The Hatbox Ghost is a character from the Haunted Mansion. He was removed from the attraction shortly after it opened. Despite this, he has appeared in various media related to the attraction. He officially returned to the ride on May 9, 2015.
History[]
Background[]
The Hatbox Ghost's mortal name and identity are unknown though he is known to have been alive in the latter half of the 19th century. The Hatbox Ghost was active in America and is most often identified as having been a milliner in life though this has yet to be explicit in the attraction itself. He had a golden tooth replacing the central incisor on his left-hand side and also carried a shillelagh in his right hand, potentially implying a walking disability centralized on his right leg.
In life, the hatter had some unknown affiliation to Constance Hatchaway, a serial-killer from California, who targeted wealthy men to marry and murder. Hatchaway's modus operandi was to kill men with an ax, decapitate them and keep their severed heads within hatboxes; hatboxes, which at some point, the Hatbox Ghost came in possession of. Constance is known to have killed at least four wealthy men in this fashion between 1869 and 1876; seemingly all in the state of California.
In 1877, Constance married the wealthy George Hightower and moved into his estate in New Orleans which overlooked the Mississippi River. Constance stored away the many trophies of her past four killings within the attic of this manor and killed George with an axe blow to the skull before adding his head to her collection. Through unknown means, the hatter died via decapitation and had his own head stored within a hatbox before becoming a ghost. Constance herself lived in luxury and wealth until her death in the 1920s at which point her own murderous ghost inhabited the attic.
Development[]
The Hatbox Ghost was designed as the primary gimmick of the attic scene, appearing just to the right of the exit, across from the Bride. A trick lighting effect would make it appear that his head would disappear off his shoulders and reappear in a hatbox he held in his hand, timed to the beat of the Bride's heart. While this trick worked perfectly during testing, when the ride opened, it became apparent that it was far less effective when viewed from the different angles and lighting that the ride created.
As a result, the Hatbox Ghost was removed from the attraction within a few weeks of opening. The bride was then moved to the spot where he formerly stood, but she was moved back to her original spot in a 2006 update. 46 years later, he returned to the Disneyland attic as part of the Diamond Celebration.
The new Hatbox Ghost figure has more movement than the 1969 version: the original figure's only moving part was his trembling hand holding his cane. The 2015 figure moves all parts of his body due to improvements in technology over the 46 years since the original figure disappeared. His signature gimmick is now achieved by a new means that have proven successful: a face is projected onto a blank head. With a chuckle, the projection vanishes, and the head drops into the body. At the same time, the head is projected into the hatbox. After a few seconds, this projection vanishes and his head reappears on top of his shoulders.
Disney Parks[]
The Haunted Mansion[]
The Hatbox Ghost appeared in the Attic scene in the first few days of the attraction's run before being removed when the intended effect of the vanishing head did not work out as planned.
In early January of 2015, following the take down of the seasonal Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, a strange wall with a holographic window depicting one of the bat stanchions appeared on the balcony in the attraction. It was then announced April 10, on the Disney Parks Blog that the Hatbox Ghost would return to the attraction on May 9, as part of Disneyland's 60th Anniversary Celebration. The new Hatbox Ghost appears at the end of the Attic scene, just past the location where he originally stood, and lets out an evil chuckle before his head switches places through the use of rear-projected face technology. The set-dressing around him also includes a cart holding four hatboxes with him holding the fifth, possibly suggesting he was an accomplice of Constance's before she "axed" him off, or that he was one of her five unfortunate husbands.
On September 11, 2022, during D23 Expo, it was announced the Hatbox Ghost will be added to the Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion in 2023.
On July 28, 2023, it was announced that preparations for the figure’s installment would begin the following week. It was also revealed that this version of the character would be located much earlier in the attraction, next to the endless hallway instead of at the exit of the attic. This change was subject to some criticism, as the ghosts do not become visible until after Madame Leota’s seance.
On September 9, 2023, it was confirmed that the figure would be installed by late November. Justification was also given for his appearance before the ghosts materialize, being that the Hatbox Ghost does not follow the same rules as the other “happy haunts” because he is not happy.
Haunted Mansion Holiday[]
The Hatbox Ghost appears in the seasonal update to the Haunted Mansion, based on The Nightmare Before Christmas. During the ride, the only changes made to his balcony scene are that mostly unchanged, except for a decorative Halloween pin in his hat, and a giant Santa hat on the nearby pile of Hatboxes.
