Go Ask Alice

Melissa Tye played Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland from 1997 to 2001.

WAS IT A HARD JOB?
The Fourth of July was always hard. You walk out from backstage, and you're instantly surrounded by 50 people shoving autograph books in your face. You're stuck. It's hot. You can't move. I mean, these people have paid to get in, they've been waiting in line for you, and you can't just blow them off.

AND YOU JUST SIGN YOUR NAME?
Disneyland trains for everything, even your signature. But when you get a Fourth of July crowd, you cheat a little.

HOW?
You write “Love, Alice” instead of “Love, Alice in Wonderland” and then a little picture of a mushroom.

DID PEOPLE EVER MENTION THE DRUG REFERENCES IN LEWIS CARROLL'S STORY?
Oh, sure. People would say, “So, Alice, you doing mushrooms?” One guy asked me, “Hey, Alice! Want to go down your rabbit hole?”

DID YOU GET BREAKS?
If you're a face character, you have 45 minutes to entertain and then you go back in for a 15-minute break. Fuzzy characters worked a half-hour on and a half-hour off.

FUZZY CHARACTERS?
The characters in the big furry suits. If it's hot, they cut your time outside by five minutes.

ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, THAT WOULD STILL BE LIKE INDUSTRIAL LABOR.
Oh, you have no idea. You're dripping with sweat, and you're really working hard. I liked to tell stories and entertain, not just stand there and autograph books. But that's what they wanted more of—autographs. On really high-traffic days, you were stuck—you picked a spot and you were just stuck there, signing, signing, signing.

DID YOU HAVE A HANDLER?
We call them a “host.” But generally face characters don't have a host, because we can talk.

FACE CHARACTER?
That's what they call Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland.

WERE THERE PROBLEMS IN NOT BEING SUPPLIED WITH A HANDLER?
Not for me, because I can talk. But a fuzzy? They can't talk. So they'd never go into a crowd without a host. It's hard to control those crowds. People want what they want and they want it now. If you're a fuzzy, they're tugging on you and pulling on you.

BUT THEY WOULDN'T DO THAT TO A FACE?
Sometimes. People would pull my hair and my dress. I screamed loud.

WHO WERE THE WORST OFFENDERS?
The kids were fine. Adults were the worst—just the worst. I got my butt grabbed several times a day.

SEVERAL TIMES EACH DAY?
By men. Several times.

EVEN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY?
One Fourth of July, I'll never forget: Me and the Mad Hatter. This couple comes up and they say, “We want a picture of both of you.” The Mad Hatter joked that my backside was my best side. They said it was racist.

RACIST?
They were African-American, and I guess . . .

WHAT DID THEY DO?
They went to City Hall and complained that the Mad Hatter was a racist.

THE MAD HATTER A RACIST?
Right, because he made a comment about my backside. And we got comments on our cards.

DID YOU GET COMPLIMENTS?
Once I got a two-page letter from a guest. I was on my way down Main Street, finishing up, and a little girl saw me and ran over and grabbed me and hugged me. And the guest just went on and on about how touched he was to see this little girl hug me.

SO WHEN DID THE MAGIC END?
The magic never ends. But toward the end, they wanted us to sign more autographs with the guests—less riding on rides and playing with the guests, more autographs. But one time a little girl begged me to ride the Tea Cups with her. And I just thought, “This is going to be something she'll remember for the rest of her life.” So I did it. And there we were, whirling around on the Tea Cups, and I saw my lead.

LEAD?
My supervisor. They wrote me up.

DID YOU EXPLAIN WHY YOU RODE THE TEACUPS?
They said, “We know, but you know the rules.”

WAS IT WORTH IT?
Sure. I wanted to take that opportunity and make magic for that little girl. She'll remember that forever.

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU REALLY HAD A SENSE OF MISSION.
I got to touch people's lives and make them happy.

EVEN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY.
Even then. It was jam-packed and the hottest day of the year. I was out there in a wig, makeup and costume. You couple that with people, and they're hot and they're waiting in line. The Fourth was the most challenging day of work for me.

WHAT WAS THE WORST THING, BESIDES THE ASS-GRABBING?
When men wear tank tops. I dread it. In training, they teach you that when someone tries to wrap his arm around you, you grab the hand and pull it, not around you but between you—like you're holding hands.

BUT?
But I would see these guys in tank tops coming at me, the hairy armpit, the sweat and the smell. I'd just cringe. And they were too quick for me. The arm would go around . . . And then they'd leave this stain on my dress.

OKAY, BESIDES THE ASS-GRABBING AND THE ARMPITS?
Once my petticoat fell off. I was very active.