5 Frightfully Fun Easter Eggs from Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion
If you’ve been following along with MickeyBlog then you know that this month has been all about the Haunted Mansion! 50 Years Ago, the iconic New Orleans Square attraction first opened its gates to visitors. One of our favorite pastimes is reading up on the incredible, lore and legends surrounding this frightfully delightful dark ride. With that in mind, we thought we’d share a few Easter Eggs that you’ll want to be on the lookout for during your next visit complements of our friends and D23.
Creepy Crawly Music Stand
As we’ve mentioned before, the organ which features prominently in the ballroom scene is actually a pipe organ from the 1954 Disney classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea that was repurposed from the Haunted Mansion. In order to get it ready for its new home, Imagineers repainted the organ and fitted it with a bat-shaped music stand. Disney was so pleased with their handiwork that the other Haunted Mansions at Disney’s theme parks around the world feature a replica of the original Disneyland one!
The Final Resting Place for Beloved Pets
Back in the 1980s, a Walt Disney Imagineer named Kim Irvine (who was the daughter of Madam Leota herself – Leota Toombs) started buying up pieces of statuary from local nurseries and asked Chris Goosman to compose some funny epitaphs for “dead pets” in order to create a pet cemetery. The original concept as located on the right side of the grounds (near Splash Mountain) but was quite hidden. In 1993 the decision was made to relocate the cemetery along the attraction queue for all guests to enjoy!
Unlucky 13
The number 13 features prominently through the Haunted Mansion. Examples include the 13 tombstone epitaphs you’ll find in the graveyard and the 13 candles atop the spellbook in the ballroom scene. Another of our favorites is the spellbook in the Seance Circle. It is open to pages 1312 and 1313. You may also have noticed the anthropomorphized Grandfather Clock found in the Corridor of Doors is shaped like a demon’s head, with the crooked hands moving backwards past the number 13—not 12.
Ghostly Hearse
In the early 1990s, an Imagineer by the name of Bob Barnick picked up a hearse from a local antique dealer. It was originally meant to be used on an Indiana Jones attraction that never saw the light of day. Instead, it was repurposed and placed outside of the Haunted Mansion. But first, it required a bit of a frightfully delightful makeover. Disney Legend Tony Baxter was inspired by the popular “invisible dog on a leash” toys and suggested hitching the hearse to a phantom horse. The photo op made its debut in the Fall of 1995 and quickly became a fan favorite. So much so that a similar version was created for the Magic Kingdom
Repurposed Pirates
One of our favorite details from the Haunted Mansion ballroom scene is the pistol carrying duelists found squaring off as their portraits come to life. These are two of the Audio-Animatronics® face sculpts recycled from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Designed by Blaine Gibson, one of the duelists was actually the famous Auctioneer himself!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this quick look at some awesome Haunted Mansion Easter Eggs! The best way to enjoy this fun fact is, of course, to check them out for yourself! There are still fantastic 2019 Disney vacation packages to be had and booking is currently open through 2020! Getting started is easy. Simply fill out our form below to get your FREE, no-obligation quote from MickeyTravels.
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