Aku Ankka
Encyclopedia
Aku Ankka is a Finnish
weekly Disney comics
magazine published by Sanoma Magazines.
The first issue was published on December 5, 1951 and sold 34,017 copies. The first issue, with a special Christmas
theme and the Snow White
story published later in the 1950s, are very prized collectors' items and can fetch a price of several thousand euro
s on the collector market. Until 1956, the magazine was published monthly, between 1956 and 1960 biweekly, and since 1961, once a week every Wednesday. , 2893 issues have been published.
Despite being a part of a multinational franchise with most stories produced abroad, Aku Ankka has become a cultural icon in Finland. This is largely due to the magazine's colourful and innovative use of the Finnish language. Many characters' names are Finnish language spoofs of established celebrities' names. In 2001, in recognition for their work for the Finnish language, the editorial team were given the Kielihelmi-award by the Finnish language
department of University of Helsinki
's Faculty of Arts. With a circulation of over 320,000 and more than a million readers weekly, Aku Ankka is the most popular weekly publication in Finland as well as the largest edition per capita in the world for a Donald Duck magazine.
The Aku Ankka comic is now more popular in Finland than in the country of its origin, the United States
(where Disney is better known for its cartoons and films than comics). The United States Donald Duck cartoonist Don Rosa
is exceptionally popular in Finland, and has acknowledged this by creating The Quest for Kalevala
, a Donald Duck story specifically set in Finland.
There is a popular urban legend
that Donald Duck was once banned in Finland for not having any pants
. This myth was sparked up by an incident in 1977, when Helsinki
councilman Markku Holopainen proposed discontinuing the use of city funds for the purchase of Aku Ankka comics for youth centers, as a reaction to financial difficulties. The following year, as Holopainen was running for a Parliament
seat, his opponents then called him "the man who banned Donald Duck from Helsinki".
A similar incident also took place a few years previous in Kemi
and international reports then exaggerated the situation with claims that the character's attire and his unmarried relationship to Daisy Duck
were the culprits.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
weekly Disney comics
Disney comics
Disney comics are comic books and comic strips featuring Walt Disney characters.The first Disney comics were newspaper strips appearing from 1930 on . In 1940, Western Publishing began producing Disney comic books in the United States...
magazine published by Sanoma Magazines.
The first issue was published on December 5, 1951 and sold 34,017 copies. The first issue, with a special Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
theme and the Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
story published later in the 1950s, are very prized collectors' items and can fetch a price of several thousand euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s on the collector market. Until 1956, the magazine was published monthly, between 1956 and 1960 biweekly, and since 1961, once a week every Wednesday. , 2893 issues have been published.
Despite being a part of a multinational franchise with most stories produced abroad, Aku Ankka has become a cultural icon in Finland. This is largely due to the magazine's colourful and innovative use of the Finnish language. Many characters' names are Finnish language spoofs of established celebrities' names. In 2001, in recognition for their work for the Finnish language, the editorial team were given the Kielihelmi-award by the Finnish language
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
department of University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
's Faculty of Arts. With a circulation of over 320,000 and more than a million readers weekly, Aku Ankka is the most popular weekly publication in Finland as well as the largest edition per capita in the world for a Donald Duck magazine.
The Aku Ankka comic is now more popular in Finland than in the country of its origin, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(where Disney is better known for its cartoons and films than comics). The United States Donald Duck cartoonist Don Rosa
Don Rosa
Keno Don Hugo Rosa, known simply as Don Rosa, is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck and other characters created by Carl Barks for Disney comics, such as The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.-Early life:Don Rosa's grandfather,...
is exceptionally popular in Finland, and has acknowledged this by creating The Quest for Kalevala
The Quest for Kalevala
The Quest for Kalevala is an Uncle Scrooge comic book story written and drawn by Keno Don Rosa in 1999.The Quest for Kalevala is based on the Finnish national epic Kalevala, assembled and partly written by Elias Lönnrot in the 19th century...
, a Donald Duck story specifically set in Finland.
There is a popular urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
that Donald Duck was once banned in Finland for not having any pants
Trousers
Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
. This myth was sparked up by an incident in 1977, when Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
councilman Markku Holopainen proposed discontinuing the use of city funds for the purchase of Aku Ankka comics for youth centers, as a reaction to financial difficulties. The following year, as Holopainen was running for a Parliament
Parliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
seat, his opponents then called him "the man who banned Donald Duck from Helsinki".
A similar incident also took place a few years previous in Kemi
Kemi
Kemi is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio. It was founded in 1869 by royal decree, because of its proximity to a deep water harbour....
and international reports then exaggerated the situation with claims that the character's attire and his unmarried relationship to Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. Like Donald, Daisy is an anthropomorphic white duck, but has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers to suggest a skirt. She is often seen wearing a hair bow, blouse, and shoes...
were the culprits.
External links
- Official website
- Aku Ankka at the INDUCKS