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ne of the most popular of the Disney cartoon characters, Donald Duck made
his debut in the Silly Symphony cartoon "The Wise Little Hen" on
June 9, 1934. His fiery temper endeared him to audiences, and in the 1940s
he surpassed Mickey Mouse in the number of cartoons reaching the theaters.
Eventually, there were 128 Donald Duck cartoons, but he also appeared
in a number of others with Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto. His middle
name, shown in a wartime cartoon, is Fauntleroy. The original voice of
Donald was Clarence "Ducky" Nash, who was succeeded after 50
years by Disney artist Tony Anselmo. A daily Donald Duck newspaper comic
strip began on February 7, 1938.
Donald Duck has a good heart and always has good intentions. Well, almost
always. Actually, it's his second or third intentions that are the good
ones, but by the time they surface Donald's already off and running in
the wrong direction. He refuses to let anyone or anything stand in his
way. It doesn't matter how much humiliation the world dishes out
to him, Donald will take it and come back for more. He's a loser, not
a quitter, and he'll go down fighting. This is a duck with one short fuse,
and an amazing (if unintelligible) command of language, and when things
don't go right, he goes ballistic. Yet after the storm is over and the
tantrum is through, when faithful Daisy soothes his brow or his conscience
finally catches up with him, even Donald can admit that there must be
a better way. If only he could figure out what it is.
Hot-headed Donald is a little man in a big world that's trying to keep
him down. Call it fate, or call it lack of self-control, nothing goes
right for this duck: even his best intentions often go awry. Of course,
by the time his best intentions surface he's probably already chasing
after less noble pursuits. As stubborn as he is temperamental, he won't
give in, even when he's up to his beak in trouble. Then watch out.
Like a lot of people with a temper problem, he's blind to
his own faults but quick to see them in others. He can't understand why
life seems so much easier for pals Mickey and easy-going Goofy. It's not
fair. Still, Donald will keep struggling to get what he deserves in the
world. Favorite sayings: "Oh, yeah?"
"Hiya, toots!" "Aw, phooey!"
"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" "Nothin' to it!" |