The Hatbox Ghost has made it into the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for the first time ever.
Guests got to see him for the first time on November 30 next to the Endless Hallway where the floating candelabra is located. This is before Madame Leota calls for spirits to materialize in the mansion and this has some fans upset.
I was lucky to attend Destination D23 back in September of this year where Imagineers revealed the news the Hatbox Ghost would be materializing at Magic Kingdom soon and answered some of those looming questions.
Disney states that reason why the Hatbox Ghost appears next to the Endless Hallway is because he can go wherever he pleases and doesn’t need Madame Leota to call him. And if you’re wondering if he just became the Haunted Mansion’s 1000th ghost, he hasn’t. Imagineers explained that’s because the Hatbox Ghost was one of the Haunted Mansion’s original inhabitants, and he is considered an “unhappy haunt” as opposed to the 999 “happy haunts” living there that we always hear about.
A Little More History
He’s been an icon since he appeared in Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion in 1969 and disappeared soon after without warning or explanation. In more recent years, we’ve found out that he was removed after it became clear the lighting in the ride prevented the ghost’s head-disappearing effect from working as intended.
Fixing the Hatbox Ghost was not a top priority within the Walt Disney Company seeing as the Haunted Mansion was filled with ghosts already and Imagineers were busy building entirely new rides.
The Hatbox Ghost was officially unveiled May 9, 2015 in Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. You’ll find him just outside the attic before you drop into the cemetery.