Donald Duck Makes First Appearance in The Wise Little Hen (1934)

Donald Fauntleroy Duck made his first screen debut on June 9, 1934, in The Wise Little Hen. The origins of the character began when voice performer Clarence Nash auditioned for Walt Disney Studios when he learned that Disney was looking for people to create animal sounds for his cartoons. Disney was particularly impressed with Nash’s duck imitation and chose him to voice the new character. Disney came up with Donald’s iconic attributes including his short temper and his sailor suit. While Dick Huemer and Art Babbit were the first to animate Donald, Dick Lundy is credited for developing him as a character.

Along with his friend Mickey Mouse, Donald was included in TV Guide’s list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time in 2002, and has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has appeared in more films than any other Disney character, and is the most published comic book character in the world outside of the superhero genre.