Was Donald Duck A Football Mascot? - DIStory Dan

[@samwill7259]

I like the idea that Defunctland isn't so much a human being as a deep voiced watcher that can appear out of the shadows and give dire warnings for meddling about in his domain

[@TheHeroOfTomorrow]

Bugs Bunny: “What kinda Mickey-Mouse organization would name their team ‘The Ducks?’”

[@kylekeller3398]

Speaking of Bugs Bunny, I'm still waiting for Dan to do a costume evolution of him.

[@Chronically_JK]

The mighty ducks of Anaheim

[@AndrewsMagicandMore]

​@@Chronically_JK...which would rebrand themselves as "The Anaheim Ducks", or "The Ducks" for short.

[@6lillium]

They were originally The Webfoots , due to the rainy fall and winter.

[@KiKIwi1704]

DUCKS FLY TOGETHER

[@NathanSpies]

I always thought the Oregon Duck looked familiar...but I can’t put my wing on it! Thought it would be cool if Oregon were able to use Donald again once he goes public domain

[@hilariousskullnamedcatzo647]

But that would put Oregon out of a job 😢

[@nickystoysandgames3921]

Please, please please make a history video of Oregon duck it’s the only thing I want also, you’re my favorite KZbinr

[@glamrockfoxy6667]

Familiar right

[@ianjellison6688]

I don't thinks he's going into public domain

[@daniexists6]

He's never going into the public domain. Neither is Mickey, but that's really a long, varied story about the difference between trademark and copyright.

[@nodesire9291]

this just proves that donald is the KING of all ducks

[@mightyfilm]

Meanwhile, Daffy is sitting in the wings, biding his time, just waiting for Donald to screw up.

[@nodesire9291]

@@mightyfilm he's waiting for roger rabbit 2 for a rematch lol

[@atomic_redhead]

Being a source for a Disney Dan video!? 😱😱😱 Omg! I’m so flattered! And I’m also so glad someone else has shown a spotlight on this unique piece of history! Thank you so much for such a kind shout out! 😭💖

[@Dnb_RailFan8698]

11:24 hearing about a 2 mascot beat down between a duck and a cougar is pretty funny, and the way you put it into sentence is even funnier

[@brycepeddicord6763]

I'm a huge duck fan and I remember when this happened I was like 12. We thought it was a stage prank but it was real and he had to spend the next week or two in timeout/ jail. It's the funniest thing. I love it😂

[@Avrilandosanders]

The Mandrake looks like a someone Max would have to compete in the X Games against in An Extremely Goofy Movie

[@theprodigiousspiderstarTM]

The Mandrake looks like a super villain athlete enthusiast 😂 but A very interesting History behind Donald and Puddles

[@stevenhaurez6076]

The duck puns are quacking me up!

[@muppetsretrofan8873]

This was super cool to learn about the Oregon Duck! Neat how Disney allowed them to use a Donald-lookalike but as usual for Disney, there's always a catch. Mandrake I dislike, not only for his weird design, but for the fact Phil Knight designed him. If you've seen the Will Vinton documentary Claydream, you'll know why. Speaking of Vinton, the California Raisins had their own stadium called the California Raisin Bowl at one point. The 80s were a weird, but interesting time. I also loved Kevin's cameo at the beginning, that was hilarious!

[@KeyanCarlile]

Oh my gosh, as a lifelong Oregonian who lived very close to UofO, I had no clue there was this fascinating of a history to everything. I remember thinking Puddles looked like Donald as a kid but I eventually just forgot about it and took it all for granted. It’s also so interesting that you noted the shift from Puddles-branded merchandise to just the standard O, because I never consciously noticed that shift happen. I love this video.

[@redmistbluemiss]

I grew up there, and we were taught growing up that Puddles was Donald Duck's cousin.

[@alicebenson8512]

This was one of the reasons why I became a Ducks fan. Knowing a school in my home state had some connection to Disney like that was awesome.

[@birchwwolf]

9:23 mascots hatching from eggs has been a long-standing tradition dating back to the San Diego Chicken's astounding sports debut in 1979 (considered one of the best moments in sports entertainment ever.)

[@chubbs2067]

Lee Corso putting on the Duck head is always such a pleasure of watching College Gameday.

