x
Breaking News
More () »

Families are spreading ashes at Disney theme parks, custodians say

The idea of leaving your loved one's ashes at a Disney park may be something you will cherish, but it's also against the law.
Credit: BERTRAND GUAY
Mickey and Minnie Mouse pose in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle to mark the 25th anniversary of Disneyland - originally Euro Disney Resort - on March 16, 2017 in Marne-La-Vallee, east of the French capital Paris. (BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images)

Disney theme parks attract people celebrating engagements, birthdays and even weddings, but employees revealed the "Happiest Place on Earth" is also popular for something else.

Custodians at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, claim the famous parks are a preferred place for guests to scatter their loved ones' ashes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In fact, the outlet reports it's so popular that the occasion warrants it's own code: HEPA cleanup.

The special cipher, which refers to the use of an ultrafine vacuum cleaner, is used at least once a month, custodians told the Journal. Which leads to visions of Grandma or Grandpa spending eternity inside a Hoover.

Guests reportedly sneak in their family members' ashes in plastic bags or pill bottles hidden inside purses or backpacks. Once inside, visitors spread them throughout landscaping in the park, flower beds and water rides, including Pirates of the Caribbean and It's a Small World.

As for the Haunted Mansion? It appears to be the most popular place where families leave their loved ones.

“The Haunted Mansion probably has so much human ashes in it that it’s not even funny,” one Disneyland custodian told the Journal.

When it happens, employees reportedly tell guests the ride is temporarily closed due to "technical difficulties."

Missouri native Shanin Himebrook, 41, told the outlet that she laid her father to rest near Disney World's gates earlier this year to memorialize their summer trips together.

"He wasn't my tired, graveyard-shift Dad (at Disney World)," she said. "He was, 'Let's get you the Mouse ears! Let's get your name stitched in it!' It's like, 'I love this dad! Can we stay forever?'"

USA TODAY reached out to Disney representatives for comment, but a spokesperson told the Journal that "this type of behavior is strictly prohibited and unlawful" and any guest caught in the act will be "escorted off property."

Anaheim Police Department spokesman Sgt. Daron Wyatt confirmed to the publication that officers have answered calls “regarding ashes” before at Disneyland. The Orlando Police Department hasn't responded to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Before You Leave, Check This Out