Hatbox Ghost Officially Materializes at Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion

It has been a long time coming, but the Hatbox Ghost has finally joined the 999 happy haunts at the Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion! He may not have originally been part of this park, but he’s welcome nonetheless!

The excellent team over at Thrill Geek captured the new specter on video. As soon as you round the corner towards the Endless Hallway, the Hatbox Ghost comes into view, giving guests a long time to admire the ghastly ghoul.

It’s hard to tell by the video, but a new doorway has been added next to the Hatbox Ghost. It’s slightly ajar, which just barely lights the figure.

I was concerned that the character’s placement would distract from the iconic Endless Hallway, but it may not. The poor haunted suit of armor probably never gets a second glance, though.

Are you wondering why there’s so much commotion regarding this latest animatronic? If you don’t know about the origins of this newest ghost, we’ll give you a little history lesson.

When the original Haunted Mansion opened in Disneyland in 1969, the Hatbox Ghost was briefly part of the ride. It is said that the disappearing/reappearing head trick wasn’t working that well.

The doom buggies were said to be too close to the figure, ruining the effect of his head disappearing (because it all hinged lighting rather than projections and the retracting mechanic used in the updated version).

The character officially returned to the original Haunted Mansion in 2015 with updated effects and a much more convincing gimmick. At the time, it was unknown if the Hatbox Ghost would ever materialize here at the Magic Kingdom.

More pictures of the Hatbox Ghost can be found on the Disney Parks Blog.

What do you think of including a Disneyland icon in the Orlando park? Let us know below.

[Source: Thrill Geek]