Peggie Fariss may not be a household name among Disney fans, but without her, some of the parks’ most iconic features might look very different today. For over 50 years, Fariss dedicated her career to Disney—spanning multiple parks, groundbreaking projects, and pioneering roles that shaped how Imagineering works behind the scenes. While her illustrious career took her from Disneyland in California to EPCOT and even to Disneyland Paris, it all began with something very simple—a job she initially thought of as temporary.
Source: The Tomorrow Society
Farris grew up in Southern California, and developed an interest in Disneyland from a young age – but not as a future career path:
I think it started because we lived in Anaheim and, you know, home of Disneyland. My mother would take my brother and me out of school on our birthdays to visit the park for the day. And so I had a really warm feeling about Disneyland. It was always fun to go to. We looked forward to it every year. But honestly, I never thought about working there. To me, it wasn’t a place people worked. It was just a place where everybody had fun.
But years later, a friend of hers shared her own very positive experience working at the park for the summer, so Farriss decided to give it a try. She officially began her Disney career in 1965, working as an attractions hostess on the Storybook Land Canal Boats. At the time, it was just a summer job—a way to earn some money while figuring out her next steps.
This summer gig turned into a fifty-year career. After being stationed at various attractions throughout the park, Fariss transitioned into roles in convention sales and later historical and conceptual research before officially joining Imagineering.
Source: RetroMagic
Some of Fariss’ biggest projects include the Disney Gallery (in its original location above Pirates of the Caribbean):
It was so much fun because we had to write copy for each of the pieces of art that were part of the show, the exhibition, and many of those artists had retired by then. My job was to go to the homes of the retired artists and interview them about when did you do this work? Why did you do this work? What materials did you use? It was such a fun project because I got to spend time with that first generation of Imagineers and people who had come out of the studio, people like Ken Anderson and Sam McKim and Marc and Alice Davis and Dorothea Redmond. It was such a special experience.
Spaceship Earth in EPCOT:
I had a chance just to spend two years sort of stepping my way through world history. And then for the next 20 years, Marty would send me every guest letter that came to him from guest relations in Florida saying, you know, if a guest had a question about why we chose this culture and not that culture, it was my job to answer it.
And overseeing the Imagineering team for Disneyland Paris:
I went to Paris in the fall of 2010, just as Disneyland Paris was preparing for its 20th anniversary, and I inherited a team of about 25 incredibly talented, immensely dedicated, wonderful, wonderful people. Many of them had been there from the very beginning. They had worked on the original park back in the early nineties, and they were continuing to be true to their craft and deliver the best quality experience they could.
Source: MIRP
Fariss retired from Disney in 2016, after completing a 50-year career with the company. If you ask me, she was a true pioneer in combining creative and operational roles within the uniquely challenging environment of theme parks. She didn’t shy away from daunting projects, whether leading historical research for EPCOT or taking on the top creative role at Disneyland Paris. Her impact resonates beyond the attractions or structures she contributed to—it lives in the Imagineering teams she nurtured, the corporate relationships she strengthened, and the stories she helped tell.