Donald Duck was introduced to the public when Walt Disney and company adapted The Little Red Hen fable as the Silly Symphony short The Wise Little Hen premiered on June 9, 1934.
above: via gfycat
At the same time Donald Duck debuted in print as part of a Walt Disney partnership with Good Housekeeping magazine. In April 1934 Disney and the magazine began a series which promoted the newest Disney releases. The June 1934 Good Housekeeping page featured The Wise Little Hen.
above: the June 1934 Good Housekeeping page via Heritage Auctions
below: the original art by Tom Wood from Heritage Auctions
I haven’t been able to find an on-sale date for the June 1934 issue of Good Housekeeping. Could it have been on the stands or in subscribers homes before the June 9, 1934 premiere of The Wise Little Hen?
Donald Duck’s next appearance was in newspapers when Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony Sunday newspaper comic strip adapted the animated short from September 16, 1934 to December 16, 1934.
above: the September 16, 1934 Silly Symphony comic strip
as presented in Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #580 (1993).
85 years later Donald Duck continues to appear in comics and books.
above: from IDW and Fantagraphics
below: from Fantagraphics and IDW
