Donald has always been better than Mickey. Donald is imperfect, frequently down on his luck, more of a common duck. But he's also a duck that even while being rather poor has adopted three nephews.

There’s also the whole addition with Donald Duck suffering from PTSD and other war related problems. He was more relatable to the soldiers who felt that after the war, nobody could understand their experience

I always loved Donald Duck and thought he was Navy, but it makes more sense to be every branch's morale mascot. He's more serious than Goofy, who share similar traits in his original narrated cartoons. I feel like I should memorize Donald's middle name for a bar trivia question now.

Oddly enough, In Scandinavia (and many other European countries) Donald Duck is far more popular than Mikey mouse.

I think it's also worth pointing out Donald's stubborn fighting spirit. He has a temper, but he doesn't back down easy. He's mellowed out in more recent cartoons, but he was a tough character in the early cartoons.

I enjoyed your video about Donald Duck. My Father-in-law was stationed in California during the war. During a USO show, he was picked to go on stage to meet Walt Disney. He asked Walt Disney to draw a picture of Donald Duck after a 25 mile hike. We still have it. Unfortunately, Walt Disney did not sign it, but that’s ok. It is still a treasure.

In the old comics, Donald also goes to Vietnam. So we see Donald have his tantrums and fits of rage, but. No one ever addresses that Donald is a war veteran with ptsd.

Stumbled upon Donald Duck ‘in the Fuhrer’s Face’ a while back and had many questions, but nothing answered them so succinctly as you did, while also explaining the whole badge/mascot thing too!

Should also note that since his inception, Donald has been a "sailor." It's not a big leap to imagine him pursuing a role in the Navy, which could've helped humanize and endear him to soldiers.

As a Specialist myself in the Army, I felt this very inspirational and very heartfelt. Thank you for this bit of gold. God Bless.

Donald is more of a benevolent character from Disney than most of the others, yet at the same time he has a bit more pizazz and spunk about him that made him more reactive and energetic in his responses than most of the other characters. His energy was that of the average soldier from that era.

I imagine Donald's unique personality is what lead to the whole "Disney Ducks" 'verse across the pond - he's far closer to the "hero's journey" archetype than Mickey is. He's beloved because of how good he can be in spite of his flaws.

I must say this is just weirdly awesome and I love the last line 'He had to rise to the occasion'. It seems like that our ancestors weren't further away from us at all.

I always preferred Donald over Mickey because Donald was flawed and prone to human errors, like losing his temper.

Who's got the sweetest disposition? One Guess, guess who! Who never never starts an argument? Who never shows a bit of temperament? Who's never wrong but always right? Who'd never dream of starting a fight? Who gets stuck with all the bad luck? No one, but Donald Duck.

Donald Duck is one the greatest cartoon/( and almost more importantly) comic charachters ever created. He is relatable on a completely different level. Luck is never on his side, and he often is swallowed by his hubris. He can both garner pity and get what he deserves.

It makes a lot more sense now how my Grandpa did an amazing Donald Duck impression.

He's definitely my favorite of the OG Disney mascots. A two time veteran who raised his nephews practically by himself is definitely deserving of my respect.

Donald is and always has been the best of the core Mickey characters, and I think that’s mostly because he feels relatable and real. Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie are all so perfect in their sheer happiness wholesomeness and selflessness. Donald is a tired grumpy dude who has serious anger issues and will wreck up his entire house in a fit of rage just to blow off steam.. But he ultimately still loves and cares for his friends. He’s more comical, cynical, and more realistic. He’s less of what you’d expect from a family friendly cartoon character. Donald will always be my favorite of the Mickey characters.

Just watch Donald try to do anything and you see he's the struggle of life in all of us. The Picnic one is my all-time favourite.