It's Fauntleroy, as revealed in 1942's Donald Gets Drafted. The name has rarely been alluded to outside of that wartime short, and its origins have been a matter of speculation ever since. The most popular theory has always been that it traces back to Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1886 book Little Lord Fauntleroy, as the name itself refers to a suit quite similar to the one worn by Donald, and the eponymous character is something of a spoiled brat. At an April 9, 1941, meeting about Donald Gets Drafted, Walt Disney himself suggested that Donald's draft paper say "something funny." Harry Reeves, one of the writers in attendance, suggested "Swansdown" as the cartoon duck's middle name, which wasn't up to snuff for Disney: "It ought to be some dopey, silly name," he responded. Donald's eventual middle name fit the bill, much to the chagrin of anyone actually named Fauntleroy. |
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