Anniversaries

The world’s most famous duck turns 75-years-old today, and the temperamental duck is aging well!

Donald Duck made his debut on June 9th, 1934, in the animated short The Wise Little Hen, in which Donald and his friend Peter Pig try to avoid work by feigning stomach aches. Since then Donald has appeared in over 150 cartoons, 21 video games, several feature films and most importantly thousands of comic book stories.

It was famous comic book artist Carl Barks, nicknamed The Duck Man, who gave Donald a place to live (Duckburg), an extended family (Uncle Scrooge, Gladstone Gander), friends (Gyro Gearloose) and foes (The Beagle Boys). Barks’ impressive body of work, over 500 duck stories, are still reprinted in weekly and monthly comic books around the world. They form the basis of Donald’s huge popularity in countries like Denmark, Finland, Germany and Italy — and his work has inspired new artists to create new comic stories in Barks’ tradition. More »

Italian weekly magazine Topolino (Mickey Mouse) is celebrating its 60th birthday this week. A ‘Topolino’ title has actually been around since 1932 (Topolino Giornale), but the book format as we know it today was started in April 1949. The magazine, still loved by children and adults and found anywhere in Italy where magazines are sold, maintains its market leadership with original comic stories and themed editorials. In recent years summer specials have sometimes driven up sales of the weekly comic to over one million copies. More »

Denmark’s Donald Duck weekly Anders And & Co, which was launched in March 1948, turns 60-years-old this month! The popular magazine celebrated its anniversary with a golden cover of the 9th issue and a special competition.

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… Huey, Dewey, and Louie appeared for the very first time in a Donald Duck newspaper Sunday page written by Ted Osborne and drawn by Al Taliaferro. In this story from 17 October 1937, Donald gets the following letter: “Dear Donald, I am sending your angel nephews Louie, Huey and Dewey, to stay with you while their father is in the hospital. A giant firecracker exploded under his chair. The little darlings are so playful. I hope you enjoy them. Your cousin, Della”. At the same time the Studio was working on a cartoon called Donald’s Nephews, written by Carl Barks and Jack Hannah, but due to the longer production time it didn’t premiere until 1938. More about Huey, Dewey and Louie »

Today is Epcot’s 25th anniversary. The second park of Walt Disney World in Florida, EPCOT Center, opened to the public on October 1st, 1982. Today the park celebrates this special day with a rededication ceremony, special fireworks display, a gallery exhibition showcasing Epcot memorabilia, and guest conversations with Disney Legend Marty Sklar.