Donald Duck is 91 today! He made his debut on this day in 1934 in the cartoon The Wise Little Hen. He got his first starring role in the 1937 animated short Don Donald, which follows his adventures in Mexico. The short also introduced Donald’s love interest, Donna Duck, who eventually evolved into Daisy Duck.
Donald was voiced for 51 years by Clarence Nash. He auditioned for Disney when he learned they were looking for people to create animal sounds for their cartoons. Walt Disney was impressed with his duck imitation, and chose him to voice the new character. Nash went on to voice Donald Duck in over 120 shorts and films. Donald was a huge hit with audiences, and by 1938 most polls showed he was more popular than Mickey Mouse!
During World War II, Donald was featured in several animated propaganda films. In one, Donald Gets Drafted, we learn he has a middle name: Fauntleroy! Because of his appearances in these wartime films, Donald graced the nose artwork of virtually every type of Allied combat aircraft during the war. Although his service was mostly in the U.S. Army in the cartoons, Disney authorized Donald to be used as a mascot for the U.S. Coast Guard, and his image is often used on Coast Guard bases and Coast Guard cutters.
Speaking of mascots, Donald is the only major film and television cartoon character to appear as a mascot for a major American university. A licensing agreement between Disney and the University of Oregon allowed the school’s sports teams to use Donald’s image as its “Fighting Duck” mascot. However, in 2010, Disney and Oregon agreed that the Fighting Duck wasn’t actually Donald, freeing him up to do more promotional activities and make more public appearances.
Donald has been a popular character all over the world, especially in Nordic countries. In Sweden, it’s tradition to watch Donald Duck cartoons on Christmas Eve! Since 1959, the TV special “From All of Us to All of You” has aired commercial-free at the same time every December 24. It’s estimated that about half the country tunes in every year, and for many families, watching the special is just as important a tradition as having a Christmas tree.
Donald Duck has appeared in more films than any other Disney character. And in 2004, he got his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.