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Do you know what June 9th is? It is the magical Donald Duck Day

Happy Birthday Donald Duck

By Ali SPPublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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Do you know what June 9th is? It is the magical Donald Duck Day
Photo by Kin Li on Unsplash

June 9th may seem like just an ordinary day, but let me tell you that it isn’t. Do you know what makes June 9th not so ordinary? How about it being “National Donald Duck Day!”

Donald Duck was an integral part of my childhood. He was described as being an “anthropomorphic duck”. His apparel typically composed of a sailor shirt and cap. Oh, and don’t forget that red bow-tie. His appearance resembled a species of ducks called the Crested duck. Walt Disney described him as being a problem child. I guess I can see why. He usually has the worst luck and at times he is "hot-headed".

In 1934 when he made his first debut as a “mischievous sailor” and later when he was reintroduced, we were made aware of his “fiery temper” and all of his bad luck. This however made him very relatable and brought humor to his experiences. It seemed that they spared Mickey and Goofy from negative traits and bestowed them upon Donald. Not sure that that was something that Donald would have wanted himself had he had a say in it. However, this made his career very lucrative. I guess being so happy go lucky isn’t all that people want to see.

We were first introduced to Donald in the animated TV special “This is your life, Donald Duck”. This was when Donald was seen hatching from an egg and of course this was also where he threw his first tantrum. In the comic book version, it also showed that he received his sailor hat from his grandmother when they went to first visit Duckburg.

Donald was given a middle name and it was Fauntleroy; a possible reference to his sailor hat. His birthday was June 9th, 1934. Happy Birthday Donald!!!

Ok! before we celebrate, let's talk about Donald some more...

Donald Duck appeared in over 190 films. He even had a star placed on the Hollywood walk of fame (2005) and his foot prints were cemented at the Chinese theatre to commemorate his 50th birthday. If you ever wondered about his stardom, now you know how much of a star he was (and still is) and how he deserved to have his special day.

Donald’s success can be attributed to his comic series where he lived in Duckburg. It has been enjoyed by all ages and generations globally. He grew such a huge fan base!

This was Walt Disney’s family museum’s analysis on Donald Duck:

Like a western hero, Mickey is straightforward, good-natured, and modest. Donald is greedy, conceited, sneaky and hot-tempered.”

Man, they sure sound like they are hating on my boy Donald. But didn’t they give him those characteristics?

We can all admit that his character was controversial with some definite humor to it. Yes, he had a bad temper. He pitched a fit by quacking, he bounced around while flaunting his fists to whomever posed a threat to him. There was also a bit of arrogance…yes he was a show off! He was at times, very rude and as a result consistently dealt with the repercussions of his actions. He was a bully but he usually couldn’t take what he dished out and when his victims fought back, Donald was humiliated.

But,

when you really dug deep and evaluated Donald’s core characteristics, he was actually warm and loving. When he wasn’t actively dealing with a problem, he came across as being cheerful, and amiable. He had a great relationship with Huey, Dewey and Louie and when you really thought about it, he did try very hard to control his temper.

Another good quality about Donald was his maturity; he accepted the consequences of his actions. He admitted to them and faced his mistakes like in Mickey’s Twice upon a Christmas. He destroyed the Christmas display and then became horrified by his actions. He did have a heart.

I believe so many related to Donald because he had insecurities especially when it came to his voice, his speech impediment. This made his voice unique (I know Mickey is supposed to be sweet but even he told Donald at one time that he can’t understand a word he’s saying). His voice was originated and performed by Clarence “Ducky” Nash.

He was also jealous of Mickey’s popularity. So many of us can relate to not being the popular gal/guy around, being the small fish in a big pond. He also had a low self-esteem and believed that failure followed him everywhere. One thing about Donald, although he may not have been extremely confident, he did know a great deal about persevering.

Some of his notable phrases were :

What’s the big idea?”- used when burdened by another character

Aw, Phooey”- used as a sign of apathy/defeat

So!”- used when confronting someone.

Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy!”- used when he was excited

As time went on, Donald Duck took the lead over Mickey as he became globally recognized. Can you believe that? There was no need to be so 'jelly' Donald, look how far you’ve come! Donald became Disney’s biggest animated star and poster boy. They also tamed his attitude. His cartoons later on became comedic takes on real life experiences that families related to such as the struggles he experienced while trying to be a parent to his nephews.

Donald became Disney’s “sacred cow” as they were reluctant to cast him in may episodes in Ducktales. I guess even Disney grew fond of him too!

In 2003, he received his own theme park at Disney which was ironically name after Mickey “ Mickey’s Philharmagic”. There we go again with Mickey trying to steal his shine even though the star is Donald Duck.

He was indeed loved. Sweden loved Donald Duck so much that in 2006, they had to make it illegal to vote for him! I guess he claimed the hearts of many Swedish people.

Let’s highlight some of the things that make Donald so worthy of having his own day :

1. He was very empathetic: Through all his difficulties, he continued to fight. He became relatable especially when luck seemed to evade him. Many people have felt that way. In addition, he was often misunderstood or not understood at all. He dealt with the frustrations of trying to gain employment and tried to raise three kids all while he did his best to make ends meet.

2. He was drafted into the Army during World War ll where he became an Army Commando and defeated an enemy airbase.

3. He went above and beyond to keep his family together and has worked harder to achieve it when compared to any other Disney character. He stepped in to care for his three nephews without any hesitation and always had their best interest at heart.

4. He never gave up. He was on a constant quest for happiness and peace. He seemed patient and quite the optimist. Just think about it, every time a Donald focused short began, he was happy with a smile on his face and more so in a relaxed state.

Donald withstood so many tests and I hope this piece brought to light some of his great features.

On June 9th, join the celebration of Donald Duck day and raise a toast to him. This year he will be 87 years old!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLD MAN...I MEAN...DONALD DUCK!!!

Reference used was disney.fandom.com

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About the Creator

Ali SP

Ali has found a renewed passion for reading and creating. It is now a form of expression for her– another creative outlet which she works to improve upon.

https://www.instagram.com/art.ismyrefuge/

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