Keskustelujen arkisto

Hello, Don, and all!

Well, first of all, I must say that the idea of writing and drawing stories
with this "kid version" of Donald took place in Italy, some two years ago.
Only recently Egmont decided to go on with the project, while italian
stories of the young Donald, called "Paperino paperotto" (sort of "Don Li'l
Duck") are still published in "Topolino". The very first were written by
Paola Mulazzi (with a twist from Calvin & Hobbes vision of the reality), and
they were (very, very well) drawn by Barbucci.
I'm happy that you like 'em, Don!

> I
> think I'd like 'em -- the art seems to be depicting a timeless small-town
> period which, to *my* eyes, looks very early-1930's-ish

Right!

> It looks like they
> are doing it as I do with my stories where I set them in the 1950's,
> showing nothing beyond 1950's technology, but still just letting the
> readers decide for themselves when they want the story to take place.

So it is, for the Italian original stories, and I assume for the Egmont's,
too.

> Those of you who can read them -- what reason do they give for DD living
> with his Grandma?

No special explanation.

> My attitude to the several old (Strobl, I think) stories
> that show this is the simple explanation that DD spends the summers or
> other holidays on the grandparents' farm, which is how it was with many
> American kids in the early-mid 20th Century.

Yes, Strobl is the guy, but he put (with Vic Lockman as story man) an old
Grandpa close to Elviry. Your Humperdink? This time, Li'l Don spends all the
seasons at Grandma's Farm, and in school yime we can see the young (female)
teacher, young (interesting) classmates and so on.

Ciao!

Luca

This is still going on, eh? I've wanted to say something since day one, but
I figured this would end eventually, but it won't. But what is compelling
me to finally open my yap is that folks are picking on Harry like he was
jumping down some guy's throat for not knowing how to put together a pretty
website or accusing Harry of having some hidden reason to attack an
innocent.
Well, I'm not going to add to this by making direct references to anyone,
but to just explain what it is exactly that annoys and *insults* Harry and
others *including me*.
I've been on this list and other international English-language groups for
quite a few years now. I have never, ever seen anyone stoop to berating a
European or Asian whose English is not perfect. One reason is, of course,
that would be very rude! The second reason is that the English written by
all of these (you) Europeans is astonishingly good! It embarrasses me that
I can only write/speak my own language, and it especially embarrasses me
that American kids are losing the ability *and the desire* to develop good
communication skills. One would think in the Internet age where so *much*
is done in reading/writing on the net that this sad decline would cease,
but it hasn't yet -- my wife, the teacher, can attest to that.
So, here are all these Europeans in these forums, all writing perfect
English in addition to their *own* language and often *other languages* as
well. And then there are certainly others who make some mistakes in
grammar, and that's *absolutely okay*! Nobody minds that! This is not their
native language -- they are still making a superb effort to communicate
with me in *my* language and I find that very flattering and inspiring!

But when I see on a newsgroup a message from someone whose native language
*is* English posting messages that show not the slightest regard for proper
spelling, sentence construction, capitalization, and punctuation... THIS is
annoying to me. People think it's rude to correct them? I think it's rude
that they show such disregard for their language and for others as to write
so carelessly. I feel insulted that they are treating communication with me
and my friends as so inconsequential as to not be worth more than such a
trivial effort. I'm insulted to think that an adult who is interested in
the same things I am is displaying the writing ability of a 3rd grader. And
note that I'm not referring to an *occasional* error such as we all make as
we type quickly -- i reffer to mesages wich are well writen like this wher
i dont stop an thimk fer a second whut im writin and i just let it pore owt
and go and show that i dont rilly care and i shur dont go back an rereed it
befor i mail it ...Yes, I can read and understand "writing" like
that, but I'll be danged if I will! It's "unreadable" because I don't
*want* to read that sort of rubbish-writing. I skip it. And the longer it
goes on, the more annoyed and insulted I get by the constant disrespect to
the language and to the forum it appears in.
I am deeply embarrassed and insulted when someone whose native language is
English, like myself, appears on any public forum where I am a member and
sets such a poor example. It's as simple as that. I have a great respect
for language and I don't wish to be inflicted with this sort of thing.
Okay, that's all -- I just wanted to see to it that people understand why
some of us find this sort of thing "unreadable" and "insulting" and why we
react in defense of writing skills and those who respect writing
skills. This is an explanation, not an attack. No need to respond to this
and carry this on any further (I hope!).

