Elbow Grease and Pixie Dust by Rand Boyd

Part of what makes theme parks fascinating is the small stories from behind the scenes. It’s exciting to read about grand creations from the brilliant minds that design the attractions. That material just scratches the surface of what makes the parks tick each day. A perfect example of a different perspective is Elbow Grease and Pixie Dust: Memories of Disneyland Maintenance by Rand Boyd. This engaging book offers personal tales of two people that made sure everything worked.

Rand is the official author of this book, yet it’s as much Eileen Boyd’s story as Rand’s. I found her background even more interesting as a woman in a male-dominated field. She began working at Disneyland Maintenance in 1978 and had great success as a machinist and leader. This book splits in half between Eileen and Rand, and it works much better than I expected. They don’t meet and get married until the end of each tale, and the content beforehand is so engaging.

Before we dive into Eileen’s story, Rand offers a brief history of the maintenance division at Disneyland. I know virtually nothing about this group, so the specific details about the divisions are so engaging. Rand gives us an insider’s knowledge that is present throughout this title. The information never feels too simplified for the general audience. Both Rand and Eileen also don’t get overly dry or technical, which isn’t an easy balance to strike.

Paving the Way at Disneyland

From her opening story about not being allowed to take shop in 8th grade, Eileen shows obstacles facing her at every step. I like the down-to-earth approach that she takes to each challenge. Eileen finds inventive ways to keep progressing in her field. She also had male allies that saw her potential and pushed for Eileen to do more. Even so, it wasn’t easy for her at Disneyland. Eileen writes candidly of harassment during her early days as a journeyman machinist.

I also enjoyed the stories of Disneyland attractions and tricks to keep them afloat. Eileen provides intricate details on the Mark Twain and her work to make it run smoothly. It’s also surprising to learn some dangers for maintenance employees during their daily work. Safety was not on the same level as we might expect today. There was a lot of trial and error involved with each task; Eileen describes one example of a Tom Sawyer Island raft sinking inexplicably.

A common trend in Eileen’s career is looking for new ways to fix ongoing problems. Old-school workers did not always want to veer away from the normal routines. An example from the Space Mountain rehab in 1981 explains the lack of precise measurements from mechanics at times. It’s interesting to read about the resistance to Eileen’s approach, which ended up saving a lot of time.

A Tough Act to Follow

The second half of Elbow Grease and Pixie Dust switches to Rand’s story, which is also an interesting one. His road is a little more straightforward, but it still contains plenty of good details. Beginning in the warehouse, his job was hardly the magical experience you might expect. In fact, it sounds like a typical factory role with little connection to the park. I could not imagine working at Disneyland and barely experiencing it at all.

It’s refreshing to learn about Rand’s frustrations with his initial job at the warehouse. I prefer a realistic story about what it’s really like to work in theme parks. When he started making deliveries out in the park in the graveyard shift, it was a much better experience. In a similar way to Eileen’s story, Rand explains the dangers with his job. You could easily smash a hand with a CO2 cylinder or injure your back lifting extremely heavy deliveries.

One of my favorite tales in the book is Rand’s story about seeing the ghost of Walt Disney in the summer of 1984. It’s a little eerie to think about Walt’s ghost just standing still and looking at the firehouse, but it also intrigues me. I love the thought that somehow part of Walt’s essence remains at Disneyland to watch over the park. It is charming anecdotes like these that make this book worth your time. Disney fans should find plenty to enjoy in these personal stories. Rand and Eileen both had unique careers at Disney, and I loved the chance to share their experience.