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Donald and Ronald
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Donald and Daisy in their Kermit and Piggy costumes on the cover of Micky Maus Magazin.
Donald Duck is a popular Disney cartoon character who debuted as a supporting player in the 1934 short The Wise Little Hen. The duck soon rose to become the studio's major star, eclipsing Mickey Mouse, in more than 100 theatrical cartoons through 1961 (plus such features as Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, and Fun and Fancy Free). The short-tempered, incomprehensible quacker was also a major star in comics (gathering an equally popular array of co-stars such as his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie and uncle Scrooge McDuck), made occasional appearances on radio, and has remained an active figure in Disney television shows, comic books, and countless shows and parades at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Unlike Mickey, Donald has yet to interact directly with Kermit or any of the other Muppets. However, he has been referenced many times over the years. He did dress as Kermit on the cover of an issue of Micky Maus Magazin along with his girlfriend Daisy Duck, dressed as Miss Piggy.
References
- In a December 1963 broadcast of The Jimmy Dean Show, Rowlf explains to Jimmy that he's been studying at the Animal Actors' Academy, where Donald Duck is a noted alumnus.
- In The Muppet Show episode 220, the parody character Ronald Duck appears, looking for his friend Mickey Moose, a parody of Mickey Mouse.
- The lyrics to "Hooray for Hollywood," performed by the Giant Monsters in The Muppets Go Hollywood, include the line "Go out and try your luck, you might be Donald Duck!"
- In The Bob Hope Christmas Special, Big Bird lists Donald Duck as one of his favorite movie stars.
- In The Muppets on Muppets, Gonzo names two of his Hollywood friends - "Mick" (Mickey Mouse) and "Don" (Donald Duck). In Kermit's interview on Q with Jian Ghomeshi, he also refers to "Mick" and "Don", as well as "Plut" (Pluto) and "Goof" (Goofy).