History Of Donald Duck

A popular cartoon character, Donald Duck was created by the Walt Disney Company. He is a white anthropomorphic duck with a yellow-orange bill. He is well known for his attire - wearing simply a sailor shirt, hat and a red bow tie with no pants in sight. He is even been honored as the third most popular cartoon character of all the times, after Mickey Mouse from Walt Disney and Bugs Bunny from Warner Bros. Not only a Disney icon, Donald Duck is also the mascot for the Oregon Ducks. Donald Duck also has a daily newspaper comic strip credited to him, which began on 7^th February 1938. Read on to know more interesting and amazing information on the history, origin and background of Donald Duck.  

 

 

On 9^th June, 1934, Donald Duck made his debut in a Silly Symphony cartoon titled “The Wise Little Hen”, directed by Bert Gillett. The character was created by animator Dick Lundy, whose look is similar to Donald Duck’s modern look. The director featured Donald Duck in a Mickey Mouse cartoon “The Orphan’s Benefit” on 11^th August, 1934. The duck’s fiery temper made him popular among the audiences and in the 1940s; he surpassed Mickey Mouse in the number of cartoons reaching the theaters.

 

Donald Duck appeared in a number of cartoons along with Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Pluto. He had 128 cartoons to his credit by this time, excluding the ones he did with Mickey Mouse. He even had a middle name as Flauntleroy, which was shown in a wartime cartoon. Donald Duck’s popularity led to creation of other characters in the Duck family like Daisy Duck, Uncle Scrooge, Daffy Duck, and nephews Huey, Dewey and Louey. Donald Duck was originally voiced by Clarence “Ducky” Nash for 50 years, till his death in 1985. Disney artist, Tony Anselmo succeeded Nash and is the current voice of Donald Duck.

 

Donald Duck appeared mostly in Mickey Mouse cartoons as a regular member of the ensemble, with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto. Cartoons from this period include “The Band Concert”, “Turkey in the Straw” and “Mickey’s Service Station”. In 1937, Donald Duck was redesigned to a bit fuller, rounder and cuter. His first solo cartoon was “Don Donald” on 9^th January 1937. His nephews made a debut in the 15^th April 1938 movie “Donald’s Nephews”. Between 1941 and 1965, Donald Duck had appeared in over 100 cartoons. The short film titled “Der Fuehrer’s Face” in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

 

Donald Duck was seen in six army shorts that include “Donald gets Drafted”, “The Vanishing Private”, “Sky Trooper”, “Fall Out Fall In”, “The Old army Game” and “Commando Duck”. He also gained popularity in the television series of Duck Tales that aired from 1987 to 1990. Donald cartoons are widely popular in the United States and across the world. His comic books are admired in many European countries especially Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The books have been reprinted in various countries in their national languages.  

 

Donald Duck has always been shown to have a good heart and sincere intentions. He takes humiliation, but still keeps on going. He is not a quitter and continues to fight even though he loses in the end. The duck is known for his short fuse and an amazing command of language. His love interest, Daisy Duck calms him down and soothes his brow to make him happy. Donald continues to struggle to get what he deserves in the world. Some favorite Donald Duck sayings are "Oh, yeah?", "Hiya, toots!", "Aw, phooey!", "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" and "Nothin' to it!"