Television and Film[]
House of Mouse[]
In the episode "House Ghosts", the Hatbox Ghost joins the Hitchhiking Ghosts, the Bride, and the Executioner in singing "Grim Grinning Ghosts" along with the Lonesome Ghosts and the Skeletons from The Skeleton Dance to scare Pete out of the club.
Disney XD[]
In a stop-motion animated Disney XD station ID aired in October 2016, the Hatbox Ghost appeared to scare off Pickle and Peanut. He also appeared in IDs with Baymax and Huey, Dewey, Louie and Webby.
Muppets Haunted Mansion[]
Fozzie Bear appears in the role of Gauzey the Hatbox Bear in the special, using his head trick in his comedy act but is heckled by Statler and Waldorf. He later took part in the song Life Hereafter.
Random Rings[]
The Hatbox Ghost was called by Scratch in the short "Scratch Calls The Haunted Mansion". Scratch calls him for a person referral to move into the Haunted Mansion, but he teleports his head into his box to avoid him. Scratch also mentions he once borrowed his top hat and gave him ghost lice, which is the reason why he has a grievance on the ghost.
Haunted Mansion (2023)[]
Hatbox Ghost as he appears in the film.
The Hatbox Ghost appears in this adaptation as the main antagonist, wherein he is given the name Alistair Crump. The son of an overbearing wealthy socialite Addison Crump and his wife. He and his family lived in a Dutch colonial revival gothic manor in Louisiana. When Alistair was nine, his father disowned him for crying too much at his mother's funeral and evicted him from the house in an attempt to make him a tougher man. Alistair was treated as an outcast by other socialites. Without any friends or other family, Alistair disappeared from human memory for years and traveled the world, learning about mysticism and dark art, until he returned a wealthy tycoon.
When his father suspiciously died, Alistair regained all that belonged to him, including the family manor. Alistair became a vengeful person, inviting the very socialites that he felt betrayed him to lavish parties, which all ended with him murdering many of the guests in horrifying ways, with rumors saying that the murders were blood sacrifices to maintain his wealth and power. He engaged in multiple acts of pettiness, such as having no chairs in the foyer of his mansion because he didn't want anyone seated when he entered the room, had all the dining room chairs shortened while piling pillows on his own so he could be taller than everyone else, and his second wife found out about his third wife and then-mistress when he put up a big portrait of her in the living room and then insulted her for being able to read it. Eventually, this caught up to him and he was beheaded by an angry mob of his abused servants, but not before declaring that he will get his revenge.
Eventually, Alistair's vengeful spirit, now in the form of the Hatbox Ghost, was accidentally invited into William Gracey's mansion during a séance held by William and Madame Leota to contact Gracey's deceased wife Eleanor. Crump impersonated Gracey's wife and eventually convinced him to commit suicide in order to "join her". When Leota attempted to identify Alistair and banish him, he imprisoned her within her own crystal ball. Alistair then took complete control of the mansion, saturating it with his oppressive energy and forcing the other ghosts to obey him. He used the mansion as a means to harvest souls for a ritual which, upon obtaining 1000 souls, would unbind him from the mansion grounds and enable him to wreak his vengeance upon the realm of the living.
Printed Materials[]
The Story and Song from The Haunted Mansion[]
The Hatbox Ghost appeared in the Story and Song from The Haunted Mansion record, which was published when the ride opened, hence his inclusion in the book's attic scene.
The Haunted Mansion comics[]
In the Slave Labor Graphics Haunted Mansion comics, the Hatbox Ghost plays a part in the Mystery of the Manse storyline. He was once Randall Pace, a gunrunner and captain of the ship that William Gracey served on. After discovering what they were shipping, Gracey mutinied and decapitated Pace and became a pirate. When Gracey eventually settled down outside New Orleans, a scorned Madame Leota would call upon the spirit of Pace and the rest of Gracey's long-dead crew, and the Hatbox Ghost and his crew would scare the Bride to death with the truth of his crimes. After murdering the bride he leaves The Mansion, referencing his own removal from the original attraction.
He also makes minor appearances in other stories of the comic usually as a background character.
Disney Kingdoms: The Haunted Mansion[]
In Disney Kingdoms: The Haunted Mansion, the Hatbox Ghost appears as a friendly guide character in the third issue of the book. Rescuing Danny from the Sea Captain in the Grand Hall, he takes him through the Endless Staircase, which is revealed to be a network connecting the Haunted Mansion to haunted locations around the world (a detail possibly inspired by Del Toro's "spider at the center of the web" quote); he says that he has spent some time away from the Mansion traveling on these routes. He also reveals to Danny that the Sea Captain's curse has not only trapped the resident ghosts but the magic that allows the ghosts freedom to travel to these other locations. After advising Danny, he leaves him in the library as this is a fight he is staying out of.
