The Unauthorized Story of Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion

by Jeff Baham

  Glowing items have always been very popular when it comes to Haunted Mansion collectibles due to their inherent “ghostly” nature, but one very unusual and inexpensive early souvenir was Disneyland’s “Walk Away From Your Shadow” gag, which featured a drawing of a Hitchhiking Ghost on the hang card and included nothing more than a simple sheet of phosphorescent paper. The instructions noted that you could place an item on the sheet and expose it to light. Then, when you turned off the lights, you could remove the item and its ghostly shadow would remain visible behind. This item, along with the cardboard “changing portraits,” are samples of some of the Haunted Mansion-themed ephemera produced during the early years of the attraction. Often, this ephemera brings some of the highest prices on the collectibles market today, due to the scarcity of the items.

  Randotti tombstones were sold at Disneyland for $1.95, which included the application of your name using rub-on decal lettering. Photograph courtesy of Jeff Smith.

  Assorted Haunted Mansion collectibles, clockwise from top left: A “Walk Away From Your Shadow” card; a 2003 Disneyana limited edition plate; a one-of-a-kind 75th anniversary of Mickey Mouse statuette with Mickey dressed as a Haunted Mansion host; a plastic “Haunted House” bank with mechanical ghost; lights-on (and lights-off) views of a phosphorescent changing portrait; and a “Mystifying Magic” book with spooky tricks from the Haunted Mansion, which was available for $1 from the magic shop. Photos from Jeff Baham.

  The promotional efforts toward marketing the Haunted Mansion were not just aimed at visitors to the park, however. Walt Disney Productions also wanted to advertise its amazing new attraction to potential patrons at large. To that end, two records were made about the Haunted Mansion and sold through Disneyland Records’ national distribution channels in toy stores and convenience stores throughout the country. One of them, Walt Disney Presents the Haunted Mansion , was a seven-inch, “read-along” style record with a 24-page book. Intended for children, this record was narrated by popular Disneyland Records’ storyteller Robie Lester, and was one of a long line of “See, Hear, and Read” records.

  The company also produced a long-playing 12-inch album called The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion , which featured an 11-page book and sound effects from the actual attraction, as well as the “Grim Grinning Ghosts” theme song. This record, which went on sale in 1969, is still very collectible, and was re-released in vinyl as part of a limited edition boxed set in 2009 to celebrate the Haunted Mansion’s fortieth anniversary. Limited to a thousand copies, the set also included two compact discs of material and two lithographic reproductions from the album’s gatefold artwork originally painted by Imagineer Collin Campbell.

  In a sense, Disney’s efforts to publicize the Haunted Mansion actually went back to 1964, when the company released a famous sound effects record called Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House . This album, which features many sounds that are used in the attraction, is comprised of a series of darkly humorous situations. The cover art, by Disney artist Paul Wenzel, is reportedly a piece of pre-production conceptual artwork created for the attraction, although the attraction’s title “Haunted Mansion” wasn’t set in stone from a marketing perspective until after the album had been released. For much of the development of the ride, the project was known simply as the “haunted house.” This is evidenced by another product released in the late 1960s: a hundred-piece Whitman jigsaw puzzle called “Walt Disney’s Haunted House at Disneyland,” which features artwork of Mickey Mouse and Goofy escaping a scene from the Haunted Mansion’s grand ballroom. The same puzzle was released in Australia by the John Sands company in a one hundred fifty-piece version.

  Disney’s efforts toward making the Haunted Mansion name known didn’t stop with records and puzzles. In the mid 1970s, Walt Disney Productions released a board game through licensee Lakeside called the “Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion Game,” presumably to start promoting the attraction that had recently opened at Walt Disney World (although the game’s cover art features the Disneyland Mansion facade). The intricate, 3-D game board with colorful artwork and moving pieces is hard to find in good condition today, which makes this game a valuable Haunted Mansion collectible.

