character, which then had plastic surgery performed and reappeared as Arne X with a more corvine beak. He later purchased a strap-on duck beak from a novelty gift shop, pointing out that "If Disney is planning to give me any legal action; all I have to do is remove my fake beak."
Donald Duck is a constant source of irritation for the eponymous hero ofDonald Duk (1991), a coming-of-age novel byFrank Chin set in San Francisco's Chinatown.
Donald Duck's Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
In 1991, the Disney Corporation suedIsraeli caricaturistDudu Geva forcopyright infringement, claiming his character "Donald Dach" in the story "Moby Duck" was a rip-off of Donald.[59] The Courts found in their favor and forced Geva to pay for the legal expenses and remove his book from the shelves. More mildly, the characterHoward the Duck's original design was modified to include pants allegedly due to pressure from Disney.[60]
Donald's fame has led Disney to license the character for a number of video games, such as theKingdom Hearts series, where Donald is the court magician of Disney Castle and an ally ofSora.[62][63] He is voiced byTony Anselmo in the English version andKōichi Yamadera in the Japanese version.
In the2016 US presidential election, according to Donna Brazile, DNC chair, who quotes Charlie Baker, the use of a protester in a Donald Duck costume was approved by Hillary Clinton's campaign to bring attention to Donald Trump's "ducking the release of his taxes".[65]
^ab"Sheldgoose Square Dance".Legend of the Three Caballeros. Season 1. Episode 13. 2018. DisneyLife.April: Not so fast! According to the founder's doctrine of the New Quackmore Institute...June: ...should a Sheldgoose ever lose their presidency...May: ...it goes to a Coot.Daisy Duck: Or in this case, their closest relative, Donald Fauntleroy Duck!(Donald, Xandra,Panchito, andJosé gasp)Xandra: Your middle name is 'Fauntleroy'?Donald Duck: Yeah...
^Not including television episodes but including short films, Donald has appeared in 197 films. (Donald Duck at IMDb, retrieved August 15, 2014) The Disney character with the second most film appearances is Mickey Mouse at 167. (Mickey Mouse at IMDb, retrieved August 15, 2014)
^Although the Walt Disney Company claimed Donna Duck to be the same character as Donald's longtime love interestDaisy Duck, this is not so in Karp/Taliaferro comics (1951), where she is a separate character, appearing together with Daisy in a couple of daily newspaper strips. Early illustrations of Daisy also show a clear distinction between the two, Donna having a Mexican accent, contrary to Daisy.
^Noble, Dennis L. (June 2001)."The Corsair Fleet"(PDF).The Beach Patrol and Corsair Fleet. Coast Guard. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on February 12, 2012.
^Brazile, Donna (November 7, 2017).Hacks : the inside story of the break-ins and breakdowns that put Donald Trump in the White House (First ed.). New York, NY. pp. 73 to 77.ISBN9780316478519.OCLC1007319949.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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