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Harriet Burns: Disney's First Lady

Harriet Burns: Disney's First Lady

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 Harriet Burns (1928-2008) was the first woman hired by Walt Disney Imagineering in a creative capacity—and she did it while wearing high heels and a skirt to operate band saws and drill presses. Starting as a set painter for The Mickey Mouse Club in 1955, Burns joined WED Enterprises alongside just two other employees—Fred Joerger and Wathel Rogers—forming the original model shop. She built miniature prototypes for Sleeping Beauty Castle, designed and fabricated every miniature scene in Storybook Land Canal Boats, and created all the singing birds for the Enchanted Tiki Room—Disney's first Audio-Animatronic attraction. When the birds' breathing mechanism failed, she solved it by observing Walt's cashmere sweater. Despite breaking gender barriers in a male-dominated industry and contributing to dozens of attractions, Burns remained modest about her achievements, always emphasizing teamwork. She was named a Disney Legend in 2000 and died in 2008, having paved the way for generations of female Imagineers.

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