[@shinyagumon7015]

I like the Oregon Duck, he looks very cute in a kind of retro way. Like a 1970s or 1980s Donald Duck costume. The Mandrake ironically reminds me much more of Daffy Duck, especially that one show called "Loonatics Unleashed" which was like an edgy Space opera/ superhero Looney Toons show if somebody remembers that.

[@keshiaanders6452]

I remember it. The show was unfairly over-hated when there were FAR more worse cartoons that were airing on the last years of KidsWB. **cough** Da Boom Crew! **cough**

[@Pixis1]

Loonatics Unleashed was my immediate thought when I saw the Mandrake. Like they were trying to do an edgy, gritty reboot of the Oregon Duck.

[@theresagerig6607]

As a University of Oregon alum, thanks for this awesome video! We sure do love our mascot. We feel so seen 🥰😂

[@i.m.evilhomer5084]

Shame the Mandrake didn't take off. It's was kinda cool looking, but it also did look a bit weird & off putting. While it's not uncommon for some sports teams to have two mascots, I can understand the potential fear at the time that it could replace Donald/Puddles.

[@lexiclay3590]

The Mandrake reminded me of my weird cousin that had a phase of dripping Nike 24/7 (and went to UO) because he thought if he dressed like an athlete then he could get girls 😂. He wasn’t fooling anyone though lol.

[@LocalTreeFort]

As an Oregonian, I must thank you for pronouncing Oregon correctly 🙏

[@DistoryDan]

How do people normally pronounce it?

[@LocalTreeFort]

@@DistoryDan "Or ee gone" or "Or uh gone" which are both incorrect. You got it right though!

[@MatecaCorp]

That robo duck mascot looks like the Green Goblin lmao

[@kurtliedtke1001]

A topic I know all too well, as much of the video and images from this Disney Dan breakdown started from my archives that the blogs you cite pulled resources from back when I co-founded FishDuck and CampusAttic. Overall really great and entertaining summary. A couple fun add-ons to your history breakdown not included in the video: On multiple occasions in the 1920s and 30s there were efforts to change the name from Webfoots, and every time it was put to student vote Webfoots won overwhelmingly. Despite this Ducks started becoming an unofficial nickname by the 1920s because sportswriters found it easier to fit Ducks into headlines and articles than Webfoots strictly for the character count. The last vote hilariously was in 1931 when it was pushed to change the school nickname to "Spearsmen" in honor of their head coach C.W. Spears...who promptly left the team the next year. Puddles began in 1920 when some students on fraternity row found an injured duck in the millrace (a man-made waterway that runs right through campus) and rehabbed it then started bringing it to games. There were many Puddles over the years until 1947 when Puddles was retired, but interestingly for most of the year the duck serving as Puddles would reside in Corvallis not Eugene at the Oregon State University campus. In 1937 Puddles was kidnapped and held ransom by Oregon State students during a football game, one of many incidents that day and the subsequent days that followed hat ultimately led to the Oregon-Oregon State annual series earning the nickname "The Civil War" -- though that was retired a couple years ago because it was misinterpreted as having something to do with the American Civil War and therefore slavery, a topic neither school wanted any part of after several former student-athletes complained. In the 1970s the Oregon basketball coach at the time HATED the duck, to the point where he banned the mascot from games and demanded that sportswriters never referred to his team as the Ducks in articles. This era (when Oregon was legitimately the 2nd best basketball team on the west coast but vastly overshadowed by UCLA's incredible Wooden-era string of national championships) the team was instead referred to as "the Kamikaze Kids" for their breakneck and haphazard style of play. Similarly, and with the Disney restrictions still in play, Oregon switched from using a Donald-like duck mascot to one that bared a striking similarity to Daffy Duck with fangs and suspenders. Around the same time the Oregon track team adopted a black version of Donald with an afro as their logo. Roboduck a.k.a. Mandrake was unceremoniously retired after losing a halftime slamdunk competition to The Duck during a basketball game at Mac Court. Roboduck about a decade later started re-appearing, some random person in Eugene got their hands on the old suit and began wearing it to games, parades, and Halloween...Roboduck in his decade-long absence added a whole lot of weight, shaped more like The Duck's physique than the Roboduck of 2002. The older Roboduck still occasionally makes public appearances.

