Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. Well, a resin, light-up version of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. This was available from The Disney Catalog and the online Disney Store years ago. Later, it could be found at a reduced price through the Disney Outlet on eBay.
Some of the 999 "Happy Haunts," like the Hitchhiking Ghosts, are just dying to have new visitors.
A few Grim, Grinning Ghosts have materialized to socialize. Don't close your eyes and don't try to hide.
Fans of Disney's Haunted Mansion have been able to get their mitts on replicas of their beloved attraction for some time now.
The original 1967 Disneyland Mansion is represented here it all its Southern, New Orleans Square glory.
Here we find spirited characters based on the original Marc Davis designs.
The fat lady may have sung, but there's more to see here.
Here we find the original version of the Bride from the attic.
She was originally a faceless, ghostly figure, with a loud, red beating heart.
The Bride has changed quite a bit over the years. The newest version is really cool, but I miss the simple charm of the original. The picture above is from the Haunted Mansion book and record. I still have the book, but the record went missing years ago. Side B of the LP featured Haunted sound effects, which I taped and used as sound effects for my own Halloween displays for Trick Or Treaters when I was a kid.
Also present is the legendary Hatbox Ghost character. He vanished from the ride before its grand opening.
Apparently, the character's gimmick (his head vanished and reappeared in his hatbox) was not convincing enough, so he was removed.
Here the character is seen in the Haunted Mansion book and record. He has been featured in quite a bit of merchandise. Maybe he will be back in the Mansion someday.
A resin version of Phantom Manor from Disneyland Paris was also available in the Disney Catalog and online. The famous Hitchhiking Ghosts are represented here, though I don't believe they are featured in the attraction in France.
A hinged-box resin Haunted Mansion was sold at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in the late 1990s. This is Walt Disney World's version, found at the Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square.
Open the box to discover the Hitchhiking Ghosts and the Corridor of Doors, with Goofy and a Ghost in a Doombuggy ride vehicle.
Here we get a rare glimpse at the back of the Mansion. Really, this is what it looks like. Haven't you always wondered?
A playset version of the Haunted Mansion could also be found at the Disney Parks. This is Walt Disney World's Mansion. It also includes accessories, and the Hitchhiking Ghosts. The Mansion facade seen at Walt Disney World can also be found at the Tokyo Disneyland version of the Haunted Mansion, located in that park's Fantasyland.
Like all the Haunted Mansions, it is equipped with wall-to-wall creeps and hot and cold running chills!
Jack Skellington and his crew from Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas have been taking over Disneyland's Haunted Mansion at Halloween and Christmas for 10 years now. "Haunted Mansion Holiday" is quite popular, and was also adapted for Tokyo Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.
Disney recently unveiled concept art for Haunted Mansion themed hotel rooms. This is probably an idea for rooms at an existing resort (a good guess could be for Disney's Port Orleans Resort at Walt Disney World in Florida). I'd love to see an entire hotel based on the Haunted Mansion.
I have been having difficulty posting photos on my blog recently, and have discovered I'm not alone. The new photo upload system does not work for everyone. I was able to find a way to revert back to the old editor, but it will be eliminated soon. Hopefully, the photo upload problems will be addressed.
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Glad you found a way to upload your pics. Hopefully they will resolve the problem with the new system
ReplyDeleteThese houses are great. I hadn't seen any of them. I prefer the "pre-Constance" versions of the bride, myself. I believe you are right about the hitchhiking ghosts not appearing in Phantom Manor. I remember when you pass the three mirrors, there was a ghoul of some sort visible right above your head on top of the doombuggy....and all the doombuggies had the exact same ghoul. I liked the fact that they kind of changed it up a bit, but I thought that there should be more than just that one same ghoul on everyone's vehicle.
Thanks, TokyoMagic!
ReplyDeleteThe light-up Disneyland Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite Disney collectibles. I really like how they incorporated so many great characters from the attraction.
It's curious how the Bride has been changed so much over the years. I've never been to Disneyland Paris or Phantom Manor, but I know the Bride is a major character there. It's nice that France got a significantly different Mansion to mix things up a bit.
Yes, the bride appears several times in Phantom Manor and each time you see her, she has aged.
ReplyDeleteI love Paris' Mansion/Manor and their Pirates of the Caribbean too. There is quite a bit that has been changed on both of them, but yet they are just as good as their original versions.
Hey TokyoMagic!
ReplyDeleteThe Haunted Mansion CD released years ago by RedDotNet has the Phantom Manor soundtrack, which I love. I've got to get to Paris someday.
Author Jason Surrell has a Haunted Mansion book and a Pirates book covering the different versions of the attractions. I love these books.
It should be interesting to see just how different Mystic Manor is when it debuts at Hong Kong Disneyland. I guess Shanghai Disneyland should get another variation, too.
I heard a rumor recently that the budget has been cut for Hong Kong's Mystic Manor and that they are not going to have the "trackless" sytem after all. Do you know if that's true?
ReplyDeleteWhy can't Disney just spend some serious dollars for once like the Oriental Land Co. does on Tokyo Disneyland? Don't they realize that it would come right back to them with all the positive buzz that would be spread? Word of mouth works both ways....DL's Tomorrowland '98 and California Adventure....HELLLLOOOO????
I read that rumor about the downsized Mystic Manor, too. If that is the case, it's a shame.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to be able to see Disney Imagineering in the 1960s, when they were making Pirates and the Haunted Mansion. Hopefully we'll be seeing more attractions like those in the future. I would imagine that something of that caliber would generate that sort of positive buzz.