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For at least 11 years, a troubling story has been around Disney fan blogs: people regularly scatter the ashes of their loved ones to Disneyland and Disney World. Well, today, the Wall Street Journal has confirmed the urban legend. And we are not talking about a few isolated cases. This occurs on a monthly basis. Disney employees even have a special code to report when this happens.
The code is "HEPA cleaning". You will know this acronym if you are a vacuum enthusiast, because it refers to a special type of filter that you need to suck up very fine particles like human ashes. For its recent report, the Journal spoke to park wardens who helped clean up human remains and at least three families who spread them. This section should be mentioned in detail:
Current and former Disney park wardens say that the identification and aspiration of human ashes is a signature and a secret part of the work at Happiest Place on Earth. It's a macabre work for them, but a cathartic outlet for people in mourning, claiming that treating Disney parks as an ultimate resting place is the ultimate tribute paid to enthusiasts.
The journal's report continues with more specific details:
Human ashes have spread into the flowerbeds, shrubs and lawns of Magic Kingdom; outside the park gates and during fireworks; on the pirates of the Caribbean and in the ditch under the flying elephants of the Dumbo race. More often than not, according to park guards and workers, they were scattered in the Haunted Mansion, a 49-year-old attraction featuring a strange field filled with imaginary ghosts.
"The haunted mansion probably contains so much human ashes that it's not even funny," said a Disneyland guard.
One can only wonder if the hope of being able to rest in the haunted Manor will turn them into a ghost so that they can live forever at Disneyland. However, the truth is darker. Some people agree to spread the ashes of their loved ones in Disney parks to feel like they're enjoying this place once again.
Apparently, sneaking human remains in a Disney park is not that difficult. Families who did so told the Journal that they had put the ashes in vials of prescription pills or makeup tablets. A Ziploc bag hidden at the bottom of a purse will also work. Once there, simply distribute the remains in the right place and hope that the guards do not catch you. If they do, the park staff simply aspire them with their special HEPA vacuums. Being caught in the act will also make you evict from the park.
"This type of behavior is strictly prohibited and illegal," said a Disney spokeswoman in the Journal. "Guests who attempt to do so will be escorted out of the property."
Although this last report sheds new light on the details of this process, the idea that it occurs has existed for years. In 2007, information on the spread of ash to Disneyland was reported online. The police even went to Anaheim Park, the Los Angeles Times reported, after witnesses saw a guest "spraying an unidentified substance in the water" at the Pirates of the Caribbean boardwalk. This drew attention to an incident documented in the book Mouse Tales: A look behind the ears at Disneyland by David Koenig. A Times reporter recounted the 2002 incident on the Haunted Mansion trip:
The group asked for a little more time for a quick memorial service for a 7-year-old boy, the employee said, according to Koenig.
But later, ride operators spotted one of the guests throwing a powdery substance on his "Doom Buggy".
After closing the vehicle, the employee discovered "a little dust," gray, like ash, "wrote Koenig.
It's very sad. But it is also frowned upon to disperse human remains in very public places, including amusement parks.
So, if you're thinking of spreading the ashes of a loved one to Disneyland or Disney World, know that the parks are aware of these kinds of things. They are prepared for it. There is a process. And when all is said and done, the human ashes you left at the happiest place on Earth will probably end up in the trash.
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