[@kaywarfel136]

I went to grad school at Oregon and worked for the Sports Information Director while going to school. I had the pleasure of meeting the duck - my boss, the SID, the late George Beres, would always say, "This is the University of Duck. He's a close facsimile of Donald Duck." Because of working in the sports information office, I did know some of the history of "Oregon's Donald Duck!" This was enlightening! I am also a Penn State grad, and the history of our Nittany Lion is interesting, too!

[@rankapetrovic-ru3oe]

Can you do a costume evolution of Scrooge McDuck? He's my favorite Disney duck character of all time! ❤

[@ryanwilkins2233]

He ohready did

[@sjmhadsock4586]

He did go to his page and scroll down

[@Tomwebsterart]

Dan, I would absolutely love if you did a whole sports mascot series.

[@andreromero240]

Maybe do a Scooby-Doo costume Evolution :)

[@ADumbPieceofToast]

ooooo thats a cool idea!!!!!

[@andreromero240]

Thanks! :)@@ADumbPieceofToast

[@andreromero240]

Yeah. I wish that he would dabble into more Warner Bros. characters :)@@kylekeller3398

[@TheVideogirl9]

Yes! Love that!

[@andreromero240]

:)@@TheVideogirl9

[@darthmaule]

I've never really been one for school spirit, but the thought of a bunch of college kids taking it upon themselves to make duck costumes warms my heart. I did have to pause the video to try to breathe during the mascot fight ! lmaoo

[@TheAnchorArmsChad]

I LOVE the design of the Mandrake! Reminds me of Toonami!

[@ravenjanise]

Honestly, as someone who works for a major T-shirt company and makes T-shirts all day every day for like 90% of colleges across America I will say the Oregon logos are some of the cutest that I’ve gotten to work with

[@alyssathejournalist]

Was not expecting this episode to be centered around the history of my school 😂😂

[@gracekim1998]

Whoa 😮

[@SurrealKangaroo12]

I didn’t know that was supposed to be Donald. I thought it was just a parody.

[@geoffreybaker9751]

Thank you Kenny bringing up the 1990 Survivor Series. I can remember being so hyped for the reveal of what was in that damn egg on all the WWF shows. I've never been more disappointed.

[@ianmichalski7997]

I've been watching you for years, Dan, and it was a tremendous thrill for me to have you appear in our movie for the Buffalo 48 Hour Film Festival! Thank you so much :D

[@Fantasmickid1]

Dan has the most contagious laugh!!

[@masanorininomiya720]

In next vídeo 🎥 about a evolution of Woddy-Woodpecker?

[@ravenjanise]

That mandrake mascot looks like it should be a villain from the cartoon mighty ducks 😂

[@jrios29]

WWE's Shane McMahon's Entrance theme in a Disney Dan video?! My life is complete! (Thanks Kenny!)

[@SGTKillmeyer]

As a Cast Member and Oregon Ducks fan, thank you so much for this amazing video

[@FigmentJedi]

Oregon Duck beating the crap out of the cougar mascot for mocking him is the most on-brand Donald thing you could have him do though.

[@haydenshoop3426]

As a die hard Oregon duck fan / Disney nerd / theatre major, I very much enjoyed this. I didn’t know the historical significance behind the original “webfoots” nickname, wonderful video

[@sjmhadsock4586]

Well dan acting like Kevin and Kevin appears

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

Poor Puddles! Did Donald decide that he could only afford three nephews? 🤔😂🤣

[@kylekeller3398]

Do a history of Wild Wing, the mascot of The Anaheim Ducks aka The Mighty Ducks! 🦆⛸🏒

[@Chronically_JK]

Yessssss

[@tigerlord9302]

Wasn’t Wild Wing also a character on the cartoon?

[@kylekeller3398]

@@tigerlord9302 Yes he was.

[@lfbpfishing7818]

ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS!!! I have been a duck fan my whole life and knew some of the things you said but didn't know most of it! Great show and GO DUCKS 🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆

[@maxordman4100]

Wow, anytime you and Kevin are in the same video it’s always a good time. His cameo was terrific. The story of Puddles was also really entertaining and I definitely dig the Seinfeld jokes. This was one of your best videos ever! I hope you will indeed do a few more videos like this one!

