How was the Disney character created?

This Sunday, the 9th, is the 90th birthday of Donald Fauntleroy Duck, Mickey Mouse’s best friend and the most famous and beloved duck of all time. The date marks the first appearance of the character in the animation “A Galinha Esperta”, on this day, in 1934.

Donald was created by Walt Disneyand had its debut entirely inspired by the voice of Clarence Nashactor who caught the attention of Walt from the first time he heard him creating animal sounds on the radio, and was soon invited to voice the duck, being responsible for the role until his death in 1985.

According to Becky Clineresponsible for Disney’s archives, in a statement to the newspaper El País, Donald was adored by the public from the beginning.

“He is adorable, but also irascible, mischievous, crazy. He gets into trouble alone; I think we would often like to lose our minds like he did,” Becky said.

At first, Donald had a slightly different appearance than the one we know today, appearing with a slightly wider beak and slightly different colors. However, he has already appeared in his famous blue sailor outfit with white feathers. Cline argues that this fact helped in the character’s lasting popularity.

Throughout his 90 years, Donald Duck is also considered the character who has appeared in the most films from the studio. Walt Disney, accumulating more than 200 productions. In addition to animation, the duck was also a huge success in comic books, being one of the most read characters in Brazil and around the world, according to Disney.

Around here, his first comic released arrived in 1938, in the Suplemento Juvenil de Adolfo Aizen, but it was in July 1943 that his triumphant entry into the Brazilian publishing market took place. Published by Editora Melhoramentos, his first book shows the visit of Mickey Mouse’s two nephews at his house, where the little mice play tricks on Donald.

In the 1940s, Donald Duck was also an extremely important figure in the United States. This is because he was one of the figures chosen by Walt Disney to help with military propaganda during World War II, even earning 400 military badges.

“He represented the government and Defense and, in 1943, he led a campaign to encourage people to pay taxes, a war effort. In the 1950s, he worked in public service, teaching safety to children”, explained Becky Cline to El País.

Even after nine decades, the character continues to be extremely relevant and adored by thousands of people around the world, being the face of different products and productions. Happy birthday, Donald!