Martha Blanding, an initial frontline cast member and later a member of Disneyland Park management, helped put the “happy” in “The Happiest Place on Earth”—and she did it for half a century.
If you took a tour of Disneyland in the early 1970s, you might have had Martha as your Tour Guide. In addition to embodying the park’s admired principle of hospitality and creating the particular brand of happiness that Walt Disney sought to establish for guests and cast members alike, Martha was the groundbreaking first-ever full-time Black Tour Guide at Disneyland. However, her impressive Disney career occurred by happenstance, and, as they say, the rest is history.
A Southern California native and graduate of Fremont High School, Martha was raised in South Central Los Angeles in a close-knit family with three other siblings, including her fraternal twin sister, Mary. She learned to give back at an early age from her mother, who this proud daughter says was a “community woman.” To quote Martha, “My mother was PTA president of every school I ever attended.” Their family, she says, was not “rich in terms of money, but there was a lot of love.”
Martha was studying at California State University Fullerton to become a grade-school teacher when a friend in her dorm persuaded her to take a chance on working at Disneyland in nearby Anaheim. There had been only three part-time Black Tour Guides before “Martha B.”—as she came to be known—but she was the first to become a full-time employee in May 1971. In an unheard-of feat of recognition, within a year, Martha ascended also to become a VIP Tour Hostess. In that capacity, Martha hosted the likes of music legends Diana Ross and Cher, Hollywood royalty such as Cary Grant and Rock Hudson, comedy icon Bob Hope, and future Disney Legend Sir Elton John.
Martha also served as a designated hostess for U.S. government officials and international delegates. “We had VIPs from all over the world, especially American, Japanese, and Russian dignitaries, and I quickly learned all the protocols,” Martha recalled. “Although communication is important, as is how you treat people and respect them as individuals, they all shared a sense of fun and wonder when visiting the park.”
One of the things Martha loved the most about being a Tour Guide and VIP Hostess was the ability to work and interact with other areas of both Disneyland and The Walt Disney Studios, such as marketing and publicity (occasionally, the tour guides would assist with movie premieres, stockholder meetings, etc.). Not realizing it then, Martha now reflects on what she considers early “networking”—a term or career practice that wasn’t yet in vogue. However, the exposure served her well, leading her to understand better the many divisions and career paths possible throughout Disneyland and beyond.
By 1975, Martha’s professionalism and work ethic led her to become the first-ever Black woman in management at Disneyland. She started as an associate buyer and oversaw various merchandise categories for nearly a decade. Soon after that, a promotion made Martha the first Black female merchandise buyer at Disneyland Resort and across all Disney Parks at the time. Through the years, her category lines included books, gifts, perfumes, film, cameras, and candy (which made her very popular with colleagues and was her favorite long-term category).
Martha didn’t stop there: Her extensive merchandise background and signature hospitality skills led her to the position of Senior Manager of Disneyland Resort Merchandise and Special Events. There, she worked with such Disney Legends as Julie Andrews, James Earl Jones, Kurt Russell, Annette Funicello, and legendary Disney Imagineers and animators Marty Sklar, Marc and Alice Davis, Harriet Burns, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Floyd Norman, and many others.
Through her deep connections with world-renowned artisans, plus Disney Legends and notables, Martha became a contributing and pioneering producer of the Official Disneyana Convention—a forerunner of today’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Her dedication to The Walt Disney Company (its Parks and guests in particular) also extended to her fellow cast members. She co-founded PULSE—a business employee resource group for Black Disneyland cast members—where she served as a trusted mentor to fellow employees. Forming this group was especially remarkable when many companies did not have official diversity groups.
Upon her retirement in 2022, Martha had spent 50 years with Disneyland Resort. Throughout her awe-inspiring career with The Walt Disney Company, she racked up an incredible array of “firsts”—including being the first Black woman to achieve five decades of service and becoming the first Black Disney Parks employee designated a Disney Legend. “I enjoy everything about what I do,” “Martha B.” said before retiring, “I don’t feel like I’m coming to work every day because I love what I do, which is to make a lot of people happy.”