Hazel Hightower is the new Society of Explorers and Adventurers character behind Disney’s Disneyland-inspired online mystery. On October 20, 2026, Disney revealed the Ridge Jewel thief’s identity: she’s Harrison Hightower III’s daughter.
Starting October 20, Disneyland park guests can see the Rainbow Ridge Jewel at the Ticket Booth outside Pioneer Mercantile in Frontierland and receive a complimentary commemorative ticket from Hazel. The offering runs for a limited time, with tickets available while supplies last. Park admission is required.
Guests can ask a cast member at Pioneer Mercantile or use a MagicBand+ to receive the ticket. Disney also says Hazel has been honored with an oar at The Tropical Hideaway in Adventureland, the Society’s tribute to its members.
Her family name complicated her ambitions. S.E.A. rejected Hazel’s membership application because of her father’s reputation, prompting a plan to prove the Society wrong.
The mystery began in August at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, where Imagineers opened a crate from the S.E.A. Archive. Inside were bricks and a note. The artifact was missing.
S.E.A. archivist Bonnie Booker shared riddles through Walt Disney Imagineering’s Instagram page. Each answer supplied a letter, with players unscrambling those letters to identify the thief.
The riddles were designed to work entirely at home. Players could solve them by looking up images of Disneyland, which inspired the adventure. Earlier clues pointed toward Main Street, U.S.A., and the Lilly Belle car on the Disneyland Railroad.
Other puzzles involved Swiss canton shields at the Matterhorn Bobsleds queue entrance and expedition oars at The Tropical Hideaway. One asked whose commemorated river expedition took place in 1831.
Hazel’s family history
One final riddle directed explorers toward a family photo and a father who disappeared after acquiring a cursed idol. Harrison vanished on New Year’s Eve in 1899 after acquiring Shiriki Utundu.
A letter from Hazel to Bonnie then explained her background and her reasons for taking the jewel.
Hazel was born in Egypt on April 1, 1881. Her father disappeared shortly before she began university in London, and she never learned what happened to him.
She threw herself into studying, but still felt directionless after graduating. Hazel hoped S.E.A. would provide inspiration and purpose. In her letter, she acknowledged disagreeing with some of her father’s actions while valuing his encouragement to pursue adventure.
The Timeskipper
Hazel’s invention explains how the mystery’s clues crossed different time periods. She developed plans for a time-traveling device while studying and included them with her membership application.
In the earlier Timeskipper diagram shared during the hunt, the inventor’s name, creation date, and location were smudged. In their place appeared the same cryptic symbol found on the note inside the D23 crate.
Hazel finished the Timeskipper and traveled back to discover where her father had taken the Ridge Jewel. After finding it hidden in an official S.E.A. crate, she removed the jewel and left the note that would eventually be found at D23.
She then traveled through time leaving riddles so the Society would discover her identity. Her goal was to return the jewel to Rainbow Ridge, the mining town where her father had taken it.
A changed clue in Frontierland
According to Disney, a newspaper clipping at the Ticket Booth has changed. Its 1886 photograph previously showed Harrison Hightower III visiting the jewel exhibition with Jason Chandler. It now features Hazel returning the jewel moments after her father stole it.
Disney says guests can view the jewel and collect the ticket over the next few weeks, while supplies last. For attraction planning alongside a Frontierland visit, check the Disneyland wait times.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
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