Cinderella’s Ghost

General Information about Item:

  • Verbal lore, legend
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Sarina Kothari
  • Date Collected: 2/23/2018

Informant Data:

  • Sarina Kothari is a female Dartmouth student in the class of 2021. She is majoring in Mathematics and Biology. She intends on pursuing a career in medicine. She was born in Philadelphia, PA, but she grew up in Orlando, FL. She has one younger brother. She has visited Disney World in Orlando, Florida twelve times with her family and sometimes her friends. She loves Disney and her favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast. When she is at the park, she tries to find the park characters, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  Sarina would stay at home during her visits to Disney World. She is not a Disney Vacations Club Member.

 

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: One of the most iconic attractions at Disney World is Cinderella’s castle. It is the central attraction in Magic Kingdom and many park visitors take photos in front of the castle to document their trip. The inside of the castle contains a store and a luxury suite for elite Disney customers. Most park visitors use the castle’s tunnel to get to other rides within the park. Very few people spend time inside the castle itself.
  • Social Context: The informant first heard of this legend from her friends in high school. She mentioned how the legend was passed between teenagers who lived in Orlando because they knew a lot about the Disney parks since they visited them so often. Whenever Sarina visits the park with a new friend, she tells them the legend as they walk through Cinderella’s castle.


Item:

  • There is a legend that individuals who enter through a giant wooden door on the left side of Cinderella’s castle will come upon a giant bookshelf. If an individual stares long enough at the bookshelf, the individual will see Cinderella’s ghost run past him or her.

Transcript:

  • “During my freshman year of high school, I remember a couple of my friends were talking about their trip to Disney World. They mentioned some old scary story about Cinderella’s ghost. They said that you could find her ghost if you go through a wooden door on the left side of Cinderella’s castle and then stare at some bookshelf for a long enough time. Many people claim that the ghost-like figure is wearing a ball gown so people think that it is Cinderella’s ghost.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • This legend was something I heard about before from other people who frequently visited the parks, but I never knew the details about it. I knew that the castle was supposed to have hidden rooms and be haunted. It was fascinating to hear this specific story that involves a ghost that resides in the castle.  

Collector’s Name: Meghana Reddy

Tags/Keywords:

  • Verbal Lore
  • Legend
  • Cinderella’s Ghost

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