How well do you know this sensationally spooky ride:
Hands down, my favorite Magic Kingdom Park ride is The Haunted Mansion. As a robotics engineer, I find the imagineering and detail behind this ride to be spectacular! Naturally, I find fun facts about this ride to be extra interesting. So, how well do you know The Haunted Mansion:
1. A First Of Its Kind
The Haunted Mansion holds two firsts on its long resume of successes. It was the first Disney attraction created after Walt Disney passed. It debuted at Disneyland in 1969, three years after Walt’s death. With all the lessons learned when imagineering the Disneyland attraction, the Walt Disney World Haunted mansion was the parks first attraction. It was the first ride completed prior to the park opening in 1971.
2. Check Mate On The Ride Exterior
If you’ve been on the Keys to the Kingdom Tour, then you probably already know this one. When looking at the Exterior of The Haunted Mansion, you will notice that many roof peaks, gables and chimneys are topped with what appear to be a Chess Piece. Some say this is coincidence since many era mansions had similar architect features. Others believe that Imagineer Marc Davis’s avid chess playing is what inspired the look. You will find features that resemble pawns, bishops, rooks, kings, and queens. You will not find the image of a Knight on the house, but Night always falls on The Haunted Mansion.
3. From Liberty Square To Fantasyland
I am not the only Haunted Mansion fan, so it’s no surprise that this ride finds itself in five of the six Disney Theme parks around the world. While many classic Disney rides find their way from park to park, The Haunted Mansion is the only attraction that happens to be in a different land each time it is built. In the United States, our Ghost Host has taken up residence in Liberty (Walt Disney World) and New Orleans (Disneyland) Squares. In Tokyo, you’ll find the attraction in Fantasyland. The Haunted Mansion is a Frontierland staple at Disneyland Paris. With how ghosts and the afterlife are viewed in China, Hong Kong Disney has “Mystic Manor” in their Mystic Point section of the park while Shanghai Disneyland does not have a version of this attraction.
4. Almost No Hearse Photo Op
The popular photo op outside The Haunted Mansion almost did not exist! In 1990, Imagineer Bob Baranick purchased a white horse drawn hearse for Disneyland to be used in the Young Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular show. When the show failed to materialize, imagineers thought the hearse no longer had a purpose at Disneyland because on it’s own, it was nothing special. Inspired by “Invisible Dogs On A Leash” that were being sold in the parks at the time, Imagineer Tony Baxter proposed hitching a phantom horse to the hearse. It became an instant hit at Disneyland and was quickly added to Walt Disney World. While there is nothing special about the Disneyland hearse, the one at Walt Disney World was a prop from the 1965 John Wayne Film, The Sons of Katie Elder.
5. A World Record Holding Attraction
The Haunted Mansion was once in The Guinness Book of World Records. In 1999, it was named “The World’s Largest Dark Ride.” It lost the title in 2000 to the Valhalla indoor log flume in England. Wonder Mountain’s Guardian at Canada’s Wonderland holds the current record.
6. Seeing Double
While Walt Disney and the imagineering team revolutionized the use of Audio Animatronics, they were still a relatively expensive technology to develop back in the day. To save on costs and development time, a handful of Audio Animatronics appear on multiple rides. Our Haunted Mansion Caretaker is quite the adventurer and can also be found climbing up a pole on The Jungle Cruise. Our Caretaker is not the only Audio Animatronic that gets around, have you ever spotted President Abraham Lincoln while riding on The Pirates of the Caribbean?
7. The Sea Captain
The Haunted Mansion was not an opening day attraction at Disneyland because the Imagineers had a tough time with the original concept of the ride. Thankfully, they got it all figured out in time for the opening of Walt Disney World. Several concepts for the ride were reviewed. The original concepts of The Haunted Mansion included a walk-through attraction featuring The Legend of Captain Gore. Versus having Master Gracey, a house maid or butler would guide visitors through the manor of the old sea captain that disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Can you imagine?! Today, guests can see nods to this original concept in artwork around the mansion and with the Captain Culpepper Clyne crypt in the line queue.
8. Nods To The Imagineers
We’ve probably all seen the headstones honoring the imagineers in the line queue, but have you seen the nod to them in the servants’ quarters? If you’ve entered through the “servants' quarters”, then you may have seen the series of valet bells, each with a name and location in the mansion. You’ll find Uncle Davis’s Sleeping Quarters and Colonel Coat’s Breakfast Berth for co-lead imagineers Marc Davis and Claude Coats.
9. Where Does All That Dust Come From?
The main material used to create the dusty interior for The Haunted Mansion is Kitty Litter. Fuller’s Earth, a cat litter, is responsible for the dust and cobwebs made throughout the manor. Hollywood set dressers often use the material to make scenes look dusty or dirty.
10. Stay The Night At The Haunted Mansion
While The Haunted Mansion is not a Walt Disney World Resort, The Harry Packer Mansion is a bed and breakfast. Located in Pennsylvania, this mansion was one of the real homes that inspired the Florida attraction’s exterior. The location has even been known to host its own murder mystery parties.
Be honest, did you know all ten of these Haunted Mansion fun facts? What makes your list of Haunted Mansion facts?
Photos & Sources:
The Complete Walt Disney World Fun Finds & Hidden Mickey's
The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World, 2nd Edition
The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic
The Society of Explorers and Adventurers
The Harry Packer Mansion Inn
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