Disneyland Haunted Mansion Transforms To Stuff Of Nightmares

ANAHEIM, CA — Disneyland is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Haunted Mansion ride with some familiar faces and a spookier-than-ever gingerbread mini-mansion as the piece de resistance.

Jack Skellington and the 'Nightmare Before Christmas' ghouls have accepted their 19th invitation, and have joined the 999 happy haunts of the mansion. They've decked the halls with some fun new surprises, most of all, the 10-foot-tall gingerbread mansion, unique to this anniversary celebration.

Carrying the tradition of the new gingerbread theme, when you catch a ride in your Doom Buggy, be sure to look for the creepy creation in the center of the ballroom. As always, you'll be met with the aromas of freshly baked gingerbread. This year, however, the Haunted Mansion's gingerbread house ghosts also have a few tricks up their sleeves.

"Guests will be able to see 15 spirited and spooky, and certainly recognizable ghosts made out of gingerbread," a spokesperson for the park told Patch.

Hitchhiking ghosts, the Phantom Five and Constance all make an appearance in confectionery corporeal form, thanks to the team of six culinary castmembers from the Disneyland Resort Central Bakery.

Watch the ghost who blows out the candles on the cake in the ballroom: The action causes the ghost-cookie characters to disappear before your eyes.

The birthday-party ghost also blows out the light of the caretaker's lantern in the gingerbread mansion scene, Patch was told. Keep watching and see the elusive ghost-cookies return.

As always when there is a new scene added to an attraction, guests wonder: Are there hidden Mickey's to be found?

Of course, there are.

Look to the candelabras and bats on the gingerbread mansion! You may see a few!

But keep those eagle-eyes open, many are so small that from ride-distance, they're difficult to see.

The creation took 13 days to put together and decorate, Patch was told. The same team of pastry members has been part of the Haunted Mansion gingerbread house team since the annual holiday transformation began 19 years ago.

The gingerbread mansion consists of:

• 30 pounds of gingerbread
• three gallons of egg whites
• 120 pounds of frosting and icing
• 75 pounds of confectioners sugar
• 140 pounds of fondant
• Even more candy

As ever, the decor of the Haunted Mansion starts at the gates and doesn't stop until you exit the ride.

The transformations include:

• 400 flickering candles which keep the Haunted Mansion aglow at night!
• 100 Jack-o-Lanterns decorate the cemetery grounds out front and atop the mansion
• Jack Skellington will join you in the Haunted Elevator
• Zero, Jack's Ghost Dog, appears in the portrait gallery
• Gnarly garland decor is woven throughout the mansion and across the exterior, the halls truly decked in Nightmare Before Christmas fashion
• 200 bones, gathered by Zero, decorate garland, wreaths and more inside the mansion.
• Snow decks the graveyard, and over 20 gallons of UV paint enhances its eerie glow, as do the 1,000 tiny orange twinkle lights in all the ghostly trees.
• Graveyard ice angels make their appearance, glowing and ghoulish in their luster.
• See the Nightmare Before Christmas characters inside the mansion, including the man eating wreath, vampire teddy bears and enormous present eating snake.
• Madame Leota's 13 Days of Christmas features the 13 spinning fortune cards. The daughter of the original Madame Leota Toombs, Kim Irvine, gives a spirited performance as the floating head psychic.
• See Sally wish you and "Sandy Claws" farewell as you exit!