Q: Can you confirm (or not) that Earl Harper was the original Santa Claus at Disneyland, as well as a friend of Walt’s? And thanks for all you do (and have done) for establishing and preserving the Disney Archives.
Ronald, Lahaina, Hawaii
A: He was not the first but an early Santa Claus at Disneyland. A former police officer in the city of Vernon, California, he had started at the park as a security guard in 1966. He returned to perform at the park’s 50th anniversary party thrown by the Disneyland Alumni Club in 2005.
Dave Smith