When Mickey Mouse turned 90 in 2018, it was a big deal. Newspapers reported it. ABC aired a two-hour prime time special called “Mickey’s 90th Spectacular” in his honor; the program featured “never-before-seen” short videos and “star-studded celebrities,” including Anna Camp, Tony Hale and Sofia Carson. Okay, not exactly Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and Beyonce, but still . . .
Donald’s 90th birthday in June, on the other hand, generated a little more than a five-minute discussion on NPR and a bunch of online ads for a bunch of junk merch, such as a Donald Duck anniversary iPhone case ($21.95) and Donald Duck 90th anniversary shower clogs ($24.95). I searched online in vain for any mention linking “90th birthday” and “Donald Duck” in The New York Times. Although, considering the Times’ style guide, maybe I should have searched under “90th birthday” and “Mr. Duck.”
And, I’m embarrassed to admit, his birthday got no mention in this column, either, even though Donald Duck was my favorite cartoon character.
I never liked Mickey Mouse. I thought of him as a goody-two shoes. A sissy with a squeaky voice who was always annoyingly cheerful. As far as humor was concerned, he was even less funny than the current television “comedy” called “The Bear.” (I will confess to faithfully watching “The Mickey Mouse Club” as an adolescent, but that had a lot more to do with Annette Funicello than it did with Mickey Mouse.)
But I could identify with Donald Duck. As Wikipedia explained, he was portrayed as “a very impatient, immature and arrogant duck with a pessimistic attitude and an insecure disposition.” Or, as one of his animators put it: “The Duck gets a big kick out of imposing on other people or annoying them, but he immediately loses his temper when the tables are turned. In other words, he can dish it out, but he can’t take it.” And among the sayings attributed to him was: “I shoulda stayed in bed.”
So happy belated birthday, Donald. You’ve always been my role mode.
At least until Homer Simpson came along.
Contact this columnist at dlstew_2000@yahoo.com.
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