Anaheim : Disneyland Selects 1986 Ambassador to World

With a kiss from Mickey Mouse to seal the deal, a USC graduate was chosen as Disneyland’s 1986 Ambassador to the World.

Barbara Warren, 24, a parade captain of the park’s entertainment division, was chosen from among 85 applicants. Her duties will include greeting visiting dignitaries at the Magic Kingdom and traveling throughout the world as the amusement park’s official representative.

As Warren was pinned with a large “D” insignia and handed a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses, white doves and helium-filled balloons were released into the air and a choir sang, “When You Wish Upon A Star.”

Warren will begin her reign in January, replacing 1985 ambassador Melissa Tyler, officials said.

Warren, who was a finalist last year, said she decided to apply for the job the first time “because it was something I had never done before. . . . It sounded interesting and fun.”

“But as I got more involved I grew to understand more and more what the ambassador does and began to interview for the job and not just for the fun. That’s why I came back this year.” Warren, of Palos Verdes Estates, has worked in the park five years. She said she expects the job to “be a busy experience with lots of appearances and interviews, but all around I expect it to be the most rewarding year I’ve ever had.”