Haunted Mansion Magic

Did you know that Griffins in the Gallery (stretching room) are very sensitive? It's true, according to the "Magic from the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland" book. Circa 1970, this 59 page booklet comes with colored illustrations of characters from the Haunted Mansion ride, including Madame Leota (looking very much like Maleficent), the executioner, and the opera singers. There are several chapters, each dedicated to a specific genre: card magic, money magic, paper magic, mental magic, and handkechief magic. There is even a ventriloquist lesson! Phineas J. Pock is given credit for the introduction. A wonderful addition to any fan's collection!

Here's a picture of the crying griffin.


My friend, Guy the Ghoul, also a booklet titled "Magic from the Haunted Mansion". Notice that 'in Disneyland' is NOT part of the title. Everything else about the two booklets are identical, from what I can tell. I would love to know the secret behind that little mystery....

Welcome Foolish Mortals!

"Welcome, welcome, well....come in! " Thurl Ravenscroft muttered those words while recording for the famous Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. It was never used in the ride, but was released as part of the outtakes. And, while it may be super cheesy, I can't help but use that as my greeting whenever somebody new stops by our home. You see, my husband and I are monstrous Haunted Mansion fans and have been collecting memorabilia for almost 10 years now. What started out as a seasonal collection to add spooky atmosphere during Halloween has rapidly become a year-round way of life. What started out in one room has spread to every room in our 1700 square foot home.

I’ve always enjoyed seeing other collectors’ collections, and hearing their stories. I thought it was time to share ours.

This was the first piece to start the full time Haunted Mansion décor we live in. This large poster was purchased from eBay several years ago. Nat, a kindred spirit and fan/collector, suggested that it was possible to leave our collection up after Halloween. When I saw this re-creation of the attraction poster from Disneyland, I knew it would have a permanent place in our soon-to-be haunted corridors.