Donald Duck is a fictional cartoon character created by Walt Disney and introduced in 1934. He is portrayed as an anthropomorphic white Pekin duck who wears a blue sailor suit, speaks with a semi-intelligible voice originated by Clarence Nash, and has an explosive temper. He is one of the most popular Disney characters, along with his friend Mickey Mouse, to whom he often appears as a comic foil. Outside of animation, Donald is primarily known for his appearances in comics, including those by Carl Barks, who greatly expanded the character's universe and gave him additional friends and relatives.
Donald has appeared in over 150 short subjects and sixteen feature films, giving him more film appearances than any other Disney character; has appeared in over a dozen television series; and is the most published comic book character in the world outside of the superhero genre. In 2002, Donald was included in TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time alongside Mickey;[1] two years later, he earned his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Donald Duck Balloon (1935)[]
Donald Duck's involvement with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1935 when he, already a star character, was chosen to be one of four new balloons in that year's parade. For unknown reasons, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was not involved in manufacturing the balloon at all, instead, it was manufactured by Tony Sarg himself though his own studio. It is one of only two 1930s balloons not manufactured by Goodyear, the other being the Cat balloon Sarg also designed and manufactured himself. The inflatable duck joined a vast lineup of Disney-based balloons produced for the previous year’s parade, such as Mickey Mouse and Horace Horsecollar. For its debut voyage, the balloon was joined by three smaller balloon versions of Donald (sans outfit).
The flight across New York City proved to be difficult, however, as wind and rain swept across the Parade route. The balloons were pushed around by the inclement weather and Donald, despite being an aquatic bird, was hit perhaps hardest of all. Although he suffered no punctures, the balloon’s neck gave way to the rain, causing it and his head to flail wildly throughout the Parade route, with it eventually being removed from the Parade after going just one block into the route, making it to be one of the balloons that never made it to Herald Square. Following this Parade, Donald and his other Disney balloon peers was retired from the line of march. The balloon however, later appeared in the Santason Parade in Boston in 1940 without any accident, and was later donated for war efforts in World War II.
Donald Duck Floats (1939, 1946)[]
Donald would need to wait four years before making his return to the lineup in 1939, this time in the form of a small float depicting the foul-tempered fowl piloting a boat. The float sailed down Broadway that year before being retired from the lineup. Another float version of Donald Duck would be made for the 1946 Parade, fashioned in the likeness of a wooden pull-toy, but that too lasted just one year. In the interim, a walk-around Donald made the trek across New York in 1941.
Second Donald Duck Balloon (1962-1972, 1984)[]
The dyspeptic duck would need to wait until the 1962 Parade to return to the lineup. That year, Walt Disney Productions and Macy's teamed up to create a new balloon version of Donald, making him the first fictional character to receive more than one full-size balloon in the Parade in thirty years. This new Donald was constructed throughout the year at the Goodyear Aircraft Corp. in Phoenix, Arizona, by the same staff that had previously built balloons such as Popeye and Bullwinkle Moose.[2] The finished balloon was twice as tall as the original - 60 feet tall and 30 feet wide - and required 10,000 cubic feet of helium to fill his 440 pound body.
During development, it was planned to have this new balloon followed by three smaller balloons as well - this time, in the shape of Donald’s nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Goodyear engineers, however, came to the conclusion that in order to fly, they would have to be disproportionate in scale to their uncle. Consequently, the idea was scrapped and Donald flew solo.
Parade Day that year proved to be turbulent, much like it had almost thirty years earlier. In addition, a costumed version of Donald Duck accompanied the balloon to Herald Square (which had the honor of preceding Santa Claus that year). Despite issues caused by rain and 30 mile-per-hour winds that nearly pushed the monstrous mallard into the street[3], Donald Duck successfully flew down the parade route. In the end, the balloon proved to be a favorite among spectators, and by November 1963, it was ready to set sail for Herald Square once again. That year, however, a Goodyear employee accidentally stepped on its foot during the Parade’s preparation, deflating it and leaving the leg limp for its flight that year.
Throughout the rest of the 1960s, the balloon continued to be flown in the Parade but began to slightly deteriorate. In 1966, the webbing in the balloon's right foot broke apart throughout the route; by 1970, the same had happened to its left foot. By 1971, the rubbernecked veteran had begun to wear out, and with a new Mickey Mouse balloon ready to fly that year, it was decided to have Donald retire after his tenth flight. The night before the parade, however, was fraught with catastrophic weather, with a downpour of rain and winds peaking at 60 miles per hour. The weather made it impossible to inflate the balloons, and Donald’s final flight was held off for the next year. Even 1972 was not without issues, however, as Donald ended up having a deflated left wing after crashing into a tree towards the start of the event.
The Donald Duck balloon was indeed kept in retirement for over a decade, with walk-around versions of the character appearing on-and-off from 1976 into the mid 1980s. By 1983, however, with Donald’s 50th anniversary on the horizon, it was decided to restore the balloon and bring it back out for one last flight in the 1984 Parade. The restoration proved successful in spite of mildew inside the balloon, and Donald Duck took to the skies for the first time in twelve years Thanksgiving Day that year, leading the parade to Macy’s for the first time. Despite expectations that this would be the balloon’s final flight, he made return appearances at the Macy's-Egleston Christmas Parade later that December, and continued to appear for the next two instalments of that parade.
Following these appearances, the balloon would be kept inside Macy's Studios in Hoboken, New Jersey for almost twenty years, eventually being almost completely cut up in 2005, with swatches of the balloon saved for historical purposes.
Other Appearances[]
Donald Duck has also made appearances in the parade as a costumed character. He first appeared as such in the 1976 Parade, joining Mickey and Minnie on the Disney Wagon, and again in the 1981 Parade on the Tencennial Celebration float.
Donald would miss out on the 1982 and 1983 parades, but returned once again in 1984 to 1985 on the Disneyland Celebration float, a float made in honor of the beloved theme park's 30th anniversary, appearing alongside his other Sensational Six friends.
He appeared on the Ship of Dreams float in the 2005, honoring the 50th anniversary of the Disneyland Resort, and has made recent appearances on the Magic Meets the Sea float since the 2021 Parade utilizing his articulated head form.
Trivia[]
- The second Donald Duck balloon is one of only two known balloons to have their retirement announced during the NBC telecast, with the other one being Shrek in 2010.
References[]
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120104091642/http://articles.cnn.com/2002-07-30/entertainment/cartoon.characters.list_1_ren-and-stimpy-tv-guide-space-ghost
- ↑ https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/southwest-valley/2014/09/19/macys-thanksgiving-parade-balloons-made-goodyear/15913043/
- ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/457168704/