OK, he really debuted over 70 years ago, in an animated short entitled The Wise Little Hen. He sure has come a long way since then. Today, the public knows and loves Donald as the frustrated Everyman for whom things never go exactly right. Oh sure, he has come close to his dreams a number of times, but something always goes wrong, often because of those mischievous nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie.

But the thing about Donald Duck is that he never gives up, he really embodies the spirit of the pioneer, the entrepreneur, the average working man. And that’s way so many people have identified with him over the years and is what made him into the cartoon superstar that he is today.

Before he appeared in The Wise Little Hen, Donald Duck was mentioned in a 1931 book called The Adventures of Mickey Mouse, by David McKay. An image of a Donald-like character was seen in Mickey Mouse Annual #3, published by Dean & Son of London, in 1932, except that duck had black feathers.

However, Donald’s first definitive appearance was The Wise Little Hen, which debuted on June 9, 1934. In the animated short, Donald was “sort of shiftless or just out for a good time,” according to John K. Snyder Jr., long-time Donald Duck collector. Donald’s frustrated, angry personality didn’t develop until later appearances. In his second short, Orphan’s Benefit, Donald’s trademark aggravation began to emerge.

One of the things that made Donald so popular was his timing. He made his debut during a period when his pal Mickey Mouse’s own popularity was positively booming. Everyone wanted something Mickey, something Disney. During World War II, Donald was the number one character seen on planes and patches worn by service men, likely because many people couldn’t really see Mickey getting riled up enough to really fight, but Donald definitely would.