9 January 1937 saw the premiere of Don Donald, Donald Duck’s first headliner cartoon and introducing Donna Duck for the first time as Donald’s girlfriend. Donna Duck served as a precursor for Daisy in both animation and comics. On paper, she first appeared in a one-page illustration titled “Don Donald” and published in Good Housekeeping #3701 (January, 1937). The page was illustrated by Thomas “Tom” Wood (1870s - October 4, 1940) who was head of the Walt Disney Studios’ publicity department from 1933 until his death. She went on to appear in the “Donald and Donna” comic strip published in Mickey Mouse Weekly from May 15 to August 21, 1937. The Weekly was a United Kingdom publication and the strip was illustrated at the time by William A. Ward. However her co-starring role was brief.

It was not until 4 November 1940 that Disney legends Al Taliaferro and Bob Karp used Daisy in her first real comics appearance; in the newspaper daily Donald Makes a Hit Daisy Duck was introduced as the new neighbor of Donald. She was seemimgly soft-spoken but had a fiery temper and Donald often found himself a victim to her rage.

Her first original comic book appearance was in the story The Mighty Trapper by Carl Barks, first published in Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #36 (September, 1943). However this was only a cameo when Huey, Dewey and Louie ask her to lend them an old fur coat. Barks would not use the character again until Donald Tames His Temper (January, 1946) when Daisy demands that Donald learns to manage his anger as a New Year’s resolution. Donald has to agree but points early on that Daisy herself has the temper of a “wild-eyed wildcat”.

Source and further reading: Daisy Duck at Wikipedia.org

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