Video Games[]
Disney Crossy Road[]
In the now-delisted Disney Crossy Road, the Hatbox Ghost was added as a playable character for the Haunted Mansion level alongside the Nightmare Before Christmas update. The Hatbox Ghost was labelled as a Rare character, initially only available by completing an Attic Ghosts Weekend Challenge to earn both him and Constance the Bride. When playing as the Hatbox Ghost, as he hops through the levels, his head will teleport back and forth between his shoulders and his hatbox, just as it does in the attraction.
Disney Magic Kingdoms[]
The Hatbox Ghost appears as an obtainable character in Disney Magic Kingdoms, belonging to the Haunted Mansion collection alongside The Bride and the three Hitchhiking Ghosts. Added during October 2021 as a tie-in to Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary, the Haunted Mansion characters were available only during a limited-time event, before eventually being cycled in and out of the game's legendary chests like other limited-time characters and attractions. In his side quest storyline, the Hatbox Ghost only communicates in grunts and maniacal laughter, and has been absent from the Kingdom for a long time due to "chasing rumors of a haberdasher far more horrible than himself".
Once welcomed into the Kingdom, the Hatbox Ghost can perform various tasks and tricks to entertain guests and earn Tokens to further upgrade other Haunted Mansion characters. Certain tasks require the player to have the other Haunted Mansion characters, as well as both of the Haunted Mansion attractions. In order to further upgrade the Hatbox Ghost, players will need to earn his unique Tokens, Ghostly Hatboxes (earned by Celia and Phineas) and Hatbox Ghost Ears Hats (earned by Ezra, the Bride, and Jack Sparrow), as well as the Haunted Mansion Collection Tokens (earned by all Haunted Mansion characters and Randall). Additionally, all of his unique Tokens can be bought in Merlin's Shop or earned through Silver and Resource Chests.
Disney Emoji Blitz[]
- “Ghostly heads float up and appear on the board.”
- ―Hatbox Ghost's Power description.
Hatbox Ghost appears as a Gold Emoji, initially only available in Gold Boxes before moving to the Series II Box. When using Hatbox Ghost's Power, he appears inside his hatbox at the bottom of the board, and releases several spirits from inside onto the board, each transforming a random emoji into a Hatbox Ghost emoji, making for immediate matches and easier access to powerups. Hatbox Ghost, alongside the Bride and Madame Leota, make up the Haunted Mansion group collection, rewarding players who collect and upgrade each of the three emojis with several prizes.
- “Gauzey's ghastly jokes are no way to get a-head in life, but they will give you powerups! 'Shocka-wocka!'”
- ―Gauzey the Hatbox Bear's Power description.
Aside from the original Hatbox Ghost, Gauzey the Hatbox Bear, as portrayed by Fozzie Bear in Muppets Haunted Mansion, appears as a Story Emoji as part of the cross-promotion Event for Muppets Haunted Mansion. Gauzey is only available through Story Boxes, special Diamond Boxes, or limited-time sales and events. Upon using his Power, a table with an empty hatbox appears at the bottom of the board. Gauzey materializes somewhere on the board before disappearing in a flash, leaving a variety of powerups in his place, and then reappearing inside the hatbox before it leaves the screen.
Other Appearances[]
As the Hatbox Ghost's cult following grew, Disney recognized his popularity in various merchandise and media and utilized him in a Haunted Holidays online campaign as the host, with Corey Burton providing his voice using the same voice that he uses for the Ghost Host.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The Hatbox Ghost, Ezra the Hitchhiking Ghost and the Ticket Seller from Phantom Manor share the same head design, with the face mold also being used for certain pop-up ghosts and photographs in the Corridor of Doors.
- There was an urban myth that the Hatbox Ghost's original animatronic was repurposed for the character of Sam the Eagle in the Tomorrowland attraction America Sings (an animatronic later used for Br'er Fox in Splash Mountain). However, the blueprints of the Hatbox Ghost's figure disproved this, and the original animatronic's fate is a mystery.
- Guillermo del Toro originally intended to prominently feature the Hatbox Ghost in his take for the Haunted Mansion remake back when del Toro was working on it around the early 2010s. While del Toro eventually left the project, the Hatbox Ghost is still the primary ghost featured in the finished film.
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