Famous Donkeys

Donkeys are famous! At least some of them are. Here are some noteworthy donkeys you might or might not have heard of. If you can think of others, please leave a comment. Our donkey, Ishtar, wants to know!

• Winnie-the-Pooh’s friend Eeyore may be the most famous donkey of all. He is a stuffed toy donkey once owned and loved by author A.A. Milne’s young son, Christopher Robin. He and Christopher Robin’s other stuffed toys star in two immensely popular children’s books, The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), The House at Pooh Corner (1928) and several full-length Disney cartoons. Eeyore is about 18 inches tall and 27 inches long. He now lives with his friends Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Kanga in a controlled-climate showcase in the Central Children’s Room at the Donnell Branch of the New York Public Library, where he is viewed by more than three-quarters of a million people every year.
• Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey is the star of Lou Monte’s 1960s-era novelty record. It’s still a Christmas favorite in many Italian-American households.
• El Rucio, aka Dapple, was Sancho Panza’s donkey in the classic book Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.
• Baba Looey was Quickdraw’s Mexican burro sidekick in the 1960s-era cartoon series, Quickdraw McGraw.
• Brighty was a real-life donkey and the sweet title character in Marguerite Henry’s children’s book, Brighty of the Grand Canyon (Simon & Shuster Children’s Publishing, 1991).
• Edward (Edouard) is the charming donkey protagonist of French children’s author Philipe Dumas’s The Story of Edward (Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977). This is one of Mom’s all-time favorite children’s books. If you can find it, read it. You’ll love it!
• Dickey, Jacquot, Tewfik, Florence and Jenny were some of Queen Victoria’s donkeys. Queen Victoria loved donkeys all her life. Her first donkey, Dickey, was given to her by her uncle when she was a little girl. In her old age, donkeys pulled her carriage. Her favorite was Jacquot, a donkey she saw pulling a peasant’s cart in the French Riviera. She haggled with the peasant herself and bought Jacquot for 200 francs. He served her many years.
• Robert Lewis Stevens’ long-eared companion in Travels in the Cevennes with a Donkey (Malboro Press, 1996) was Modestine.
• Number 7 was Mad Jack’s donkey in the 1970s-era television program, Grizzly Adams.
• Puzzle is a character in C.S. Lewis’ book The Chronicles of Narnia.
• Nestor is the little gray donkey who carries Mary to Bethlehem in our favorite long-running Christmastime TV special, Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. A donkey named Spieltoe narrates the story.
• Fanny is the donkey who modeled for Big Ass Fans’ logo.
• And last but not least, Donkey of Shrek movie fame!