Curtain Call for Disneyland’s Marvelous Maynard

You might think it’s an April Fool’s joke, but it’s all too real: Maynard Smith, the unofficial host of the Enchanted Tiki Room and the official favorite Cast Member of anyone who ever met him, is retiring on April 1. We asked the MiceChat Facebook group to share their memories of the zaniest Cast Member at Disneyland as a tribute to his longstanding career in the park. Let’s get to know Maynard and hear some of the antics he’s done over the years.

Hanging Up the Disney Hat

On a day Maynard is working, a stop at the Tiki Room is a must. He’s known far and wide for being one of the Cast Members who makes a day at Disneyland truly memorable. If you’ve been going to Disneyland for years, you probably feel like you know that particular attraction inside and out — but on a day that Maynard is working, it feels like an entirely new experience, especially if you’re lucky enough to get a tour from him after the show is over. His tongue-in-cheek humor and animated facial expressions are never the same twice (even though you might hear a recycled joke or two, like how the cracks in the pavement are from elephants jumping on their underground trampolines). 

Maynard started working at Disneyland in 1993, and has been part of many attractions over the years. That included wearing a lab coat ushering guests into Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, navigating wild waters as a Jungle Cruise skipper with a toy alligator affixed to his shoulder, and even appearing as his “evil twin” in the Haunted Mansion. 

“For the last 28+ years … my ‘twin brothers’ and I have enjoyed the blessings of creating happiness in different locations throughout the park for people from around the world,” Maynard shared in a Fans of Maynard Facebook group. He plans to put his creative energy towards projects that will “fulfill a longtime dream of combining visual arts and humorous storytelling,” like creating illustrated children’s books and short videos. 

When Walt Disney said, “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality,” he couldn’t have been thinking of this particular character. But he most certainly was thinking of the kind of Cast Member who would inspire magical moments with guests, lighting up the faces of kids and adults alike, making memories that would last a lifetime. Maynard Smith has certainly been that kind of person, one who has made Disney’s dream into reality. 

Magical Maynard Memories

Here, MiceChat Facebook Group members share their favorite moments with Maynard Smith. 

“Maynard is the absolute best human around,” Barbara Van Deusen said. “I had two children with muscular dystrophy. We were at the park a lot. He went out of his way to always make their visits special. I can never say thank you enough for his kindness to them.”

“My boys grew up going to the parks and looked forward to finding Maynard,” Wendy Steele Calvin recalled. “He was always so kind and engaged them in conversation. Once, when they were little, he told them the story of the Menehune and how mischievous they can be. He wrote the jingle for the Menehune Water Company [in Hawaii] and performed it for us. He is an amazing person and the park won’t be the same without him.”

“Catching him at the Tiki Room was so much fun,” Peter Henry said. “The stories of the ‘Invisible Children’ were crazy and funny. He was one of the best to start the show in the Tiki Room and we spotted him on the 55th anniversary, which also happens to be my birthday as well.”

MiceChat’s Photomatt captured a version of the invisible babies story shortly after the parks reopened in 2021: 

“Man, am I going to miss Maynard,” Michael Cowan said. “The stories he tells are just the best. Many, many memories of those stories. And, the time he had our little group wear napkins on our heads in the Tiki Room because the birds had eaten some soft peaches earlier and it’s better to be safe.”

“In the late ‘90s I met Maynard for the first time,” Jenn Diz recalled. “He was working the stretching room in the Haunted Mansion and right when the doors closed we met eyes and he had a menacing stare on his face. Since I did not know him I was like like ‘woah ok that was weird’ and looked away. During the show while the walls were stretching, I looked back over and he was staring at me with that same gaze. He swung his arm straight out onto the wall clawing the wall as it stretched while not breaking our eye contact or even blinking. I was creeped out and so happy at the same time.”

“Every time we pass the Tiki Room, we ask if Maynard is there,” Barry Fine said. “If he is, we go in. If not we keep walking. Disneyland should give Maynard a jersey with his picture (#28 for his years at Disney) and retire the jersey on the celebrity wall at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”

“I first encountered Maynard in the late ‘90s,” Katie Michaud-Tang said. “He was working at Haunted Mansion and my friends and I were the last out of the stretching room. He won us over with his silly stories and his stretching room dancing. From that moment on, we sought him out at every visit to the park. Every time we saw him, he never disappointed. About 10 years later, as I was preparing to move to NC, I ran into Maynard as he was working the parade. I told him I was moving out of state and that I would miss him, his stories and his jokes and I thanked him for entertaining me for the last 10+ years. He pulled me aside and we had a great chat about moving, adjusting and most importantly, coming home to visit. He was so kind and caring. His presence at the park will be greatly missed.”

“My husband and I had just boarded our Doom-buggy and we saw Maynard standing at the base of the stairs,” Robert Carstensen said. “We waved and said ‘Hello Maynard!’ He just gave us one on those Maynard looks as we passed him. Then, when we were halfway up the stairs, he popped his head into our buggy and yelled “HELLO!” Scared the hell out of us at first then we laughed so hard. A Maynard memory we will never forget.”

“Someone needs to start a petition to have Maynard’s name on a window in Disneyland,” Randy Keeling said. “He is too good to not be recognized as a cast member extraordinaire.”

Let’s Hear From You

Have you seen the wacky antics of Maynard for yourself around Disneyland? Will you miss seeing his familiar face in the park? Do you have any stories you’d like to share of the wonderfully wacky Maynard? Be sure to share the love in the comments below!

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