Disney's unflappable :

Donald Duck turns 75

He is the most curmudgeonly character in a star-studded Disney menagerie that includes Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Pluto.

Donald Duck - the unflappable waterfowl - is preparing to be feted in grand fashion, as he turns 75 years old recently. From the beginning, fabled cartoonist Walt Disney envisioned Donald Duck as a foil to Mickey Mouse, his good-as-gold, animated star created a half-dozen years earlier.

While goody-two-shoes Mickey was most appealing to children, Disney sought to create in Donald Duck a more piquant character with adult appeal - and succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

In his 75 years, his feathered anti-hero has tried his hand at more than 100 different professions, but failed at them all. Donald always seems to be short of cash and make a habit of lurching from one misadventure to the next.

But no matter how often thwarted and how deeply humiliated, Donald Duck forges on - which is what has made him such a big hit with his legions of fans.

AFP