Donald Duck Holocaust: Those of you who were hoping for an Internet-born mash-up of Disney’s “Ducktales” and director Ruggero Deodato infamous horror outing “Cannibal Holocaust” are going to walk away from this article experiencing some extreme disappointment. I apologize in advance for ruining your entire week.
In a recent German translation of the 1972 Disney comic book “Junior Woodchucks”, the word “holocaust” was accidentally used as a congratulatory term directed towards the firefighters who helped contain a blaze within the cozy little town of Duckburg. The word — which was used to describe an “inferno” or “blaze” — was not a translation error, according to publisher Egmont Ehapa. Apparently the English words were not entirely removed from the bubble over the offending character’s head, which resulted in the insensitive debacle.
Although Ehapa claims the company has been very careful about using “sensitive” terms and imagery — the publisher recently removed a few images of Adolph Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” in the Duckburg city dump from one issue — the distributor came under fire seven years ago for attempting to make the Holocaust less horrific and more appealing to children.
Donald Duck, as well as his pals Mickey Mouse and Bambi, were used by Walt Disney to spread anti-Nazi messages during World War II. A few examples of such animated propaganda can be found embedded below. Naturally, if the idea of Donald Duck locking horns with Adolph Hitler offends you, perhaps skipping the video is in your best interest.