Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. The Haunted Mansion opened on August 9, 1969 in New Orleans Square at Disneyland park.
Here are some frightfully fun facts to celebrate the 50th anniversary:
- The idea for a haunted house at Disneyland was included in an early concept design sketch by Harper Goff dating back to 1952, when Disneyland was still being conceptualized.
- Within a week of the Haunted Mansion’s opening, Disneyland celebrated what was then its highest single-day attendance.
- 20 tombstone tributes exist both inside and around the exterior of the attraction. The epitaphs on the tombstones were written to honor several Disney Legends and Walt Disney Imagineers who created and maintain the attraction.
- The final exterior concept for the house is heavily influenced by the Victorian-era Shipley-Lydecker House in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Thurl Ravenscroft is the voice of “Uncle Theodore” who leads the “Phantom Five” quintet of singing headstones. His voice can also be heard at Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room as the voice of both Fritz and Tangaroa.
- The pipe organ seen in the ballroom sequence was featured as Captain Nemo’s pipe organ in the Disney film classic, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” For more details, check out George’s story here.
- Leota Toombs, a former Walt Disney Imagineer and Disney Legend, served as the famous face of Madame Leota.
- The Hatbox Ghost was featured in Haunted Mansion when the attraction first opened. Then, he mysteriously vanished, only to reappear in 2015 in time for the 60th anniversary of Disneyland.
So, foolish mortals, make your way to the Disneyland to celebrate 50 years of ghoulish delights and happy haunts. The ghosts of the Haunted Mansion are just “dying” for you to join them – as there is always room for one more!
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