Today is a June 9th which is National Donald Duck Day #DonaldDuckDay I’m so excited and happy to be able to celebrate #DonaldDuck who I’ve loved since I was a child along with #Eeyore and #HortonHearsAWho or #Snuffleupagus. How about you. Is there a certain character you like and why?
When Charlie was little Charlie and his grandmother were obsessed with #Tomater from the movie Cars. My sister likes #TweetyBird and Suzzane loved #Tigger and #CuriousGeorge and David likes #TweetyBird just like my sister Debbie. If you will excuse I’m going to ask David if we can go to Grapevine Mills Mall to see if the Disney Store is doing anything special for #DonaldDuckDay. Would you like to come with us?
Did you know Donald Duck made his cartoon debut in “The Wise Little Hen” back in the Summer of 1934? But Donald Duck wouldn’t meet Mickey Mouse until his second appearance in “Orphan’s Benefit” later that year. From there, it wasn’t long before Daisy Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie were introduced. In spite of their superior diction, they weren’t able to steal the spotlight from Donald. You can’t replace his grumpy, nearly incomprehensible charm, and it’s why the Donald has been in more movies which is 200+ films than any Disney character. So, let’s celebrate on June 9 National Donald Duck Day!
Donald Ducks accomplishments don’t stop there. Donald Duck co-hosted the Oscars in 1958 with a little help from Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, and Jimmy Stewart. Oh, and they named an asteroid after Donald Duck in 1995. If that doesn’t convince you Donald Duck is a force of nature, you should know that Donald Duck has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We’re not sure how Donald Duck left webbed foot prints in front of the Chinese Theater, but we’ll gladly roll with it. Well, what do you give to a duck that has it all? His own holiday which leads us to #DonaldDuckDay
The world was introduced to Disney’s beloved character Donald Duck on June 9, 1934. More or less starting off as a comic-book character, he remains the most published non-superhero ever. Such is Donald Ducks popularity that Donald Duck is a national hero in Finland! The character is a pop culture icon in Finland, much like Hello Kitty is in Japan.
Donning his signature blue sailor suit with no pants, Donald Duck has appeared in more short films and feature films than any other Disney character. It is the diverse nature of his character that has allowed him to be featured in a plethora of roles, from an army officer and a teacher, to an Uncle to three ducklings.
Walt Disney conjured up the idea for Donald Duck to introduce an edgier character to balance out the goody-goody jolly Mickey Mouse. During the experimental phase of Donald’s character creation, Disney read about Australian cricketer Donald Bradman, who had made headlines after getting dismissed for a Duck.
Another defining feature of Donald Duck is his voice. Clarence Nash, the original voice actor for Donald, created a distinct voice achieved by ‘buccal speech,’ a form of vocalization that utilizes the inner cheek to create sound instead of the larynx. Nash first discovered this while trying to mimic his pet Goat.
In the 1940s, Donald Duck overtook Mickey Mouse with over 128 independent short animations. This was truly the decade of the Donald, as Donald Duck soared to popularity faster than any other Disney figure. During World War II, despite having to halt most of its production, Disney represented its stance by using Donald Duck in several American propaganda films. One of these animations earned Disney an Academy Award for ‘Best Short Film.’
Other than his success in films, Donald also got his own comic in the ’40s that branched into an entire series of independent Donald Duck comics, which are circulated and enjoyed by adults and children until today. The Donald in the comics who lives in the town of Duckburg and is a loving Uncle to nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie is much more mild-mannered, and has better-articulated speech and emotions than the original Donald. Which Donald do you like the best?
After Walt Disney’s death, Donald Duck did not make another appearance on screen again until 1983. Donald Duck continues to be a legend today and is still featured in cartoon films, television shows, and comics. What makes Donald so relatable and fun is that he is always getting into situations and difficulties, and has to get himself out using nothing but his wits and slim resources. Due to the politicization of his character during the Second World War, Donald is also good at taking hits at opponents and is featured in campaigns around the world.
TRADITIONS OF THE DAY
If your like me we have grown up watching Donald Duck cartoons. We fondly remember scenes of Donald Duck losing his cool over small things and getting into comical situations. To revisit these memories, people tune in to their favorite Donald Duck cartoons today and maybe even introduce the cartoons to a child.
Did you know Donald Duck has also been featured in many video games including “Kingdom Hearts” and had his own comic book, too! These comics require sourcing but are well worth purchasing some are even collectible.. There are many DIY Donald Duck art projects that can be found online. Indulging in some Donald Duck-themed crafts which is also a great way to celebrate Donald Duck Day.
DONALD DUCK DAY ACTIVITIES
- You’ve got about 225 Donald Duck movies to choose from to celebrate #DonaldDuckDay. That number might sound intimidating, but it doesn’t hurt to have so many good options. If you’re in the mood for something fun and action-packed, check out “Mickey, Donald, and Goofy: The Three Musketeers.” But if you’d rather curl up with a book, there’s no shortage of comics. Pretty much anything drawn by Carl Barks is gold.
- Throw a Donald Duck theme party and you don’t have to go all out but we advise you to wear pants which we all know Donald Duck doesn’t wear, but wearing a red tie and sailor hat will get everyone in the spirit. For good measure, you might want to encourage your guests to strap on a Duck nose piece. Which you can have everyone make out of construction paper when they arrive at the party Although, if the whole costume thing doesn’t appeal to everybody, there’s always T-shirts. To make things a little more fun, why not have a contest for the coolest Donald Duck T? Whether they’re custom or store-bought, there are bound to be some funny surprises.
- If you have the opportunity you should go to Disneyland or Walt Disney World today. Then pay Donald Duck a visit in person.
FACTS ABOUT DONALD DUCK
- Here is something I didn’t know about Donald Duck which is Donald has a twin sister, named Thelma, Dumbella, or Della in various stories, who went on to become an astronaut. Did you know that?
- After his debut on screen, a short titled “Don Donald” really made Donald popular with the audience.
- here is another fun fact for you. Daisy wasn’t Donald’s first love in the animated short “Don Donald,” Donald Duck tries to win over his love interest Donna Duck. Looks like I need to watch “Don Donald” so I can see Donna Duck. Would you like to watch it with me?
- In 1947, Walt Disney approved Donald Duck as the official mascot for the University of Oregon’s Fighting Ducks.
- Step aside, Mickey Mouse Donald Duck has appeared in seven animated feature films, more than all of his other Disney friends.
WHY WE LOVE DONALD DUCK DAY
- Donald Duck has one of the most iconic voices in Hollywood, and it’s ripe for imitation. Have you ever imitated the voice of your favorite cartoon character? It’s a lot of fun, and in true Donald Duck fashion, you don’t have to make sense. Truthfully, the fewer the number of people who understand you, the better. That’s how you know you’re nailing your impression on National Donald Duck Day.
- Donald isn’t just any type of Duck; he’s an American Peking duck. As the name hints, this species of Duck was mainly bred in China. Peking Ducks didn’t become popular in the U.S. until 1873. Interestingly enough, the Peking Duck made its stateside debut in Long Island, but Donald’s accent doesn’t reflect that. This only further demonstrates his acting genius.
- Without Donald Duck, we wouldn’t have some of our favorite cartoons from the ’90s including “Duck Tales”. Who could forget the scene of Scrooge McDuck swimming through piles of money? Every kid fantasized about doing that at least once, and it’s sad to think where we’d be without Scrooge McDuck. An even sadder thought is a world where Darkwing Duck doesn’t exist.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
