We are Disney fans. Some people find it odd that we have so much fun visiting the same places over and over again. If you don't get it, you don't get it. Disney is about so much more than the parks. Disney is about a family reunion every summer. Disney is about seeing pictures of yourself standing in the same spot year after year, the same goofy family members flanking your sides, while the park grows up and changes around you. Disney is sometimes about matching t-shirts. Disney is definitely about PINK DAY, when we honor our courageous Mom and sisters who have had and survived Breast Cancer. We have found a way to go when members of our group had cancer, recent surgeries, tooth extractions, broken bones, car accidents, knee replacements, escalator catastrophies, and divorce playing in the background. We come together. We put our worries to the side for a week or two. We were one group of about 100 who arrived at the parks in 2020...not even Covid-19 can keep us away from Disney. Did I mention our 91-year-old parents brave the July heat of Orlando to continue this crazy tradition?
Of course, one of the fun things about visiting all of the Disney theme parks is accumulating souvenirs, subtle reflections of shared memories. I am not a mouse-ear girl; rather, I look for more obscure items that I can work into my decorating scenarios. Two of my personally favorite Disney attractions are Haunted Mansion (both at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, though I am confused as to why the southern Mansion is located at DL), and The Hollywood Tower of Terror (located at Hollywood Studios). These attractions are imaginative...they transport the guest to a place of suspended disbelief. The artifacts that crowd each of these experiences hearken back to an earlier era. Being a big fan of the 1920s-1940s where art, architecture and music are concerned, I never mind waiting in long lines for these rides. In fact, some of the longer lines take you through less-often viewed display areas that are a treat to the beholder. So, for a while I have been contemplating how to do a mash-up of these two attractions with my Halloween decorations.
See how the worlds collide!
From Grim Grinning Ghosts song at The Haunted Mansion:
"As the moon hangs high over the dead oak tree
Spooks arrive for a midnight spree
Creepy creeps with eerie eyes
Start to shriek and harmonize..."
From the Twilight Zone narration at Hollywood Tower of Terror:
Hollywood, 1939. Amid the glitz and the glitter of a bustling, young movie town at the height of its golden age, The Hollywood Tower Hotel was a star in its own right; a beacon for the show business elite. Now, something is about to happen that will change all that. The time is now on an evening very much like the one we have just witnessed.
You might be familiar with the Memento Mori Shoppe next to the Haunted Mansion. The phrase draws from the Latin, remember death, which might seem morose, but to me, is a reminder to celebrate life. Be in the moment, every moment, with the people you love the most. It has been a favorite destination over the years, and I have accumulated some swell pieces there. My goal for this mash-up was to create a 1920s-ish vibe of a hotel registration desk, drawing on HTT for inspiration, while setting the dining room for guests with a collection of artifacts meant to mirror the pieces you really have to search for while you are on the rides. I've placed a few items reminiscent of other Disney attractions to be found be the discerning viewer.
My next room features the Haunted Mansion recreated as it appears in Disneyland.
The artwork is from the Disney record, published in the 1970s. The piano-top scene featured here captures the feel of the attraction perfectly! The Mansion is surrounded with the Hitchhiking Ghosts as well as the Singing Busts. Perfect for a creepy night of fun.
I hope this gets you thinking about how to display your favorite Disney souvenirs! Happy Halloween!
Shopping information:
The illumination projectors were purchased this season at Lowe's.
Department 56 Haunted Mansion
