Happy Donald Duck Day! Celebrated annually on June 9, this holiday commemorates Donald’s official film debut. America’s favorite, but quick-tempered, duck first appeared in the 1934 film The Wise Little Hen.
Donald Duck, whose full name is Donald Fauntleroy Duck, has achieved nearly worldwide fame. In most countries, he’s known by his name: Donald plus the local word for duck. In the Czech Republic, for example, he’s known as Káčer Donald. In Indonesia, he’s called Bebek Donald. And Spain knows him as Pato Donald.
Similarly, Mickey Mouse is usually referred to by his first name followed by the local word for mouse. The French call him Mickey la Souris. In Norway, he is Mikke Mus, and in Russia, he is Mukku Mayc.
Did you know, though, that Donald has appeared in over 190 films and that he is the only Disney character to win an Academy Award? He won it for his role in the 1943 wartime short film “Der Fuehrer’s Face.”
Disney under fascism
In Italy, however, neither Donald nor Mickey kept their original names. This may be due in part to the Fascist regime and in part to Italy’s black market.
The first Italian publisher introduced Mickey Mouse in 1932, calling him “Topolino,” which means “Little Mouse” in Italian. Unfortunately, they did so before obtaining the necessary publishing rights. Disney’s official Italian representative naturally protested.
That didn’t stop the intrepid—if somewhat unethical—publisher, though. They simply drew a new face and gave him a new name: Topo Lino, which literally means “A Mouse Named Lino.”
Once the original publisher bought the publishing rights, Topo Lino once again became Topolino. It’s confusing, I know, but that’s what happens with shady dealings.
It’s difficult to say whether Italy would have eventually adopted the standard method of naming Disney characters. If so, the two most famous characters would have become Mickey Topo and Donald Papera. In any case, the rise of fascism quickly put an end to that idea.
Disney under Fascism
In 1938, the dictator Benito Mussolini declared that no foreign books or content could be published. However, an exception was made for Disney. Perhaps this was because Mussolini or his children were Disney fans. It is more likely, though, that it was due to the popularity of the Disney characters and some possible political maneuvering by the publishers.
In any case, they temporarily overlooked the fact that both Disney and Topolino were American. Topolino continued in Italy until 1941, when the U.S. entered World War II, and Italy banned all foreign publications, including those by Disney.
Italian superiority under fascism
Fascism did not approve of foreign names. Even after the regime’s downfall, however, the practice of using only strictly Italian names for Disney characters continued. Those names remain to this day.
- Donald Duck is Paperino, meaning little duck
- Daisy Duck is known as Paperina, which means a small female duck
- Donald’s three nephews answer to Qui, Quo, and Qua, which are derivatives of the “qua” sound the duck makes in Italian
- Scrooge McDuck is Zio Paperone, or great uncle duck
- Mickey Mouse took the name of Topolino, meaning little mouse
- Minnie Mouse is Minni
- Goofy is called Pippo
- Pluto is the same in both languages
- And Chip and Dale are Cip e Ciop
No matter what names they go by, these famous Disney characters are beloved practically everywhere, including Italy!
That’s why, at least in our house, we’re celebrating Donald Duck Day in Italy! Why don’t you join in the fun? Watch Donald Duck and Goofy together in “Una Gita in Barca” (A Boat Trip), on Disney’s Italian site!
Sources: Topolino and Everyday Life in Fascist Venice.
📷 Image credits: Skitter; CC0.