Donald Duck is a beloved Walt Disney creation that dates back to 1934. His appearance can be identified almost immediately by everyone by his blue sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. His voice is also iconic.
What's a little less known is the story behind his name. This is said to be on the back of the 1932 Ashes series and one of the greats, Sir Donald Bradman.
Bradman was a well-known personality and a sensation on the cricket field by that time having scored 2 695 runs at a rich average of 112.29 in 19 Test matches. He had 12 centuries and only two fifties in his first 19 Tests. The Australian batsman had stunning numbers in first-class cricket as he was nearing the 1 0000-run milestone having scored 9 477 runs at a superlative average of 93.83 with 36 centuries.
Fresh of a 5-0 series win at home against South Africa, Australia were on a long tour of North America in 1932 where they were scheduled to play as many as 51 matches between May and August. They were up against the West Indian team from New York at the Innisfail Park (now Gaelic Park) on 16th July in their 20th game of the tour where they were batting first. Sir Donald Bradman walked in at no.3 after the dismissal of his skipper, Victor Richardson (19), when the score was only on 25.
On that tour, Australians were undefeated in the 51 matches – Bradman had scored 3 765 runs in the 50 games. He scored those runs at an average of 101.75 with 18 centuries and 11 fifties in overall on that tour. However, Bradman’s sole duck made the biggest news on that tour even appeared on the newspapers in the U.S.A. which reportedly was noticed by Walt Disney. Few other versions of this story claim Disney was in the crowd when Bradman was dismissed for a nought.
Bradman walked into the game in rich form having scored five centuries and two 90s in his previous eight innings on that tour. However, on the day, Bradman had to make the long walk back without opening his account as he was dismissed by B Clarke caught by V Ollivierre. Clarke surely knew the value of the wicket he had claimed. Bradman’s early dismissal didn’t affect Australians who declared after scoring 206-5 in 66 overs. The hosts were 93-3 in 22 overs when the game ended in a draw after just one innings of play possible for each team.
He came into the 1932 Ashes - also known as the Bodyline series - with a great reputation having plundered 974 runs in the previous Ashes in 1930. Also, in his last Test innings, he had scored 299* against South Africa.
When he walked out to bat in the first innings of the second Test (he missed the first Test because of a contractual row), the whole MCG stood up to greet him. However, Bradman was out first ball hooking a ball outside the line of stumps back on to the timber leaving the whole ground in shock. A stunned silence accompanied him back to the pavilion. It was the only Test wicket Bill Bowes ever took in Australia but the one he and England wanted.
As it is stated in one of the biographies on Sir Don, around 550 km's away from the MCG, in Hobart, a certain Mr. P. Hancock, who was listening to proceedings of the game on a radio in his hotel was so disappointed with Bradman's duck, he walked out to take a stroll. Wandering aimlessly in disgust of Bradman's performance, he saw three kids drowning in a nearby river with the youngest of the lot later reported to be only 2 and a half years old.
Mr. Hancock dived in without taking off his clothes and it is believed the three kids were saved by him.
Bradman's duck was a highly unanticipated event but it seems it had a bigger significance than just a number on the scoreboard as it ended up in a much bigger cause.
Bradman came back strongly in the second innings scoring 103* in Australia's 111-run victory.
Donald Duck's full name is actually Donald Fauntleroy Duck. Walt Disney took inspiration for the duck's name from Australian cricket player Donald Bradman. In 1932, Donald Bradman was dismissed from an Australia vs. England game at The Oval for a very famous duck. This happened just around the time that Walt Disney was creating a friend for Mickey Mouse, hence how Mickey's feathered pal received the name, Donald Duck.
Walt Disney was a pioneer of the American animation industry and was working on creating the character of a friend in 1932 for an already existing cartoon "Mickey Mouse." Having seen/read of Donald Bradman’s duck and taking inspiration from it, Disney produced a Duck cartoon that was named "Donald Duck" in 1934.
Disney did surely witness Bradman in action at some point on that tour as it concluded in August only after they faced a Hollywood team at the University Campus Grounds in Westwood.
I really like this story. This proves that sport can inspire anything outside the sport. These kind of inspirations are just beautiful. These leave a long lasting effect on the subject matter. It shows that just about anything can bring about an ingenius idea.