[@danielvandersall6756]

And now I'm imagining the Hatbox Ghost overly muscled in Matrix Leather gear. Thanks, Dan. 😵‍💫

[@MSonnyday]

All the Mandrake costume makes me think of is the Mighty Ducks cartoon that in turn connects them back to Disney yet again.

[@Chronically_JK]

The only ducks I need are the Anaheim ducks 💪🏽 wild wing for the win

[@Ragan31687]

9:29 As a wrestling fan I can confirm we never forgot the Gobbledy Gooker. Like ever. He’s brought up every Thanksgiving. Fun fact: the Gooker was portrayed by Hector Guerrero, brother of WWE Hall Of Famer Eddie Guerrero.

[@joshpeterson8168]

My Mom went to UofO and I was always confused that Donald Duck was their mascot. Just a couple days ago I randomly thought about this, and then poof, this video showed up in my recommended videos. Google is officially scanning my brain. Great vid, thanks! Go Ducks!

[@enriqueramirez0615]

Daffy Duck: "Listen, how is this for a new team name for the University of Oregon "The Ducks". Bugs Bunny: Please, what kind of Mickey-Mouse organization would name their team "The Ducks"? Daffy Duck: "So sue me, it's just a suggestion".

[@ADumbPieceofToast]

THE DUCKS SLAY FR FR

[@stardragon5849]

Honestly im not from Oregon (im from Wisconsin) but damn Oregon, you and Puddles are awesome. Keep doing your thing! I love that duck.

[@TheStormBolt-gf8qi]

Dang this is CRAZY THANKS FOR THE INFO DAN

[@fandomcentralstation]

I would love to see that duck/cougar fight animated like an old Donald Duck cartoon. It’s so on brand for him XD

[@Reinlegen]

My dad was an Oregon alum and he always loved the duck!

[@agent_JorDi]

I’m an Oregon fan but I’m younger, never got to see the UO logo in person and personally like the fighting duck jumping out of the O the most. Never knew there was a legal “get around” reason why it isn’t used anymore

[@banjkazfan]

I watch your videos when I’m running on the treadmill, and when The Mandrake debuted I laughed so hard I almost fell off 😂😂😂 Also, I love how when you lean just right, the Mickey ears on Fozzie in the background look like they’re being worn by you! Hilarious, informative, and fun as always, Dan!

[@missmerilynn]

The cougar you mention is the Washington State University mascot Butch the Cougar. Love, The Elder Millennial daughter of a UO duck alum who became a Donald fan as a tiny one because of Puddles

[@vashleysue]

The college I went to (Central Washington University) had a running joke about high school musical because we were the Wildcats. I know the Wildcat is a popular mascot, but would love to hear how that went over when the movie came out. 😂

[@oceanwebw6263]

Go Ducks 💚💛 Thank You for the great video you put together about our Duck!❤️

[@joshuacheshire5859]

I really want to see an evil queen/old hag costume evolution

[@cian.o]

There was once a school called "J. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School" that was allowed to have Mickey as their mascot.

[@musicalqueen716]

OMG that intro with @Defunctland... Brilliant.

[@bluegold1026]

15:01 Now that sounds like a joke Mickey Mouse would make!

[@hayleywaalen2612]

Donald's long lost brother Puddles is from Oregon?

[@pink_Panther_YTP]

11:48 I'm just not going to be surprised if I find a cartoon animation version of this Donald duck is just fighting some random character

[@neilsunn]

Any history about the Tall Timbers. First NCAA basketball champ, ever.

[@victoriam.4927]

I also do not know much about sports, but I NEED to know how the Philly Phanatic came about. Make it happen Dan; bring the Phanatic lore to the mascot fanatics 🙏

[@pattiallan3929]

Great job like always!

[@cecuniversity]

great duckin video

[@indycarddude24]

As a sports fan, I’m not offended at all, Dan is just explaining the best he can and making it hilarious

[@ninefingerjack]

Disney and the university of oregon had a written agreement to use that. Pretty sure thats not plagiarism.

[@MaxwellAlexxis]

I just stumbled onto this video. I like your energy. Subscribed!

[@georgebernard5783]

6:40 As someone who grew on Long Island, I was a confused toddler who thought the Long Island Ducks mascot, QuackerJack, was Donald Duck

[@TheVideogirl9]

Hands down! Great episode of the Distory video, Dan! 👍🏽

[@ChaseLofthus]

You made an Oregon football related video without mentioning the beavers?!

