Ollanpa silti varovaisia siellä ulkona.
"The winter of 1988/1989 blew wicked winds from the west as The Walt Disney Company finally focused its cyclopic eye on a Swedish duck. The giant who gladly massacres folk tale treasures from around the globe, has little tolerance when it comes to creations stamped with the company seal. "Träffpunkt Stockholm" [Meeting Place Stockholm], a free entertainment guide which carried Arne Anka, along with the comic paper "Galago" and the above-mentioned Metallarbetaren, received suing threats. In the winter issue 1988 they write:
Walt Disney consider themselves the holder of all the copyright in the world on comics with the presence of ducks as main characters (Atterbom/Jönsson 1989:16).
The guide saw it as censorship but chose to retouch the duck and baptize him "Arnes Ande" [The Spirit of Arne]. Galago decided to drop the cartoon altogether, while Metallarbetaren first had their legal advisers evaluate the copyright situation and then opted on eliminating the similarities with the Disney product. Just like the US publisher of "Howard the Duck" (created by Steve Gerber) had done. The difference was that Marvel Comics later on pulled Howard off the market. Not a fate to fall upon Arne.
His second death came in March 1989, entitled "Operation Metamorphosis". Frame one shows a 1 Ton weight, labeled Walt Disney & Co, splashing something on the sidewalk. Next frame the crane from which it had been dropped. At the following wake we see old friends of Arne's, notabilities from the international cartoon-world, with raised glasses and knowing grins. Yes, grins! Because:
"One doesn't live long without an M-16" as the profound books say. And Arne with friends had been ready. The plan was worked out to the smallest detail...
Since they knew where the enemy would strike they had taken measures. They drilled a hole in the ground, dug a secret tunnel and covered the lot with a tomato-prepared lid... (Christensen 1989:42)
The secret tunnel led to an equally secret laboratory where he, and his cartoonist Alexander Barks, underwent extensive plastic surgery. "Arne X" came into being.
And what an ugly du.., ahem, character it was. A veritable scarecrow, no less. This state did not last for long though (we all know how face-jobs can deteriorate). Over the passing months Arne regained more and more of his former physiognomy, except for the bill which stayed politically correct, i.e. pointed instead of broad.
Eventually, in January 1990, Sweden had had enough. Arne's fan mail contained lines like: "Your new bill is so commercial...", "you were funnier with the old bill" and "are you chicken?". Even his mother threw in a comment about the offensive pecker, which drove him out off bed and onto the city streets. He walked and thought and walked, until:
The solution revealed itself when Arne by chance happened to walk past a shop with party novelties...
Arne bought himself a false bill!
The idea was brilliant! Now he could look like the American prototype without being accused of epigonism! And each time the Disney spies stuck out their juridical faces you only had to raise the bill!... (Christensen 1990:29)
The visible string around Arne's head, securing the false bill, has since disappeared. Maybe the Disney company stopped their witch-hunt on ducks. Or could it be, in spite of everything, that they retain an ounce of humour? "
http://www.medonic.se/sm0fly/arneanka.htm
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