Alpha Mickey, Doug Parks, Dead at 60

Doug Parks, a small, cheerful man, donned the first Mickey Mouse costume at Disney World's Magic Kingdom in 1971. Though he kept it secret for decades, mostly at the urging of Disney, there's littlet today about Doug Parks' unique role in Disney history.

Doug Parks died August 29 at his home in Gotha, Florida. He was a life-long Disney employee, both in and out of costume, working at a variety of jobs from 'secret shopper' at the Disney resort hotels to reservations facilitator for Disney's VIP guests.

But Parks liked best what he is best-known for: playing Mickey Mouse. It was Doug Parks (inside his Mickey costume) who stood next to Roy Disney at the grand opening of the Magic Kingdom in 1971.

Eloisa Ruano Gonzalez eulogized Parks yesterday for the Orlando Sentinel and provides further details of his life, including news of a Facebook page established in his memory and a small gallery of pictures of Parks in the park and at home.

Disney won't confirm (nor does it deny) that Doug Parks was the first Mickey Mouse. A story that ran in an issue of the Orlando Sentinel from 1971 identified him as the first person to wear the costume, and that's good enough for me. Disney likely chose later to conceal the names of people wearing character costumes to enhance their mystique.

For those who visited the Magic Kingdom in the early 1970s, it's quite possible that you met Doug Parks and never knew it.