> I have no idea. All they say in Finnish Post?s website is
> that they got the permission from Disney, and that most of the stamps
published
> around the world are illegal (?).

Well, most Issued stamps were indeed LEGAL.

Most stamps in current circulation today are semi-legal/illegal.

What I mean with semi-legal is that Stamps depicting Disney
characters are published without permission from the
(c)opyright-holders (Disney... Don't know exactly which
company.)

The reason I call it Semi-legal is that it's (propably)
legal in that country (like.. In sweden, Postage Stamps,
and cancellation stamps with Disney motif, for example
depicting the anniversary of Walts birth would be legal
even if they didn't ask Disney first...)

Some of the countries depicting Disney characters doesn't
uphold international copyright laws at all. I THINK that
is the case with the notorious Mickey Mouse stamps of Ukraine.

If that is the case - these stamps are LEGAL i Ukraine, even
though they didn't pay any license fee.

Finlands new Stamps are legal in Finland, AND published with
permission by Disney.

I don't know if they pay royalties for the stamps to Disney
or not. Would be interesting to know.

// Steamboat Willie

Jean-Luc Bovet wrote:

> At the page 27 of the Kalevala story when the
monster is on the Helsinki
> dome, a guy said to Donald : "It is the second
biggest frog that I have
> never seen".
> And Donald answers : "How that, the second..."

> So I can't find the reference for the first biggest
frog: is it a reference
>to a Bark's story ?

Maybe it's a reference to Captain Kentucky's battle
with J. Fred Frog, a giant frog which's terrifies
Louisville! It's on episodes 35-39, created in 1980 by
the mighty trapper Don Rosa :-)
Best Wishes

Apostolis Trikourakis, Athens
E-mail: komix at compulink.gr & komixgreekpage at yahoo.com
Web Site: http://www.geocities.com/komixgreekpage

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> At the page 27 of the Kalevala story when the
> monster is on the Helsinki
> dome, a guy said to Donald : "It is the second
> biggest frog that I have ever seen".

This is what Don wrote about it on December 16, 1999:

That joke about the "second biggest frog" has
nothing whatsoever to do with my old "Captain Kentucky" strips.

and on Dec. 19:

(re: the "second biggest frog I have ever seen" comment in the Kalevala
story)... this referred to nothing, it was just supposed to be a silly
remark made by a burned-out hippie or such. What frog could be bigger?
Haha. Big gag. But so many people have asked me what that meant that I wish
I had skipped it. It actually was a in-joke to myself (which I often do)
referring to a TV show tag-line of the 60s. I *never* expected anyone to
know that.
But when I was doing the Internet chat in Finland, some "caller" again
asked what the gag meant, and I just said "nothing, it meant nothing". Then
I whispered to someone at the computer-lab that it actually was a injoke
for myself referring to a line frequently heard in the mid-60s on a TV
series called "Get Smart", had they ever heard of it, and they had no idea
what I was talking about. But while I was saying that, the words were
appearing on the monitor, a response from the chat-caller, saying "I
thought maybe it was a Maxwell Smart joke." And that was the single
happiest instant of my whole trip to Finland -- I exploded! To think
someone waaaay over in Finland in 1999 would spot a personal in-joke I made
to my own TV viewing of 35 years earlier!!! THIS is why I'll never stop
putting in obscure in-gags that practically no one will catch. The gags are
not for everyone, just the 1 or 2 people on earth who spot it. That makes
it worthwhile. Even more worthwhile than if everyone caught it.

--Harry.

> The gags are not for everyone, just the 1 or 2 people on earth who spot
> it. That makes it worthwhile. Even more worthwhile than if everyone caught
it.

Darn! I should have spotted that joke myself.. but i didn't even THINK of
"Get Smart".
the series aired here in Scandinavia too, and in Sweden it even ran om one
commercial
channel in the 1990's... And guess... I watched it.. ;-) But I didn't get
that
in-joke.. *grmrbl* *rogntudjuu*

// Steamboat Willie

Can anybody give me a reliable source (for example, a comics shop that does
mail order) for foreign (non-English) editions of Don Rosa's Disney
stories?

I've been told Fleetway (England) prints Rosa's stories in English; is this
correct?

Rosa's new duck stories are not published in the USA.

Thanks,

Steve
Norman OK (USA)
steve at atomikpop.com