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Donald Duck's Birthday
"I made my money by being tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties! And I made it square!"
~ Scrooge McDuck
Pinch those pennies, Uncle Scrooge!
Donald Fauntleroy Duck, created by Walt Disney Productions in 1934, is one of the world's most recognizable cartoon characters. Known for his quick temper, mischievous antics, and distinctive voice, Donald is also a proud member of the fictional Scottish Clan McDuck. Among his relatives is his famously wealthy and thrifty uncle, Scrooge McDuck, the business magnate who first appeared in 1947 and whose fortune has been variously estimated at "one multiplujillion, nine obsquatumatillion, six hundred twenty-three dollars and sixty-two cents!"
This tartan is often referred to as the Ancient MacDuck tartan, sometimes called the "old colours" tartan. While the tartan is frequently identified as MacDuck, the Disney family itself is traditionally known as Clan McDuck, which explains why both spellings are encountered. The tartan is sometimes depicted as being worn by Scrooge McDuck and other members of the clan, including Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. According to popular lore, it was even used during World War II as part of a U.S. government campaign promoting the sale of war bonds.
Over the years, Disney writers developed an elaborate fictional genealogy to provide Scrooge with a suitably Scottish ancestral heritage. Family tradition traces the clan back to Sir Quackly MacDuich (1010–1057), chief of the clan during the turbulent reign of King Macbeth. Legend tells that Macbeth rewarded Quackly with a treasure chest for his loyalty during Scotland's power struggles. Quackly accepted the gift, but became so obsessed with guarding the treasure that he sealed himself inside the castle with it. To this day, his ghost is said to haunt the halls, keeping a watchful eye on the family fortune.
The ancestral seat of Clan McDuck is McDuck Castle, perched amid the gloomy and windswept Dismal Downs, somewhere on Rannoch Moor in the Scottish Highlands. With a castle, a ghostly treasure guardian, and enough gold to fill a money bin, the McDucks have certainly created one of the most entertaining clan histories ever imagined! 💛 🧡 💚 ❤️ 💰 💰 💰 🦆 🏰
Donald Duck first appeared in the June 9th 1934 cartoon The Wise Little Hen, part of the Silly Symphonies series of theatrical cartoon shorts. The film's release is officially recognized by the Walt Disney Company as Donald's birthday.
Modeled after Charles Dickens' character of Ebenezer Scrooge, Scrooge McDuck is a wealthy and thrifty Scottish business magnate and tycoon. He is the maternal uncle of Donald Duck, the grand-uncle of Huey, Dewey and Louie, and a usual financial backer of Gyro Gearloose. Scrooge McDuck (and therefore Donald) has his own official tartan (and several cartoon unofficial versions).
The Clan McDuck is a fictional Scottish clan of cartoon ducks from which Disney character Scrooge McDuck is descended. Within the Donald Duck universe, the clan is related to the American Duck family through the marriage of Hortense McDuck and Quackmore Duck, the parents of Donald Duck. The seat of Clan McDuck is McDuck Castle (alternately called Castle McDuck) which is located in Dismal Downs, somewhere in Rannoch Moor, a non-fictional location within Scotland. The nearest village is the fictional MacDuich.
In 1942, five years before the creation of Scrooge McDuck as a character, the Disney corporation created and registered a yellow, red, and green tartan pattern called "MacDuck Final Version" and used it to sell war bonds during World War II. Subsequent versions have been designed for comics and cartoon characters but not officially registered.
Historically, Donald Duck's Scottish lineage is very distinguished:
Sir Quackly McDuck (1010-1057; Scottish Gaelic: Quackly MacDuich) was clan chief when King Macbeth was killed in 1057. That same year, Macbeth offered Quackly a treasure chest in exchange for his support in the ongoing war for the throne. Quackly agreed and served the king during the war, but became obsessed with protecting the treasure, eventually trapping himself inside the castle walls with it. Quackly and his treasure became a McDuck legend, and it is believed that his ghost continues to protect the treasure and the castle.
In 1877, Quackly's ghost saves a young Scrooge McDuck from the Whiskervilles of Dismal Downs. Without revealing his true identity, he suggests to Scrooge that he travel to America and work for his Uncle Pothole, thus serving as the catalyst for all of Scrooge's adventures.
For the complete genealogy, click the kilted McDuck!