Last week while vacationing at Walt Disney World down in Orlando, Florida, I took with me a bunch of Pop! Vinyls for my continuing series of photo shoots inside the parks. Today I would like to share with you the fun I had with the Haunted Mansion Ghosts (the Hitchhiking Trio and the Hatbox Ghost) around the grounds of The Magic Kingdom’s The Haunted Mansion.
Fun fact: The Hatbox Ghost does not appear in the WDW version of this ride, and only started appearing again at Disneyland after being removed shortly after the ride opened in the 50’s. Technology had to catch-up to imagination.
For me, I have always been a fan of The Haunted Mansion. However, the fun of the attraction increased for me significantly when the new queue area debuted in 2011. Included in this new queue area, made to resemble an interactive cemetery/ crypt, are a bunch of fun additions to the history of The Haunted Mansion, as well as a nod to some of the talent involved in the creation of the ride.
First up is the Dread Family, of which their busts is actually a murder mystery. The ghosts all stood by their favorites.
Phineas prefers Bertie and his beautiful snake!
Gus, on the other hand, seemed infatuated with Aunt Florence.
The Hatbox Ghost feels like the twins are the most evil out of the bunch, and with good reason.
Ezra tends to enjoy Cousin Maude.
All four agree, however, that Uncle Jacob is the fan favorite… along with all of his money.
Also in the queue is a crypt dedicated to a composer, of which is written on the organ “Ravenscroft”. Thurl Ravenscroft is a Disney Legend, and the voice of the head Singing Bust (Uncle Theodore) in the graveyard scene in the ride. His other park roles include Buff the Bison in The Country Bear Jamboree and Fritz the Parrot in The Enchanted Tiki Room.
Next up is the grave for Master Gracey, known as being the owner of the mansion and “The Ghost Host” in the attraction. Named after Yale Gracey, one of the Imagineers who developed some of the special effects for the ride. It was nice seeing a fresh rose on the tombstone.
Further into the queue is the crypt location for Mister (Paul) Frees, who voiced “The Ghost Host”. Brother Roland’s and Ken’s crypts also refer to Imagineers who worked on the ride (“Rolly” Crump and Ken Anderson, respectfully).
Finally, Madame Leota’s tombstone greets guests before they enter the mansion. Leota Toombs appears in the ride as the face of the mystical Madame Leota, as well as both the face and voice of the “Hostess” at the end of the ride. Her tombstone actually comes to “life” from time to time, which is a fun detail.
After guests exit the right, they are greeted but a mausoleum with pun names, as well as the burial place of Bluebeard and six of his seven wives (the seventh one did him in instead of the other way around).
In the courtyard, waiting patiently, is the horse-drawn carriage, complete with ghost horse.
Ouside the gates and into Liberty Square, guests can find Memento Mori, a shop carrying all sorts of The Haunted Mansion merchandise.
Across the way, on the banks of the Rivers of America, a pressed penny machine specializes in The Haunted Mansion themed pennies.
Usually I only have Pop! Vinyls pose with the “face” characters in the parks that they are made to resemble. However, with such amazing costumes and character portrayals, the CM’s of this ride needed some face time. Special thanks to Sarah, Angela, Matt, and Courtney for taking the time for pictures. A couple of them had a blast posing for them… as much as I had shooting them.
Well, there you have it… The Haunted Mansion Pop! Photo Shoot. It was a fun couple of days getting these shots. Thanks again to all of the awesome CMs who helped out with the shoot… from being okay with me taking up line space to getting in front of the camera… without them, there would have been no shoot.
Stay tuned to PopVinyls.com and DisKingdom.com throughout the next couple of weeks as I bring you more fun from Walt Disney World, including more shoots, restaurant and attraction reviews, and overall thoughts on the direction WDW is heading.
Matt Norris