  In fact, Lakeside Industries was so confident about this game’s potential that when they decided to launch it at the New York toy trade show, they hired Communication Resources, Inc. to manufacture a life-sized Ghost Host mechanical representative. Buyers were captivated by the ghost, which explained and demonstrated Lakeside’s newest game. “All the salesman had to do was take orders,” said Matthews, a founder of Communication Resources. “It was so successful that Lakeside had to step up production three times.” [1]

  Other efforts to keep the Haunted Mansion in the public eye included various coloring books and puzzles. One clever early tie-in was a Ben Cooper “Disneyland Character” Halloween costume titled “Mr. Skeleton,” which featured a plastic mask of a top-hatted ghost and a vinyl cape with the Haunted Mansion logo prominently displayed. Mask-maker Don Post also got into the act, creating a line of Haunted Mansion-themed over-the-head rubber masks, such as “The Caretaker.”

  In the 1970s, Walt Disney Productions had great success with the Pirates of the Caribbean models sold through MPC, so a line of four Haunted Mansion models was also produced. The model kits all featured some form of MPC’s popular rubber-band-powered “Zap Action.” Only inspired by the Mansion, the models didn’t picture any scenes actually lifted from the attraction, and they didn’t prove to be as popular as the Pirates line. Nevertheless, their scarcity today makes un-built kits quite valuable.

  Disney marketing went through many conceptual changes throughout the 1980s, and the emphasis on souvenirs aimed at specific theme park attractions lessened. Most of Disney’s marketing efforts went toward bolstering their popular characters, and more of the souvenirs produced during this time had a park-wide focus. However, the Haunted Mansion’s legion of fans remained faithful, and with the popularity of the internet in the mid 1990s, these fans began to find each other and form communities. Disney took note, and Disneyland decided to host a Haunted Mansion thirtieth anniversary event in 1999. Billed as a special “merchandising” event, the occasion allowed the guests opportunities to buy special limited-edition merchandise and artwork. The evening also offered a special midnight ride through the Haunted Mansion and a panel discussion with many of the Haunted Mansion’s original designers from WED, including Marc Davis, Sam McKim, Rolly Crump, X. Atencio, and Buddy Baker.

  The event sold out very quickly, prompting Disneyland to increase the number of tickets available, moving the venue from a smaller indoor theater to the expansive Fantasyland amphitheatre. Among the popular items offered in limited editions were sculptures, lithographs, Marc Davis giclée prints, pins, and watches. One clever line of items included a set of lenticular cards portraying the changing portraits in the Haunted Mansion. When the cards were flipped back and forth, the image would appear to change. A special cloisonné pin given to each guest who attended the event instantly became a hot collectible, a bellwether of pin trading craze that Disney would foment just months later.

  Two Grand Later, a Magical Night

  Disneyland’s Special Merchandising Events division hosted a special dinner in the Haunted Mansion in the fall of 2000. The event, which was limited to just thirty participants, encompassed the fine meal in the Mansion, as well as a special luncheon in Disneyland’s exclusive Club 33 and admission to another special event at the park. But the Mansion dinner was the highlight of the trip. Attendee Scott Bruffey describes the once-in-a-lifetime event:

  We entered the grounds of the Haunted Mansion, and there in the fog by the main walkway were thirty new tombstones—one for each of the diners. They were expertly painted to look like chiseled marble. Each had its own epitaph. We spent a few moments reading how we all died, comparing deaths and listening to the zombie trio that was performing at the end of the walkway next to the hearse. After we�
�d all moved up towards the front door, our host for the evening ushered us into the foyer where champagne was being served.

  Retired Imagineer Rolly Crump was waiting for us, and we all spent a few more moments milling about, schmoozing and drinking in the foyer and stretching gallery before descending down into the Great Hall—the Changing Portrait corridor—where a long dining table stood set for thirty, heaped with dozens upon dozens of dead flowers. Each setting was graced with a severed Mickey hand holding a menu for the evening.

  After dinner, we left the table and rode through the Mansion. When the ride was completed, the lights were turned on and we were separated into groups of seven and eight and given a backstage tour of the Mansion. I was a little hesitant about going on such a tour—I feel like I’m looking at my parents naked. After about ten seconds, though, that feeling was gone, replaced by the fascination at finally getting to see and scrutinize all of the details that are unfortunately all too hidden by the normally dark condition of the ride.

