Olympic Rivalry Between Norway and Sweden Starts in Duckburg!

Disney's Donald Duck February edition:Norwegian version(left) and Swedish version(right)

“ Before the games we have simply agreed,” explains Norwegian Donald Duck editor Marius Molaug explains of the country's partnership with Sweden to TV 2

For the first time the Norwegian and the Swedish edition of Donald Duck will come out with different versions of the same basic cover.

“There are also a number of different panels inside the magazine”, said Molaug.

“We struggled to agree…”adding that the Norwegian and Swedish Donald magazines usually are virtually identical, both inside and out.

“ It's a good partnership. We make the magazine and they copy it. But this time we struggled to agree," Molaug chuckles before he clarifies:

“This is all in good fun. We will return to good friends again after the Olympics.”

But before and during the Olympics there's a competition?

“Right now it's open season for some cheek. But it all goes on in good Duckburg spirit,” assures the editor.


The Norwegian edition comes out on store shelves on Friday February 7, the same day as the Olympics opening ceremony will be held in Sochi. The Swedish edition comes out a few days earlier.

According to Moulaug, Donald fans can look forward to many jokes and parody fun.

“( Swedish skier) Charlotte Kalla has become Shallot Turtle-Shell and (triathlon runner) Björn Ferry is naturally been changed to Bear Holiday. And so we have made the Swedish expert commentator Jonas Karlsson into a pig after calling (Norwegian cross country skier)Peter Northug a pig in 2012.”

- And how do the Swedes strike back?


“I think they have been bolder than us. They have, for example, made Northug into a pig, and female cross country skier Marit Bjoergen appears to be nothing more than a mass of muscles."

(Original article Fetter Fjontug vs Markmus Kelner! by Joar Hystadvegen, published on TV2! on January 30, 2014. Translation help provided by Ann-Karin Gjerde. ) 

Head over to the main article to see the parodies of the athletes...strange animal morphing going on there!

Norway is the 2nd largest comic book reading country per capita. While Sweden sells about 434,000 with their weekly Kalle Anka & Co(Donald Duck and Company) Magazine. The Nordic countries' love for the speech impaired duck is substantial. Norway has its own council promoting responsibility for comics- The Norwegian Council for Cultural Affairs.

Swede Charlie Christensen created a Donald Duck parody in 1983. Arne Anka(Anka translates to duck) was a working class duck man...a womanizer and alcoholic, his life was poetic.When Disney sent a lawsuit to Christensen, Arne Anka had a terrible accident and died. The detestable duck faked his own demise! Coming back with a removable prosthetic duckbill and a new name Arnes Andre...witness protection has done well for the character and his creator. The original series lasted until 1995 and he returned in 2004 to costar in a series: Arne Anka and Konrad K.

Charlie Christensen