In the former meaning, Donaldism is a branch of comics research, specialising in the study of precisely Disney's production."
While this original meaning of the word was defined in 1973, today Donaldism tends to also cover general fandom within Disney comics and even motion pictures and shorts.
The fanzine presented much Donaldistic research, including a large index of Danish Disney comic books (which is now maintained by the Inducks project and the original authors).
Prominent Donaldists in the country have included comic book writer Timo Ronkainen, founder of the fanzine Ankkalinnan pamaus, and Markku Kivekäs, the long-time (1988–2007) editor of Aku Ankka.
(Deutsche Organisation nichtkommerzieller Anhänger des lauteren Donaldismus or the German Organization of Non-commercial Devotees of Pure Donaldism) is the Donaldistic society of Germany.
Donaldists have risen in rank and are actively infiltrating the culture pages of several important newspapers in Germany, such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, where they subtly install quotations easily recognisable to fans of the comics.
They were also influential when the Museum for Comic and Language-Art, called Erika-Fuchs-Haus[7] was opened in Schwarzenbach an der Saale, Fuchs' main living place, in 2015.
The Donaldistic society Gammeldonaldismens Venner (Friends of the Early Donaldism), founded 1975, issued Donaldisten in the years 1975–1988.
Tore Ismanto Hofstad wrote about the role of religion in Donald Duck comics in his thesis for his master's degree at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
[8] Sweden has a long tradition of publishing Donaldistic research and other articles in their fanzine NAFS(K)URIREN since 1977.