  Most of the trivia about the ride is well known by devotees, so I won’t go over old territory here, but some new bits did spring up—the wine bottles in the ballroom are Moet; Madame Leota’s name is spelled ‘Leoda’ on the doors and signs leading to the Seance room; and when Eleanor Audrey died, her daughter donated her favorite scarf to the ride, which is the scarf now worn by Madame Leota in her crystal ball.

  When we arrived back at the hotel and went up to our rooms, we found our tombstones waiting for us, along with a plate featuring our favorite Haunted Mansion character hand-painted by Elisabete Gomes [a favorite artist among Disneyana fans].

  Since the success of the anniversary event, Disney has had other Haunted Mansion-themed goings-on at the various theme parks. The 1999 Walt Disney Art Classics convention featured many items portraying the famed hitchhiking ghosts, and items from that convention demand high prices on the secondary market as well. A special 13 Hour Watch which copied the face of the Haunted Mansion grandfather clock was a hot limited edition of just 500 pieces. In 2000, Disneyland also offered an exclusive $2,000-per-plate dinner inside the Haunted Mansion, and each guest received special artwork created specifically to his or her taste.

  In 2001, Disneyland launched the premiere of the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay with a special merchandising/panel event, and the park hosted similar events in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Walt Disney World also has hosted a number of Happy Haunts Ball events which have offered limited edition merchandise to collectors as well. In 2003, the release of the Haunted Mansion movie staring Eddie Murphy coincided with the Happy Haunts Ball, so some of the events and merchandise was related to the release of the film, such as a book of production art signed by Director Rob Minkoff, Executive Producer Don Hahn, and author Jason Surrell.

  In 2005, for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, designers Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily created a line of Haunted Mansion memorabilia that included a stained glass lamp, sconces that resembled the arms that hold torches at the exit ramp of the attraction, miniature pewter figurines, tapestries, pin sets, and even a faithful representation of the mysterious Hatbox Ghost that was nearly three feet high. (The duo were so inspired by the creation of that piece that they went on to create a life-sized replica of the Hatbox Ghost which was auctioned at the first-ever D23 Disney Expo, and sold for $9,300.)

  To celebrate the Mansion’s fortieth anniversary in 2009, Disneyland hosted a number of special events, including a summer-long “O-pin” House for pin traders which produced oodles of new enamel pins; an invitation-only cocktail party with the artist Shag at which numerous new prints and collectibles were released for sale, decorated with Shag paintings inspired by the Mansion; and a grand fortieth-anniversary “wedding party” which also included a huge merchandise release, including dozens of offerings. Highlights included a two-foot-tall replica of the Mansion’s 13-hour grandfather clock, and a Daily-and-Kidney-designed wind-up coffin, which entombed an occupant with tiny green hands who would push the lid up and down from within.

  In August 2014, Disney announced an enormous release of over 100 Haunted Mansion-themed items to coincide with the attraction’s 45th anniversary. From designer t-shirts, jewelry, and hats to bookends, urns, and other spookily-themed home decor, the park has apparently acknowledged the seemingly bottomless well of interest from Haunted Mansion collectors (though that well may be tested with this massive influx of collectibles). The park also made available a large number of new works of art based on the Mansion from their pantheon of creative folks, and added a limited edition hand-painted cel of the Hat Box Ghost to their offerings. Disney continues its efforts to stir up interest in the Haunted Mansion, as evidenced by the popularity of these events, as well as the reemergence of general Haunted Mansion souvenirs in the parks (such as licensed versions of the Parker Brothers’ “Clue” and “Life” board games themed to the Haunted Mansion, and the proliferation of Haunted Mansion-themed enamel pins). The Disney theme parks latest trend is to support smaller-scale underground artists or pop artists, and many times the resorts will host signings of short-run limited-edition lithographs or giclées of their works.

  In October of 2014, Walt Disney World opened the first gift shop themed exclusively to the Haunted Mansion, which was named “Memento Mori.” Located near the exit to the attraction in Liberty Square, the shop sells the latest Haunted Mansion-themed creations developed by Disney for sale exclusively in their theme parks, including apparel, prints, collectibles, kitchenware, and on rare occasions, some licensed memorabilia as well, such as Dooney & Bourke bags with Haunted Mansion graphics, and Marvel comic books with storylines set in the Haunted Mansion.

