Haunted Mansion 40th Event Registration Fiasco

The day of the Haunted Mansion 40th event registration, a friend of mine facebooked that she was spending the day at the "Happiest Place on Earth." I had just spent the last hour and half trying to register for this highly anticipated event, and out of complete and utter frustration and sadness I responded with "Oh yeah, well give the Mouse a kick for me."

I thought I had better explain myself. And I do not advocate kicking any of the Disney characters... some might hit back.


So I'm not really mad at the mouse, just the company he represents. Would you believe that Disney Event Services would only allow one person per registration for the Haunted Mansion 40th event? Basically what that means is, there are a lot of married folks, family and friends who were not able to purchase all their tickets at the same time, leaving some people out of the event. Registration was online; only so many people could get thru at one time and the servers couldn't handle the influx of requests. I have friends back east who have planned a family vacation around this event, but Dad didn't get a ticket, or daughter didn't get a ticket. What are they supposed to do now? My friend's husband didn't get a ticket. While Sam and I were lucky enough to get a ticket, it wasn't for the package we wanted, so we don't get to attend the dinner and seminar with many of our friends. (I am grateful to have something, but missing out on the entire event is terribly painful. I've waited for this event since I missed the 30th Anniversary all together.) So.. yeah... I was a little miffed at the mouse. But its not really Mickey's fault that the people running Event Services are so damn Goofy!

40th Event Merchandise Announced!

If you haven't already heard, the Haunted Mansion Event 40th Event Merchandise is online.  Check out DisneyGallery.com or click here.

I was beyond excited to see Javier Soto as one of the artists featured with his amazing ghost sculpture, which interestingly enough could be Ezra or the Hat Box Ghost. There's been a lot of speculation that the HBG might be materializing for this swinging wake and I know many fans, myself included, would just die if the rumors were true.

I was introduced to Javier thru GhostRelationsDept. I chatted with Javier on Facebook tonight and he said that he worked on this piece for a year! All that hard work paid off Javier! I'm sure the collector who is lucky enough to get this piece (in green or in blue) will be thrilled. How I wish it were me. :)

Fan made Staring Bust

First I want to thank everyone for their condolences for my broken heart, er, I mean gargoyle candle holder. I have taken all your suggestions to heart and have sought out a professional to have it repaired. The guy I hired works with these 'cold cast porcelain' type resins on a daily basis and has given me great hope that my gargoyle will look as good as new. I'll keep you posted. In case your wondering why I just don't do it myself? Simple. I have about as much grace and patience for this type of delicate repair as a bull in a china shop. I also think that some of the pieces might need to be pinned to add reinforcement to the repair. Just not my cup of tea.

I'm in much better spirits today however!  On the very day I posted that horrific story, I received a rather large package in the mail. On the outside were some very specific instructions telling me to 'cut here' and 'fold' there. I then saw the return label and discovered it was a gift from my dear friend and HMC blog reader, Gary! Remember Gary? He's the fabulous sculptor from Michigan who shared with Haunted Mansion Collectibles a video of the Hitchhiking Ghosts that he made for his Halloween yard display.

He has been working on a Haunted Mansion inspired staring bust and sent me the first prototype! Thank you so much Gary! This piece is amazing. And it wasn't enough for him to send me just the prototype - the package also doubles as the display piece, which explains all the cryptic instructions on the outside of the box. I basically had to make a few incisions in the protective tape layer (Gary was kind enough to have everything precut), plug in the power cord, and be amazed!

I'll admit it. I was intimidated by the box at first. 

But curiousity got the best of me, and I had to open it.  

There were all these other places to cut on the box. But Gary was so thoughtful and precut all these special areas.

Thank you, Gary!! 

This has got to be the coolest package.. 

and not for just what's inside....

but also because of the built-in cord storage.  What?!  I loathe stray cords and prefer my cords to stay neat and orderly.  Gary, you rock!

I really don't know why I was so concerned about opening the box. Gary sent very detailed instructions. Don't worry, Gary, I won't leave the box unattended! :)

But enough of the tease already.... hehehe

Take a look at what Gary made! I'm in awe and so grateful that you shared this piece with me.




email subscribers.. click on the blog to view the video of Gary's great fanmade Staring Bust!

One final note.. if this is just a prototype, I can't wait to see the actual finished product!!  

But of course, you'll have to hurry baaack to see it for yourself.