ANAHEIM, Calif. (Sept. 6, 2019) – Not only does 2019 mark the 50th anniversary of the beloved Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland Park, but it’s also the 19th time that Jack Skellington has visited the 999 Happy Haunts who dwell in the Haunted Mansion, transforming it into Haunted Mansion Holiday. Each year, Jack dresses up as “Sandy Claws” as he and his ghost dog Zero bring ghoulish delights from Halloween Town to visit Disneyland.
One of Jack’s holiday traditions is leaving a special treat for the ghosts who dance around the Haunted Mansion’s Grand Hall. The annual centerpiece for this “waltz of the weird” is always a huge, creepy gingerbread creation. Jack delivers new and thrilling surprises every year.
The Ghost Host of Haunted Mansion Holiday always says, “even a gingerbread house can be scary,” and this year’s design definitely lives up to that description. In 2019, the Haunted Mansion Holiday gingerbread house celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Haunted Mansion attraction, with 15 spirited, spooky and recognizable ghosts made out of gingerbread. Guests will find the hitchhiking ghosts, the Phantom Five and even Constance in gingerbread form, each ghost ranging from 24 to 30 inches tall. The Haunted Mansion gingerbread house stands nearly 10-feet tall, and is made out of approximately 30 pounds of gingerbread, three gallons of egg whites, 120 pounds of frosting and icing, 75 pounds of confectioner’s sugar, 140 pounds of fondant, and more.
A team of six culinary cast members from the Disneyland Resort Central Bakery created this year’s gingerbread mansion, which took 13 days to build and decorate. Three of these pastry team members have been part of the Haunted Mansion gingerbread house team since the annual holiday transformation began 18 years ago.
Frightfully Fun Facts about Haunted Mansion Holiday
- Supernatural Sweets – Every year, a new ghoulish concept for the Haunted MansionHoliday gingerbread house is created for the celebration scene in the mansion’s Grand Hall. This strange and wonderful treat is almost always “supernatural.”
- The Eerie Exterior – More than 400 flickering candles create a ghostly glow on the façade of the Haunted Mansion. Each night, more than 100 jack-o-lanterns shine their ghoulish light.
- The Haunted Elevator – Jack Skellington and his ghost dog Zero appear in a fully animated sequence on the ceiling of the “stretching” room, which transports guests into the depths of the mansion.
- The Portrait Gallery – Ghost dog Zero makes a surprise appearance among the spooky, transforming portraits in the gallery corridor.
- The Graveyard – The graveyard inside Haunted Mansion Holiday is covered with nearly 7,500 square feet of snow. More than 20 gallons of UV (ultra-violet) paint is used to enhance the snow’s eerie glow. Nearly 1,000 tiny, orange lights decorate the trees.
- Graveyard Ice Angels – The iconic Graveyard Ice Angels are designed with a jagged, ice-carved look. Their ethereal wings and snow-glow colors shine with a ghoulish luster each year.
- Deck the Halls – Each season, thousands of feet of “Black Gnarly” garland is draped and hung inside and outside Haunted Mansion Holiday. Jack’s faithful dog Zero gathered more than 200 bones to use as décor, garland and presents.
- “Come Out to Socialize” – More than two dozen additional animated figures “materialize” inside the mansion whenever Jack brings his Haunted Mansion Holiday around. From man-eating wreaths to vampire teddy bears, they wait all year to join in the holiday spirit.
- Home Creepy Home – Creepy cobwebs are artistically kept (not swept!) year-round to make Jack Skellington and the 999 Happy Haunts feel right at home.
- Seasonal Séance Room – Madame Leota’s “13 Days of Christmas” are featured in 13 spinning fortune cards that tell of the Christmas gifts which, as she proclaims, “My ghoul love gave to me…”
- Kim Irvine, daughter of the original Madame Leota – For this seasonal attraction, Imagineer Kim Irvine gives a spirited performance as the Haunted Mansion’s favorite psychic, floating inside the Haunted Mansion’s Crystal Ball in the Séance Room. Her mother Leota Toombs, Disney Legend and long-time Imagineer, first gave life to the floating head.
- Haunting Gingerbread Smells – The haunting scent of tasty gingerbread wafts throughout the Grand Hall, tempting Happy Haunts and guests alike.
- ‘Hurry Back!’ – A more “animated” Sally bids farewell to “Sandy Claws” Jack Skellington as he, and Haunted Mansion Holiday guests, depart from the Mansion.
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Source: Disneyland News