Credit: Taylor Gregory, UnsplashDisneyland Resort, famously known for its enchanting attractions and immersive experiences, is home to a wide array of stories. While most visitors come to the park to enjoy the magic and joy it offers, some employees have encountered tales far more chilling. One such tale is that of a ghostly little girl named Mary, whose spirit is said to haunt the area near Splash Mountain and Haunted Mansion. What started as a casual late-night walk through the park led one cast member to an encounter that would change their perception of Disneyland forever.
A Late-Night Shift Leads to a Ghostly Encounter
It was just another quiet, late-night shift for a new Disneyland cast member working in the Clear Country Stores. The park had long emptied, and most of the staff had finished their shifts and gone home. The new cast member was left to walk alone through the nearly empty park, their shift ending later than everyone else’s. It was 1:45 AM, and the peaceful solitude of the park at night made the walk feel eerie and surreal.
As the cast member passed by Splash Mountain, they glanced up and saw something out of the ordinary — a little girl, standing near the entrance to Davy Crockett Canoes. She was dressed in a simple white dress that looked like something from a first communion, a strange sight given the emptiness of the park at this hour. The girl seemed out of place, standing alone in the darkened park, so the cast member quickly assumed she was a lost child.
Unfamiliar with the proper protocol for handling lost children, the cast member began to panic. They called out, asking the girl if she needed help. But the girl didn’t respond, her back still turned toward them. The cast member took a few steps closer, hoping to get a better look. The girl was still standing there, unbothered by the approaching cast member, and as they walked toward her, the cast member’s unease grew.
As they neared the girl, they looked around for help, hoping to see a fellow cast member who could assist in the situation. But the area was deserted, and there was no one in sight. The cast member moved even closer, now only about 20 yards from the girl, and then looked left and right again, wondering what to do. When they turned back to face the girl, she suddenly started running toward them.
At first, they were startled by the sight of the girl running toward them in the dark, but there was something unsettling about it — they didn’t hear any footsteps. No sound of running, no crunching leaves or gravel beneath her feet. The cast member braced for impact, sure that the girl was about to collide with them, but when the moment came, nothing happened. The girl vanished right in front of their eyes.
The cast member stood still for a moment, confused, looking around the area for any sign of the girl. But she was gone. Deciding it was best to leave the matter to security, they walked away, chalking it up to an odd experience.
A Mysterious Revelation
A week later, during a morning shift with a veteran cast member who had worked at Disneyland for over 20 years, the new employee decided to ask casually, “Have you ever seen anything unusual around the park at night?” Without hesitation, the veteran lead replied, “Did you see the girl in the white dress?”
The cast member’s heart stopped. The lead had just described everything they had seen — the location, the white dress, the girl, and the unsettling feeling that came with her sudden disappearance. The cast member hadn’t shared the experience with anyone, fearing they would be reprimanded for leaving a child alone in the park. Yet here was their lead, describing the entire event as if they knew exactly what had happened.
The veteran lead then revealed something even more chilling. “They call her Mary,” the lead explained. “She used to love Tom Sawyer’s Island and Haunted Mansion back in the 1970s. Mary had leukemia, and when she passed away, her parents scattered her ashes on Tom Sawyer’s Island.”
According to the lead, cast members who worked in the Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain areas had reported sightings of a young girl in a white dress over the years. These sightings were particularly frequent at night, when the park was less crowded. As more and more cast members shared their experiences, the legend of Mary grew, and her presence became a familiar part of the park’s eerie folklore.
The Legend of Mary
Mary’s story has become one of Disneyland’s most enduring ghost stories, passed down from veteran cast members to newcomers. According to those who’ve worked in the area for years, Mary’s spirit lingers near Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, and Tom Sawyer’s Island, where she spent some of her happiest days before her tragic death. Many cast members believe that her ashes, scattered on the island by her parents, are what kept her tied to Disneyland. The sightings of a young girl in a white dress are said to be a manifestation of her love for the park she adored.
Some cast members report seeing Mary on Tom Sawyer’s Island, walking alone through the trees or sitting by the water. Others claim to have seen her figure near the entrance to Splash Mountain or Haunted Mansion, her white dress glowing softly in the dim light of the park’s after-hours darkness. For those who have seen her, it’s clear that Mary is not an aggressive or angry spirit — just a lost little girl who can’t seem to leave her favorite place. The full report reads:
“I want to preface this by saying I didn’t believe in ghosts. when I first started working for Disneyland I worked in clear country stores. About two weeks after starting I had a shift that ended 15 minutes after everyone else so I had to walk to the park alone cuz no one wanted to wait for the new guy. So now it’s 1:45 in the morning and I’m walking on stage in front of splash mountain looking at my cell phone. As I’m right in front of the splash mountain entrance I look up the hill and see a little girl in what looks like a first communion dress. it wasn’t shiny or anything like that so I just thought it was a girl that was lost maybe 7 or 8 years old. I look around to see if there’s any other cast members that can help me becauseI’m panicking trying to remember the protocol for lost kids since I was still so new. I’m walking towards her as she is closer to the entrance to the Davy Crockett canoes and I’m closer to the entrance to Winnie the Pooh I called and asked if she needs help or if she’s lost and she still has her back to me. As I get closer, I look around again thinking how upset I was a security for not clearing the area of the park and leaving me with this mess. We are maybe 20 yards away from each other as I look to the left and then I look to the right for any help and as I look forward again I see that the little girl had ran towards me but I didn’t hear her footsteps and I can tell that she is going to run into me and we both might fall. I wince and brace for impact but it doesn’t happen. When I open my eyes the little girl is gone and I look around for a little bit but decide the that this isn’t my problem anymore, security can do their job right. I didn’t think anything of it until a week later when I had an opening shift with one of my leads who had been with the resort for 20 years. I hadn’t told anyone about this because I thought I might get in trouble for leaving a Guest lost in the park especially a kid. I begin probing by asking her “have you ever seen anything weird at night,” and she responds “Did you see a girl in a white dress?” My blood turned to ice and my stomach dropped, she had described everything that happened without knowing it happens to me. Turns out the splash mountain attractions cast members and haunted Mansion cast all have similar stories and some of the older cast would share their “knowledge.” Apparently there was a little girl that everyone calls Mary, she loved Tom Sawyer’s island and haunted Mansion and that part of the park in the early 70s. She had leukemia and when she passed away her parents spread her ashes on Tom Sawyer’s island. Evidently the parents told a haunted Mansion cast member many years after that they had done this but by that time many cast members in the area claimed to have seen a girl in the white dress walking on the island or around the area that became the entrance to Critter Country.”
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A Tale Passed Through the Years
To this day, the tale of Mary remains one of Disneyland’s most widely shared ghost stories among cast members. While many visitors come to Disneyland seeking thrills, wonder, and magic, there are those who may unknowingly share the park with its lingering spirits. For the cast members who work the late shifts, there’s always the possibility that Mary may wander past, a fleeting figure in a white dress, silently walking the park she once loved.
Disneyland may be known for its dreams and fairy tales, but for some, it is also home to the strange and the supernatural. And as long as the legend of Mary continues to be passed down, her ghostly presence will remain a part of Disneyland’s mysterious and eerie history.