AP Article on Donald Duck's 60th in Denmark

[Tom Tanida]

Just got this over the news wires.

-Tom


AP Online
 
AP 06/09 13:18 EDT V0257
 
Copyright 1994. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. 
 
   COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- Donald Duck, the short-legged, ill-tempered
aquatic bird in a sailor's suit, turned 60 Thursday, and 1,000 Danish fans
welcomed the cartoon character's most famous illustrator, Carl Barks, to a
celebration.  
   "Thank you for welcoming me and my duck this way," said the 93-year-old
Barks, as he hopped off a Norwegian ferry at the Copenhagen Pier, greeted by
waving American and Danish flags, and banners saying, "Donald Duck, we love
you."  
   Barks, who didn't create Donald Duck, but drew him for Walt Disney Studios
cartoons from 1935 until 1942, made his first foreign trip, starting last week,
to the Nordic region. The area is second only to the United States in per capita
consumption of Disney comics.  
   Donald Duck was hatched June 9, 1934, when he appeared in Walt Disney's
animated film, "The Little Wise Hen."  
   Dancing and singing, he suddenly faked illness when the wise hen asked him to
help her sow seeds. "Oh no, I got a tummy ache," his first line was.  
   Since then, Donald Duck appeared in more than 150 animated cartoons seen in
more than 76 countries, according to the Egmont Group in Copenhagen, which
claims to be the world's biggest producer of Disney comic books.  
   The group, which sells Disney magazines to 22 countries, including Russia,
Japan and China, invited Barks to Copenhagen to celebrate Donald's birthday.  
   Barks polished up Donald, who was slimmer, with a longer beak in his first
appearances. Barks rounded him out, gave him a personality, and made him more
jolly, although he still had a bad temper.  
   Barks also created Donald's hometown of Duckburg for comic books and invented
the characters Uncle Scrooge McDuck, Gladstone Gander, the Beagle Boys and Gyro
Gearloose. Barks is credited with giving Huey, Dewey and Louie -- Donald's
nephews -- their distinctive personalities.  
   Barks stopped drawing in 1966, but continued writing duck tales until his
retirement in 1973. Now he paints Disney figures in oil at his home in Grant's
Pass, Ore.  
   The early cartoons were slapstick conflicts between Donald and his nephews.
Barks later sent the ducks on exotic adventures around the globe and into space.
   Barks, who drew 6,371 pages of duck cartoons, had never been outside the
United States, but found inspiration by reading magazines.