Happy 86th Birthday Donald Duck!

[gaastra]

Happy birthday donald!

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/days-2/ ... ttle%20Hen.

[Ben]

Doesn’t look a day over 50!


Always loved this special from when I first saw it in 1984, and great to see all the Van Dyke interaction. He also came back to do a terrific doc on Snow White three years later. This version is a bit choppy, split up into segments — there was an all in one version but it didn’t have any sound! This is the first clip in a playlist that should line up the full program.

[EricJ]

But...I thought Donald's birthday (as we find out in Three Caballeros) was Friday the 13th?

[Ben]

Like the Queen, he has two.

Actually, there was a Friday 13th two months earlier in 1934, in April. Quite possible they had a screening of The Wise Little Hen on that day, either before a final sound mix or as a finished product before it went out for printing, if that makes you feel any better...

[ShyViolet]

John Taylor’s 1987 book Storming the Magic Kingdom (which chronicles Saul Steinberg’s near-successful attempt to buy the company) actually opens with Donald Duck’s fiftieth being celebrated on the Walt Disney Studios Lot (IIRC, I think it was on Mickey Avenue. ). Kind of an interesting way to start that that story lol.

[Daniel]

Happy birthday to the #1 fiery-fun duck! Donald turns 88 today.

[Ben]

Doesn’t look a day older than when he had that nose job!

Many happy returns, Mr Duck!

[Daniel]

Here's the 50th anniversary special intact that you linked to above:



Love that special too! Would've been a nice surprise for Disney+.

[Ben]

Okay, I just have to post this after all this time…

This and the Snow White 50th that Van Dyke also hosted (also great) were among the things that got spoofed big time in the start of Alexei Sayle's second season opener. Sayle is an "alternative comedy" performer, whose surreal, off the wall show — Alexei Sayle's Stuff — which saw him just basically riffing on any and all subjects mixed in with sketches and random bits, were a highlight for Brit viewers of a certain age at this point of the late 1980s, early 90s.

His "unique POS" was as an adult comic playing up to his angry, "fat b***ard" persona, and this clip never fails to bring a smile to my face: I remember taping this on VHS the night that it aired (still have it!) and love the detail on the cartoon sequence. A light warning for the one crude word I just hinted at, but this is otherwise excellently observed comedy done really well on an 80s TV budget:

[Daniel]

Absolutely priceless! The idea of someone "animating" a real person on cels.

[Ben]

Glad you enjoyed!

[gaastra]

And now happy 90th donald.


Neat intro to an overseas disney show with tons of disney comics only characters many animated for the first time. The strange bird with mickey looks like is his sidekick overseas in the comics. Donald shows up as himself and his duck avenger hero id.

[Ben]

Darn…forgot this thread. Should have put the DIY Duck post here!