Beautifiul, Breakable and Dishwasher Safe!

Greetings Ghost Fans,


A question I have been asked for quite a while now is about some of the manufacturers of the Mansion's more common details, such as where to purchase the Stretch Room wallpaper, or maybe even where a certain lighting fixture may be found outside of the Mansion. One that I have gotten more than any other is who crafts the beautiful Ballroom plates for both Disneyland at Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion's.

Well, with some research from both Mansions, I have found an answer. Both the Blue Disneyland plates and the Red Walt Disney World plates come from the same manufacturer. The pattern is from J & G Meakin of England, it is titled Romantic England Blue (Disneyland) and Romantic England Red (Walt Disney World). The plates, as well as the red cups and flatware are the same at both Mansion's. It appears that when the Disney Decorating department was equipping the Mansion with its dinner service sets, they purchased them at the same time, just a different color.


On a special side note, I would like to thank all of my readers for something that occured the other day. The Ghost Relations Dept. installed a counter a few months after opening to track demographics as to how to better display my blog. Since that installation in May of 2007, there have been over 100,000 hits to the blog. I thank you for reading and your continued support!

File It Under G; For Gus

Greetings Ghost Fans,

At the end of the Graveyard scene, guests enter a large crypt where they encounter 3 happy haunts. We have Phineas, Ezra and Gus. While the pasts of Phineas and Ezra are trivial, it appears that Gus was a prisoner who really wanted to find his way out. Attached to his leg is his ball and chain, but what is it in his other hand? Why, his only instrument of freedom, a metal file.

A Sense of Character

Greetings Ghost Fans,

In my recent trips to the Mansion, I have discussed some of the various aspects of the storyline with some Maids and Butlers, some of which train all of the new staff that come to the Mansion. They have told me some interesting stories regarding Constance's husbands, as per the official operating guide for the attraction. A few interesting aspects:

Ambrose is the son of successful farmers, and not being accustomed to formal wear, has an ill-fitting suit.

Frank is a Banker from the East Coast. His marriage ended when he broke her heart, literally. A heart shaped box is fractured on a shelf near his portrait.

The Marquis is a foreign diplomat (no real shocker here.)

Reginald is a Railroad tycoon. Using his earnings, he turned to gambling where he increased his fortune. Following the stereotype of wealthy Americans, he is also a fan of fine dining and eating in general. He was not one to hide his wealth as apparent by the amount of jewelry on his possession.

George was one of the final owners of the Mansion prior to it becoming Haunted. He is indeed the husband who is later featured on the tombstone in the Stretch Room. Much of the items around his portrait are imported from afar, possibly from trips to different countries during his lifetime.

Who took my T?

Greetings Ghost Fans,

During the planning of The Haunted Mansion, the Imagineers who designed the attraction got credit in a small family plot adjoining the Mansion itself. X. Atencio came up with some witty rememberances which Vic Green then drew out into blueprints. Though, it appears that ol' X should have done a little spellchecking before submitting the words for his own tombstone.

The original blueprint reads Requiesca.

The current tombstone reads Requiescat.

The correct spelling of the word includes the T at the end. It means a prayer in repose for the dead.

Now you hear it... Now you don't...

Greetings Ghost Fans,

I apologize for the irregular posting here lately, but The Ghost Relations Dept. has a few tricks up its sleeves in preperation for something amazing that will work in conjunction with the blog for your enjoyment of all things delightfully ghoulish.

Without further ado, I bring you this weeks post.

A few years ago when Haunted Mansion Holiday was first getting its bearings and several creative types in Disney were hoping that all of their hard work was not in vain, a composer by the name of Gordon Goodwin (who has done an interview with the Ghost Relations Dept. in the past) wrote an elaborate score moving away from the film score to be something new and unique but also be similar to what is heard in the Haunted Mansion in the non-holiday season.

After a few years after many had found what a success Haunted Mansion Holiday was, the film's visionaries decided to get a little more involved. Danny Elfman was one of them. He created an entirely new score which replaced that of Goodwin's. However, when you enjoy the attraction today, a piece of Goodwin's score remains, The Stretch Room.

So, whatever happened to Elfman's Stretch Room score? Well, it was there for perhaps a week or two, but then disappeared. So where is it now you ask? Why, it's included on the new Nightmare Before Christmas 2-Disk DVD. Several have written reviews of the DVD but none have really touched that the score was the original Stretch Room.

Without further delay, HERE is a clip of the score from the recent DVD. The original of course did not include corridor laughter or thunder, but I believe you get the point.

The DVD is quite nice unto itself. It has a great featurette for Haunted Mansion Holiday fans featuring a tour of the Mansion as well as a Making-Of segment, well worth the cost of the movie. If you would like to order a copy (and I highly suggest it), click HERE. A clip of the Mansion tour can be found in the Videos Section.