Today is the 44th anniversary of the public opening of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Happy birthday, old timer. You are loved still. I’ve celebrated by ordering one of the limited edition Hatbox Ghost tees.
44 years ago on this date, the front doors of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion creaked open for the first time to Cast Members and guests for ‘soft openings’ of the long-awaited attraction. Plans for the Haunted Mansion stretch back to 1954, when Walt Disney first dreamed of his amusement park in Anaheim. It remains my favorite Disney attraction ever and a gold standard for the ‘dark ride’ art form.