  The store has a backstory, concocted by the Imagineers. It is rumored to be the last abode of the mortal Madame Leota, before she took up permanent residence in the Haunted Mansion’s séance room in her afterlife. Subtle references to Leota exist in the building, including a painting that represents the only full-bodied image of Madame Leota known to exist, while she still dwelt among the living in her corruptible, mortal state. Sharp-eyed guests might notice strange occurrences in the store as well, so stay on your guard should you choose to do business there.

  Memento Mori is also the host to the Spirit Photography salon, where guests can pay a modest fee to sit for a photography session in an old-fashioned parlor and receive a mysterious “changing portrait” inspired by the Haunted Mansion, in which their foolish mortal visages change into grimly grinning ghouls right before their very eyes, due to lenticular technology and some very clever post-processing backstage. Many Haunted Mansion fans claim their spirit photographs to be among their favorite souvenirs from the park.

  Imagineer Jim Clark, a show producer who developed the Spirit Photography concept with Imagineers Daniel Joseph and Brian Crosby, said:

  We came up with this idea just sitting in a room, trying to come up with a merchandise concept. We were exploring the idea of Rolly Crump’s Museum of the Weird, and this grew out of that effort. It was really a labor of love. We worked on it for years. We knew that the public already associated changing portraits with the Disney Haunted Mansions, so we thought why not take it one step further, and make something that people could take home that would show them changing into a Haunted Mansion-style ghost. [2]

  Brian Crosby added:

  The very first demonstration version we did was transforming [the subject] into a vampire bat. The Haunted Mansion isn’t necessarily about changing you into a ghost, or a skeleton - like the woman who turns into a panther. We were exploring a lot of different options. Some of the very first versions were way too grisly to be considered representative of the Haunted Mansion. But that was just for us to see how far we could push the aesthetic and still make it appealing to watch yourself become something gruesome. Was it still fun, or was it upsetting?

  Once we honed in on that, we had to decide “what makes a Haunted Mansion ghost?”. More so than the hallway of changing portraits, we looked at the ghost portraits that hang in the
hallway of pulsating doors. That’s where I pulled a lot of my inspiration as I was designing what these ghosts would look like. I think one of the biggest challenges was the eyes. In our original versions, it wasn’t a complete morph into a ghost. We left your own eyes, but it looked a little too real, and was a little too gruesome. When we finally landed on the googly eyes, it really hit the mark. The Haunted Mansion has a very thin line between a “fun” spooky and a gruesome spooky.

  This was not a project we were assigned to do. It was a passion project. A lot of our personal time was spent developing these things.

  Back at Disneyland, a variety of other haunting souvenirs are available, including art prints and hand-painted cels from The Disney Gallery in Town Square; handmade watercolor paintings of the Haunted Mansion, available from street vendors along Royal Street in New Orleans Square; and cut paper silhouettes available from the Silhouette Shop on Main Street, U.S.A. The paper cutters will often be willing to create likenesses of characters from the Haunted Mansion, and sometimes they may even have some pre-cut silhouettes ready for purchase that the artists created in between their sessions with walk-in clients. The Hitchhiking Ghosts and the Dueling portraits from the Haunted Mansion ballroom are popular silhouettes, as are Jack Skellington and Sally from “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” around the holiday season.

  Disney memorabilia has had a renaissance through the 2010s with high profile auctions, and Haunted Mansion memorabilia has drawn some of the highest sales prices. On February 28 and March 1, 2015, Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California hosted the first of an ongoing series of Disneyana auctions that the gallery seems likely to repeat for the indeterminate future. Among the items sold was a pre-opening backstage employee poster advertising the August 7 and 8 sneak preview of the Haunted Mansion for Disneyland cast members from 7 p.m. to midnight. The silkscreened poster sold for $11,000. A maintenance manual for the Audio Animatronics from the Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion sold for $9,000, and a cast member butler costume from the opening year of 1969 sold for a cool $6,000. Two 5x7 photos of ghosts that were used in the ride and hung in the Haunted Mansion’s corridor of doors in the 1980s and ‘90s sold for $2,500 and $6,000 respectively. Even a plaster Randotti souvenir skull sold for $500, a much higher price than the skulls had generally sold for prior to the auction.