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[IceWizard]

Thursday 09 June 2016

National Donald Duck Day



Full name: Donald Fauntleroy Duck

Donald Duck is so much more than just Mickey Mouse’s best friend. The beloved Disney character has starred in dozens of his own movies, books, comic strips, and even briefly enjoyed a period in the forties when he was more popular than the head mouse. What better way to celebrate Donald Duck Day than with some fun facts about Disney’s most well-known quacker?

01. HE’S BEEN A STAR FOR OVER 80 YEARS.

June 9 isn’t a randomly chosen day for Donald-centric celebrations: It marks the first time Donald appeared on the big screen. On June 9, 1934, Donald co-starred in the Disney “Silly Symphonies” short The Wise Little Hen (a spin on the fairy tale The Little Red Hen), where he appeared as a lazy duck who shirks helping out on a farm along with best pal Peter Pig.

02. HIS BIRTHDAY IS MARCH 13, 1914.

Traditionally, a character's first appearance in a cartoon marks its birthday—but in a late '40s cartoon, it was revealed that Donald was born on March 13th. In his authorized biography published in 1941, we find out he was born on Friday the 13th.

03. HE GOT HIS FIRST STARRING ROLE IN 1937.

Although Donald had lots of supporting roles after the success of The Little Red Hen, he didn’t get his first starring role until the 1937 short, Don Donald. The eight-minute cartoon follows Donald’s adventures in Mexico (including riding a burro, which goes poorly), though it’s mainly centered on his bumbling attempts to win over his lady love, Donna Duck.

04. HIS FIRST LOVE WAS NOT DAISY.

Like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck are one of Disney’s most beloved couples. But it wasn’t always that way. There’s been some debate over whether or not Daisy and Donna (a modern lady who isn’t always taken with Donald’s attempts at wooing her) are really the same person, just a duck by a different name,

05. DONALD WAS A WARTIME SCREEN STAR.

The famed duck starred in a series of shorts during World War II that involved the positive- thinking duck developing deep appreciation for the American troops and a hefty dislike of Nazi Germany (referred to as “Nutzi Land" in the films).

06. HE’S A UNIQUE MASCOT.

Donald is—at least on merchandise and apparel—the mascot of the University of Oregon’s Fighting Ducks sports teams.

07. HE REALLY IS RELATED TO THE CLAN MCDUCK.

One of Donald’s main developers, cartoonist Carl Barks, helped kit out the Duck family tree back in the '50s (Barks also created Scrooge McDuck). Part of that expansion was to tie the Duck family in with the McDucks by marriage. Donald’s mother Hortense is a McDuck, and she married into the Ducks when she hooked up with Donald’s dad, Quackmore.