The Magic of the Magic Kingdom: Folklore and Fan Culture in Disneyland

A strong and vibrant fan culture surrounds Disneyland, despite the fact that Disney itself, in many cases, works hard to quash it. This surprising relationship dynamic is likely a result of the so-called “Disney Magic”—a term appropriated from Disney marketing material and applied to the unique emotional experience found in the park, often described with quasi-spiritual language.This thesis examines three aspects of Disneyland’s fan culture in an attempt to understand the Magic and how it manifests in and sustains its fan culture. First is urban legends surrounding ash scatterings at the Haunted Mansion ride, which speak to dedicated fans’ desires to actually be buried there; second is a discussion of the pin trading subculture, through which fans construct their own identities using Disney merchandise; third is Disneybounding, in which fans find ways to dress as their favorite characters in defiance of Disney regulations to the contrary.Disney Magic is a unique aspect of the Disneyland fan culture, and one that deserves more examination. The idea of the Magic contradicts our understanding of how fan cultures should work, and, for this reason, its effects should be studied and catalogued in more detail. This thesis serves as a thorough introduction to the topic, and provides suggestions for further research.