| Donald Duck | |
|---|---|
| Mickey Mouse & Friends and Donald Duck character | |
 | |
| First appearance | The Wise Little Hen (1934) |
| Created by | Dick Lundy Walt Disney[1] |
| Designed by | Walt Disney |
| Voiced by | Clarence Nash (1934–1985) Tony Anselmo (1985–present) Daniel Ross (Roadster Racers only) |
| Developed by | Dick Lundy Fred Spencer Carl Barks Jack King Jack Hannah |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Donald Fauntleroy Duck[2] |
| Alias |
|
| Nickname | Don |
| Species | Duck |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Duck family |
| Significant other | Daisy Duck (girlfriend) |
| Relatives | Scrooge McDuck (maternal uncle) Ludwig Von Drake (paternal uncle)[3] Della Duck (twin sister) Huey, Dewey, and Louie (nephews) Gladstone Gander (cousin) Duck family (paternal relatives) Clan McDuck (maternal relatives) |
| Date of birth | June 9[4] |
Donald Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known for his semi-intelligible speech and his mischievous, temperamental, and pompous personality. Along with his friend Mickey Mouse, Donald was included in TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time in 2002,[5] and has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has appeared in more films than any other Disney character.[6]
Donald Duck appeared in comedic roles in animated cartoons. Donald's first appearance was in The Wise Little Hen (1934), but it was his second appearance in Orphan's Benefit that same year that introduced him as a temperamental comic foil to Mickey Mouse.[7] Throughout the next two decades, Donald appeared in over 150 theatrical films, several of which were recognized at the Academy Awards. In the 1930s, he typically appeared as part of a comic trio with Mickey and Goofy and was given his own film series starting with Don Donald (1937). These films introduced Donald's love interest and permanent girlfriend Daisy Duck and often included his three nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. After the film Chips Ahoy (1956), Donald appeared primarily in educational films before eventually returning to theatrical animation in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983). His last appearance in a theatrical film was in Fantasia 2000 (1999). However, since then Donald has appeared in direct-to-video features such as Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004), television series such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006–2016), and video games such as QuackShot (1991) and the Kingdom Hearts series.
In addition to animation, Donald is well known worldwide for his appearances in comics. Donald was most famously drawn by Al Taliaferro, Carl Barks, and Don 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 uncle Scrooge McDuck. Donald has been a popular character in Europe, particularly in Nordic countries where his weekly magazine Kalle Anka & C:o was the comics publication with the highest circulation from the 1950s to 2009. In Italy, Donald is a major character in many comics, including a juvenile version named Paperino Paperotto, and a superhero alter ego known as Paperinik (Duck Avenger in the US and Superduck in the UK).
- ^ "Walt Disney Rare BBC TV Interview Broadcasted 6th July 1959", YouTube, September 14, 2020, archived from the original on July 27, 2022, retrieved July 27, 2022
- ^ Anderson, Paul. "THE FAUNTELROY FOLLIES: The Continuing History of Donald Duck". waltdisney.org. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ "Did You Know? 8 Genius Facts About Ludwig von Drake". September 22, 2016. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 74–76. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ TV Guide's 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. CNN. June 30, 2002, retrieved June 4, 2011.
- ^ 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)
- ^ Maltin, Leonard (1987). Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons (Revised ed.). Plume. p. 49. ISBN 0-452-25993-2.