Here's to Donald Duck - 85 Years Young Today!

Today, Sunday, June 9, that irascible fowl in naval garb, Donald Duck, turns 85 years old!

Yes, Walt Disney’s fine-feathered creation “made his screen debut on this date [June 9, 1934] with the release of ‘The Wise Little Hen,’ a short film in the Disney series of ‘Silly Symphonies.’” (*) 

Ever since, DD’s fame has been flowing like water off a duck’s back -- TV, movies, cartoons, books, a soft drink that bore his name... 

Bad puns aside, did you know that in the 1960s Middletown, Ohio, was chosen as a test market for a new beverage called “Donald Duck”?

According to the July 16, 1962, Middletown Journal, “The Factor-Brewer Advertising Agency in Los Angeles, Calif., has chosen Middletown as the test town for Ohio in the marketing of ‘Donald Duck’ beverages and is introducing this new soft drink with an advertising campaign in the Middletown Journal...”

The soft drink, which came in many flavors, was being distributed locally by the Carter Beverage Company, the article reported. Donald’s image appeared “on every bottle and bottle cap,” it said.

The news article was accompanied by a photo of Donald and two human friends sipping the ducky new beverage. They weren’t just any thirsty humans, but celebrities in their own right:

Clarence “Ducky” Nash, who was “the voice of Walt Disney’s Donald Duck,” and British actress Kathy Beaumont, who supplied the voice of Wendy in Disney’s all-cartoon (and future classic) “Peter Pan” which was due for release the following spring.

Sure enough, at the bottom of the very same newspaper page was a big advertisement for “Donald Duck Beverages.” 

Did you enjoy a bottle of Donald Duck beverage in the ‘60s? If so, let us know!

Sources:

(*) From “Chase’s Calendar of Events.” Available for checkout at MidPointe Library.

The July 16, 1962, edition of the Middletown Journal is available online through MidPointe Library’s Newspaper Archive, accessible via:

www.midpointelibrary.org> eLibrary > Research Databases > Magazines and Newspapers > Middletown Journal July 16 1962

If you’re a fan of Donald, check out MidPointe Library’s Donald Duck collection!

www.midpointelibrary.org> Catalog Search > Donald Duck

You’ll find even more entertainment and information on MidPointe’s vast eLibrary accessible at: www.midpointelibrary.org> eLibrary