Li'L Davy is a character created by Floyd Gottfredson for the Mickey Mouse daily strip. He was created in the fifties, during the height of the Davy Crockett craze. His introductory tale was the final "serial" before the strips left their adventure format and became more gag-based.
Li'L Davy is a boy who emulates Davy Crockett, so tries to act ferocious and as if the town was an hostile jungle. When Jiminy Cricket also adopts the Davy Crockett craze (and the moniker "Jiminy Crockett"), he befriends Li'L Davy. When Dumbo's circus comes to town, Li'L Davy invites Dumbo to dinner at Mickey's house.
Besides the Mickey Mouse daily strip, Li'L Davy also appeared in some of the Little Hiawatha comic stories.
Davy's debut tale left his origin and the nature of his being ambiguous. The editors of The Floyd Gottfredson Library volume 12 The Mysterious Dr. X offer the following interpretations:
- He is a boy who became unhealthily obsessed with the historical figure Davy Crockett, and suffers from amnesia.
- He is literally the historical figure in his childhood, sent forward in time from 1795 to 1955.
- He is a reincarnated avatar of the same man.
Oddly enough, the preceding serials variously featured the themes of amnesia, doppelgangers, fantasy, and science fiction, making any of the above options equally plausible.
Due to the topical nature of Davy's stories, which often revolve around questionable depictions of Native American characters, new stories featuring the character are not feasible.