It’s The Duck, Donald Duck!  Just looking at him makes me smile!  He looks so darn cute in his sailor outfit and bow tie!  (Have you noticed he wears a hat but NO PANTS???)  Love those tail feathers!

What I really love about Donald Fauntleroy Duck’s appearance is his big smile and even bigger yellow feet.  He is just so adorable!

About that personality, though.  He could reign in his hot temper a bit, don’t you think?  He is also quite the bully and humiliates others with his pranks.  Walt Disney said this about Donald: “One of the greatest satisfactions in our work here at the studio is the warm relationship that exists within our cartoon family.  Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, and the whole gang have always been a lot of fun to work with.  But like many large families, we have a problem child.  You’re right, it’s Donald Duck.”

Yeah, Donald isn’t perfect, that’s for sure.  He’s a bit mischievous and ends up making his own “bad luck.”  I guess that’s why we all could relate to him; we all see ourselves at one time or another in Donald Duck!

Donald may have a lot of negative traits, but at his core, Donald is a warm, lovable, friendly, and jovial character.  He is very loving to his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie; and, he treats them like his own children. 

The Duck isn’t as loving to Mickey Mouse, though.  He’s a bit jealous of the mouse’s popularity and leadership skills.  Their relationship is a complicated one, because of it.  Although they are rivals, they are generally good friends.

All that is Donald Duck—the good, the bad, and the ugly—is what made him famous enough to star in over 190 films, more than any other Disney character.  Some of his cartoons were even honored by the Academy Awards!  The Duck also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, got his footprints cemented at the Chinese Theatre, and is the mascot for the University of Oregon’s sports teams, The Ducks. 

Actually, the list of his fame goes on and on.  There is Donald Duck Orange Juice, other Donald Duck products, and all sorts of commercials starring Donald Duck.  He even has his own hot air balloon.  These are some shots I took of it at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, in the late 1980’s:

Did you know that Donald Duck recently celebrated his 87^th birthday?  Yep!  His officially recognized birthday is June 9, 1934, the day his debut film, The Wise Little Hen, was released.

Donald may be getting up in years, but he’ll always be a youthful and lovable duck to me!