On that magical day we spent at Disneyland Tokyo, everything felt like a dream. The colorful crowd, music, little princesses, and Mary and Suzy characters1 running around… Everything was just like the fantasies of childhood. Magical, bright, and—so peaceful. Until my dad stepped in front of Mickey wearing a Donald Duck hat.
As we waited in line to take a photo with Mickey Mouse, my dad proudly wore his Donald Duck hat. Everyone around us thought the Donald Duck pin on his chest was so “kawaii” (which apparently means ‘cute’ in Japanese!), but Mickey… didn’t seem to agree. He gave a brief smile at first, then pointed at my dad’s hat in clear disapproval.
Turns out, it wasn’t just us. After returning home, I did a bit of digging and discovered that the relationship between Mickey and Donald has been a long-debated topic among fans. Some theories suggest that Donald is tired of living in Mickey’s shadow. In some Donald-focused cartoons from the early 2000s, his grumpy and impatient personality was deliberately portrayed in contrast to Mickey’s overly cheerful attitude. Maybe this rivalry isn’t just on-screen—maybe it runs backstage too.
Even though Disney insists everything is ‘perfect and friendly,’ Mickey’s expression told another story. Maybe it’s all part of the show… or maybe it’s not!
All in all, we had a wonderful day. The photo of my dad with Mickey is fantastic, but the one with the Donald hat will always remind us:
“Never approach Mickey with Donald. Hats may cause heartbreaks.”
And perhaps love… is staying loyal to the duck, regardless of who’s right or wrong.
This was our own personal diplomatic incident: A duck-mouse tension sparked by a single hat.
1Mary and Suzy are Cinderella’s mouse friends.
References:
- Disney Fanon Wiki. Donald Duck/Relationships. Retrieved from: https://disneyfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Donald_Duck/Relationships
- Years of cartoon watching, intense sibling-like arguments with brothers, and one very chaotic Disneyland trip.
