Bucky Bug

In many ways Bucky Bug is the insect world's equivalent to Mickey Mouse, as June Bug is to Minnie and Bo to Goofy. Buckey was the 17th sibling born Pop & Momma Bug, the other 16 being girls, with Buckey the only boy. Buckey's father, an irritable old grump, didn't consider himself a father until Buckey (a boy) was born, despite his 16 other children. The Silly Symphony "Buckey Bug" serial for many months and ended with the marriage of Buckey Bug to Mayor Bugg's daughter, June (this may have been the first cartoon marriage of two popular "continuing" characters) in WDC&S #28. Later the Buckey tales continued where Buckey and June are joined by other recurring characters like Buckey Junior and Buckey's nephews Tic 'n Tac. Buckey's pal Bo was introduced to the strip as a worldly-wise tramp who teaches Bucky how to live as a grown-up (in an early period of stories, 1932, when Buckey was clearly still a kid). Interestingly, Bo had his laid-back, folksy attitude then, too, so when he stopped teaching Buckey in the 1940s stories, he easily slipped into a sidekick type of role making Buckey & Bo a duo in the tradition of "Mickey & Goofy." Buckey continues to have adventures with his best friend, Bo, and many of Disney's other insect characters who appear in the Buckey Bug stories such as Jiminy Cricket and Bootle Beetle (the later of which Buckey and others affectionately call "Grandpa" - WDC&S #87, Dec. 1947). Junkville may be located in a junkyard somewhere within Mouseton, as, in one Buckey tale, he and Bo are about to go on a "Man Hunt" (as oppose to a "Bug Hunt") and Bo speculates about what a "human" must look like and envisions a 'giant' Mickey Mouse (WDC&S #87). Upon his much anticipated birth, Buckey was originally unnamed. Disney had a fan contest to find the perfect name. Fans submitted and "Buckey Bug" was the winner. In the Silly Symphony called "Bugs in Love" the leading characters were a couple of ladybug beetles, one boy and one girl, who appearance is unmistakable as the prototypes for Buckey & June Bug in comics. They also lived in a village nestled in a junkpile, like Buckey's world. The spelling of Buckey's name was slightly altered in later stories by dropping the "e" (Bucky).