Donald Duck in Donald Applecore

Donald Applecore is Released

Donald Applecore, a Donald Duck cartoon short with a story that stemmed from a children’s game, was released in theaters on this day in 1952. It opens with Donald picking apples from his farm, only to discover they have been eaten by his nemeses, Chip and Dale. When he catches them in the act, flustered Dale holds up his eaten apple and the childlike chipmunk exclaims, “Apple core!” to which Donald feels obligated to reply, “Baltimore!” Today’s audiences may not remember that this wordplay was a popular game in years past (the phrase “applecore” uttered by one child followed by the words “nevermore” or “Baltimore” and the game ending with a flung applecore). While Donald and the chipmunks battle it out for possession of the apples, a condensed version of that game continues at the core of this film.