Memories of the Haunted Mansion
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Haunted Mansion - Disneyland
Opened August 9, 1969

30 years of Haunted Fun at Disneyland

It was a happy coincidence that the 30th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion coincided with the launch of the expanded LaughingPlace.com. The timing was perfect to run a series of articles around the spookiest attraction of them all.   There are so many great people and so much history associated with this attraction, not to mention my own personal history, that I can't help but feel honored to be chosen as the coordinator of these remarkable pieces for LaughingPlace.com. These stories could not have reached fruition without the tireless work of everyone on the LaughingPlace team. My hearty thanks to them.

I would also be remiss if I didn't thank the folks at Walt Disney Imagineering and Disneyland (publicity, entertainment, merchandise, maintenance, attractions, & anyone I'm forgetting) for all the hard work they put into mounting the Haunted Mansion 30th Anniversary event. Everyone I've talked with was very impressed and wants to hear more from the "old dinosaurs", as X. Atencio would say.

I think the event also proved how starved the Disneyland community (collectors and just plain fans) has been for good, affordable, merchandise. For a few t-shirts, lenticular cards, and a well-crafted CD, people were willing to wait in lines for hours. Maybe the demand is just part of the allure of the Haunted Mansion, but they won't know for sure without at least a few similar events (which I hope come soon).

I hadn't been truly scared in the Haunted Mansion for a few years, at least until the night of the event. I remember the days with less music and narration. Back then, the emptiness of the mansion let the visual and sound effects work their encompassing brand of magic. I do enjoy the recent show improvements, I just find myself scared less often with the new music, narration, and attic scene.