24 Facts About Joyce Carlson

Joyce Carlson was an American artist and designer credited with creating the idyllic universe of singing children at "It's a Small World" rides at Walt Disney theme parks around the world.

Joyce Carlson was the lead ink artist for the 1955 Disney film Lady and the Tramp.

Joyce Carlson spent 56 years working on Disney's animated films and theme park attractions.

Joyce Carlson was born in Racine, Wisconsin on March 16,1923.

Joyce Carlson's family moved to Southern California in 1938 when she was a teenager.

Joyce Carlson graduated from Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California.

Joyce Carlson initially did not want to become a designer.

Joyce Carlson first became involved with Walt Disney Productions in Burbank, California in 1944, when she took a job in the traffic department delivering mail, art supplies, coffee and other necessities to various departments.

Joyce Carlson later stated that she took the job at Disney simply because she needed the work.

Joyce Carlson created a pen-and-ink portfolio of her sketches several months after she began working at Disney, and presented it to her employers.

Joyce Carlson was hired into a position in the Disney studio's ink and paint department.

However, Joyce Carlson was promoted to feature films, which she worked on for 16 years.

Joyce Carlson's credits included The Three Caballeros, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Sleeping Beauty.

Joyce Carlson was further promoted to lead ink artist during the production of the 1955 animated feature film Lady and the Tramp.

In 1962, Joyce Carlson joined WED Enterprises, named after Walt Elias Disney, to work on three dimensional characters in Walt Disney's theme parks.

Joyce Carlson helped to create the original models and designs for the "It's a Small World" attraction, which debuted at the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Joyce Carlson was one of a select group of artists and designers who were sent to New York City by Disney in order to create attractions for the World's Fair.

Joyce Carlson continued to work on newer attractions at Disneyland, Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Resort Paris.

Joyce Carlson was mentored by Disney's first generation of attractions designers, notably Grace Bailey, Mary Blair and John Hench.

Joyce Carlson became the first female Disney employee to reach the 50 and 55 years of employment milestone in 1994.

Joyce Carlson was working at Walt Disney World as a senior show production designer at the time.

Joyce Carlson officially retired from her full-time position at Disney in 2000, but remained at Disney World part-time until at least 2006 and continued to mentor Disney Imagineers through 2007.

Joyce Carlson was declared a "Disney Legend" in 2000 and honored with a window on Main Street, USA at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

Joyce Carlson died of cancer at the age of 84 at her home in Orlando, Florida on January 2,2008.