Preface

A person who bought something from me via eBay recently asked me if I was a current or former cast member. I told him that I used to work at the Disney Store in Northridge and Glendale. He replied back asking if I remembered working with someone in the early 1990s. I told him that the name was familiar but I couldn't quite picture a face. After working at the stores for 7 1/2 years and having been away from them for more than 4 years, things had become a bit fuzzy.

So I decided I'd create this new column, "I Was A Teen-Age Cast Member" in an effort to record some of my favorite memories of having worked for the Mouse before they escape me all together.

The column won't be regularly scheduled -- I'll write something new whenever the moment hits me. And it won't be done chronologically. I may not even be a teen-ager in most of the stories. But this will be a way for me to share what it was like to live a dream come true by working for the Walt Disney Company starting when I was 18 years old.

The Autograph Hound

Working at a Disney Store in the greater Los Angeles area often meant guest servicing celebs and well-known Disney employees. But we learned in our training class, Traditions, that we should treat every guest as though they were the most important. And helping one of these more public figures meant that we should treat them with the same respect we'd show anyone who walked into the store.

Though it was certainly a thrill to help someone you'd seen on TV or on the big screen or even a key Disney employee, I was never one to fawn over them. My wife, Kathy, when she worked at the store, would occassionally -- and discretely -- ask for autographs for herself and for me. But this wasn't really my style ... except for one day in 1995.

I was working at the Glendale Galleria store when Andreas Deja came in. He looked really familiar but I wasn't sure it was him because he was without his moustache. For whatever reason, I decided that I'd really like to ask him for his autograph but I decided I wouldn't because I didn't want to seem unprofessional and didn't want to cause a scene.

I was stationed at the main cashwrap that night and he came to me to ring up his purchases. I was glad when he presented his employee ID for his discount that I was correct that it was Andreas. As I scanned in his merchandise, I gathered all of my courage and asked if he would sign the back of a flyer that advertised an upcoming animation signing with Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.

Seemingly embarrassed by my request, he asked me why I wanted his autograph. I must have told him how much I admired his work and thought that he was a talented artist or something. I really can't remember; I was a bit stunned to find myself asking. Another cast member at the cashwrap heard my request and asked me who he was and whether she should ask for an autograph too. As I was telling her who he was and all of the wonderful characters he had created -- Gaston, Jafar, Scar -- Andreas was not only signing the paper but embellishing his autograph with a drawing of another one of his characters -- Mickey Mouse. I was truly flabbergasted that he would do that for me.

Andreas Deja's autograph and drawing

Well, seeing the cool drawing of Mickey, my co-worker immediately decided that she wanted an autograph too, which he was gracious enough to sign. I think she was very disappointed when he didn't add a picture to her autograph too.

I'm sure if a guest had recognized him, Andreas would have given his autograph to anyone who asked. But had I not been a cast member, I wouldn't have been in the position to ask for my first autograph and I'm sure that I wouldn't have gotten the cool Mickey Mouse drawing with it. The memory is as treasured as the paper.

- Story by Matthew Walker
Matt started working at the Disney Store as an 18-year-old in 1991. "I Was A Teen-Age Cast Member" is a look at the magical Disney memories of a former cast member as remembered years later.
Posted

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