Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/10/21/long-fuse-gags.html
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Not to sound like a downer because I love a haunted house, but there seems to be a long-running particular zeal about the Haunted Mansion here.
Can someone explain where this comes from specifically? Why is the specific location so beloved here? I generally stay the hell away from Disney anything so perhaps I don’t get it.
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It’s a Boing Boing/Cory thing…
Find a way to cope with this, 'cause it won’t go away. Ever.
Not even with WD-40.
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Er, wouldn’t that stop them from squeaking? Or am I really that clueless when it comes to DIY?
It’s kind of a beloved attraction. I grew up with the ride with the odd visit to Orlando, FL when I was much younger and we would spend time in between Dad’s assignments on the east coast.
Plus, theatrical ghosts.
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Name a better ride or attraction at Disney. The rest is kid stuff. Haunted Mansion is the only one on the edge, touching on the supernatural, afterlife, horror, etc. It’s toned way down to a G rating. But it’s the only thing even close to “adult” in the parks.
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You just need a bit of reading of Cory Doctorow to understand.
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I consider myself *whoosh*ed.
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Dan has some really interesting theories about the development of the Mansion - and a lot of the history of how our attractions were developed wasn’t always documented, so for those of us who are interested, we have to speculate based on documents etc. that were left behind. Most of the people involved are no longer with us, unfortunately…
Oh I don’t hate the thing or anything I was just curious
I guess for other people it might be the whole just look at it banana gag they probably are wondering where it came from but if you’ve been reading here long enough you just see how it developed
It does help to go there.
Like most of the rides—like any theater, really—it helps to share the experience of going versus just reading about it.
Say what you will about the rest of the Disney parks, but the Haunted Mansion has an endearingly tongue-in-cheek “spooky ghost” vibe with some genuinely ingenious optical illusions that make the whole experience the most interesting thing in the parks, IMO. And it’s not just BB or Cory, I have friends who have themed entire rooms around the Haunted Mansion. Plus, for fans of old animation and comedy, the Paul Frees voiceover is just the tops.
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It’s easily one of the most beloved attractions at the Disney parks (there’s versions of it in all of them) and is a perfect example of the sort of elegant creepiness you see in Charles Adams art, etc. So it has many, many fans.
As for BoingBoing specifically, besides writing books about the Magic Kingdom, Cory helped write, create, and design the award-winning Haunted Mansion Ghost Post interactive experiences a few years back, so he’s deeply invested into its lore.
I have a Haunted Mansion themed front hallway that kids love on Halloween.
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