The Mystery of the Hatbox Ghost

Before the Haunted Mansion opened in August 1969, Disney had been planning to include an attraction such as this as early as 1951 when Harper Goff began sketching ideas for it. When the attraction finally came to fruition, Disney released promotional photos to get guests excited about the newest addition to the park. There was a series of particular photos the guests were drawn to:

Yale Gracey and the Hatbox Ghost. Image from: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/461830136772820196/

Yale Gracey and the Hatbox Ghost. Image from: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/380202393524434352/

Before the attraction opened, people were excited about the Hatbox Ghost. It was a new kind of animatronic effect that Disney hadn’t featured yet in the park, and at the time, was quite advanced. He was also heavily featured in promotional material, so naturally people were looking forward to seeing him when riding the attraction for the first time. Little did they know, he wouldn’t last long.

Promotional article for the Haunted Mansion. Image from: http://www.retro-daze.org/site/article/id/9092&close=yes&close=yes

The Story and Song of the Haunted Mansion. Image from: https://www.amazon.ca/Story-Song-Haunted-Mansion/dp/B002M2N9HU

When the idea of the Hatbox Ghost was brought up, Marc Davis took on the responsibility of creating the animatronic for it, and Yale Gracey worked on the effect. He used a lighting effect on it, that would allow the head of the ghost to disappear and then reappear in the hatbox. They would do this by installing backlights and turning them on and off. According to Imagineer Tony Baxter, they tested the figure out in one of the WED rooms before placing it into the attraction to make sure the illusion was believable, and in a controlled environment with regular lighting, it was.

The Hatbox Ghost design. Image from: http://www.retro-daze.org/site/article/id/9092&close=yes&close=yes

Marc Davis’s sketch of the Hatbox Ghost. Image from: http://www.thehatboxghost.com/thehatboxghost.html

When the ride operators and Imagineers tested the attraction before opening it up to the public, they rode it for 2 hours to ensure every single effect was working and lived up to their expectations. Tony Baxter recalled that the Hatbox Ghost stood in the corner of the attic by the Bride.

They discovered their problem just before the attraction opened when they realized guests would be seeing the ghost from all different angles in a lower light setting. Because of this, the illusion was lost, and you could still see the head when it was supposed to have disappeared. The figure was removed from the attraction presumably by Imagineers, but no one knows the whereabouts of the original figure even today.

Some guests claimed they did see the Hatbox Ghost during the first month of the attraction opening, though no known photo of it existed for several years during those claims. Then, eventually, one flash photo of it was surfaced and proved that the Hatbox Ghost was in fact featured in the attraction for at least the first few days of it being open.

The original Hatbox Ghost in the Haunted Mansion. Image from: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/555279829052004349/

For 46 years the mystery of the Hatbox Ghost persisted, while Disney continued to use his character for promotional materials such as posters, books, and merchandise. And then in 2014, some guests noticed a temporary work wall at the end of the attic scene near where the Hatbox Ghost once lived. It was then announced that in May 2015, he would finally be making his return for the 60th anniversary of Disneyland.

The Hatbox ghost was completely updated with new technology to avoid the illusion problem they had back in the 1960s, but kept it’s original design and charm. Disney Imagineers used the few photos they had and some original sketches from Marc Davis to ensure the design of the character would remain authentic. The Hatbox Ghost now proudly stands in Disneyland and there is no sign of it being removed. Our only question now is, where is the original Hatbox figure?