[@mysanityizgone4576]

Gooooo DUCKS! Looking forward to next week's match up with the Huskies

[@TheQuickAsAFlash]

As someone from Eugene, I've been waiting for this!! :D (...Even though I went to OSU. >>) You know? Maybe it's just because we weren't a Sports Family, but I don't think I ever realized that the U of O duck was supposed to be Donald Duck and not "a Duck in the style of Disney". :O

[@frostydawggaming7999]

Sorry they got permission from Disney to be able to use likeness as the duck mascot.

[@tonyl.barbur7327]

I cant believe you used a twin peaks scene lol epic

[@DayanaraDays]

As an Oregon Duck, we will never let go if Puddles and we all know he's Donald. 😂 Local shops still paint window's in Donald's likeness. We will never forget Walt O.Ked this.

[@zgpx]

So my mom works for the company that produces puddles, or Donald whatever. And let me tell you the craftsmanship that goes into this suit is crazy!

[@Archangel3083]

Nothing like being in Autzen Stadium on game day when puddles rides out on a Harley with the team behind him!!!!!!! Couple more weeks till the season starts and I’ll be there for all of them. 🦆

[@Haibing22]

-Look, that mascot looks like Donald Duck - Mexican Pascual soda starting to sweat: haha, yeah. Weird.

[@Titanic_Trash]

One day Dan will start laughing and just poof into Tim Curry as Long John Silver.

[@kylekeller3398]

That’s Muppet Treasure Island for ya!

[@CrescentCitySweaters]

Their current O logo is a mashup of the shape of their football stadium on the outside of the O with the inside of the letter being the track stadium… which has got to be really humbling if you play any sport for the school other than those

[@a18yearoldonyoutubeluigi]

9:15 oh that’s just The Beak from Phineas and Ferb

[@uttermanbo]

He's not Donald, he's Puddles!!!!😅 Seriously one of the coolest mascots out there. Him and Brutus Buckeye , are likely recognized even more than their college football teams. That's just wild man.

[@ODC-qs2ru]

It’s crazy to hear about the Rosebowl in a Disney Dan video because I’m from Pasadena!

[@ElyseExplosion]

KENNY WHAT DID YOUR SHIRT SAY The memory maker photographer at the Washington Crossing The Delaware photo prop this year was *fantastic*. We got like 40 pictures from that scene alone and it cracks me up thinking about it.

[@williamcowell1889]

I see Donald and Puddles as two completely different characters.

[@pineapple2210]

so i live in eugene and the college is not the only one that uses the mascot, if you go anywhere in town there will be pizza shops, barbers, and a lot more who use the duck as a logo, and the college does not care. (fun fact: in most wallmarts there will be a oregon ducks merch section, and even around town there are some stores that sell oregon ducks merch, btw both are owned by the college)

[@T-RexTyrant]

This is so very interesting!

[@vteknique]

Would of liked to hear about Disney’s acquisition of ESPN & how that affected the deal

[@patax144]

It goes along with the Paraguayan food company that has Mickey as their mascot, they can only operate in Paraguay and have to show Mickey at a certain angle, but they got away with keeping him as their mascot.

[@TramiNguyen-oi3kp]

I love this channel!

[@mightyfilm]

Ugh. Mandrake looks like what would have happened to Donald if Disney came up with Loonatics Unleashed instead of Warner Bros. He looks like one of the Ducks from the cartoon version of Mighty Ducks got the Venom symbiote.

[@justina1909]

While the University has moved away form the Donald looking merchandise, it still does sell them to this day, and it still has the tiny Disney copyright at the bottom

[@CelticSongbird9642]

I was told that I was too old for Disney by a teacher. When I saw a para educator wearing a University of Oregon hoodie, I asked her where she got it because I thought it would be a good compromise. Too old for Disney, but not too old for college gear. I should not have had to try to make that compromise!

[@daniexists6]

I like how Mandrake and the Goobilygooker all stole their egg hatch, ironically, from the first well known sports mascot. The San Diego Padres' Famous Chicken. The character's introduction in the 70's literally started with an egg hatch on the field.