Pete's Euro Disneyland Attraction

Many years ago, before the 1992 opening of Euro Disneyland (now called Disneyland Paris) in France, I remember seeing a Disney Imagineer on a TV show carrying a sculpted bust of legendary villain Peg Leg Pete (also known as Bad Pete). I then saw a picture of this Bad Pete sculpture in a picture of this issue of Disney Newsreel. Disney Newsreel's covers were in color, but I made a black and white xerox copy of this image many years ago and accidentally left the original at Kinko's or wherever I made the copy.




It's hard to see what is going on in this picture. In the background, you can see sketches of a vulture and a fox character, and a western set. What the heck is this?!? Is this the Frontierland Shootin' Gallery at Disneyland Paris? Was it a show? Was it a store?

EDIT: On October 10th, I found out that this is indeed the Rustler Roundup Shootin' Gallery in Frontierland at Disneyland Paris. Pete pops up in the scenery. That fox character is also there. Mystery solved!





Frontierland Pete was eventually seen in merchandise at Walt Disney World. Here Pete can be seen as a bean bag plush toy. Plush versions of Pete are a rare sight!





I recently had a post called Disney's Haunted Mansion Parade of Homes. In keeping with the Frontierland theme, I thought I'd add this here. I just found a rare glimpse of the back of Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris. Yes, this is what you don't see! You also don't see the Hitchhiking Ghosts shown here in the attraction in France. But they look good in front of the light-up Phantom Manor, don't they?

Disney's Haunted Mansion Parade of Homes

Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. Well, a resin, light-up version of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. This was available from The Disney Catalog and the online Disney Store years ago. Later, it could be found at a reduced price through the Disney Outlet on eBay.







Some of the 999 "Happy Haunts," like the Hitchhiking Ghosts, are just dying to have new visitors.





A few Grim, Grinning Ghosts have materialized to socialize. Don't close your eyes and don't try to hide.




Fans of Disney's Haunted Mansion have been able to get their mitts on replicas of their beloved attraction for some time now.




The original 1967 Disneyland Mansion is represented here it all its Southern, New Orleans Square glory.




Here we find spirited characters based on the original Marc Davis designs.



The fat lady may have sung, but there's more to see here.




Here we find the original version of the Bride from the attic.





She was originally a faceless, ghostly figure, with a loud, red beating heart.





The Bride has changed quite a bit over the years. The newest version is really cool, but I miss the simple charm of the original. The picture above is from the Haunted Mansion book and record. I still have the book, but the record went missing years ago. Side B of the LP featured Haunted sound effects, which I taped and used as sound effects for my own Halloween displays for Trick Or Treaters when I was a kid.





Also present is the legendary Hatbox Ghost character. He vanished from the ride before its grand opening.





Apparently, the character's gimmick (his head vanished and reappeared in his hatbox) was not convincing enough, so he was removed.





Here the character is seen in the Haunted Mansion book and record. He has been featured in quite a bit of merchandise. Maybe he will be back in the Mansion someday.





A resin version of Phantom Manor from Disneyland Paris was also available in the Disney Catalog and online. The famous Hitchhiking Ghosts are represented here, though I don't believe they are featured in the attraction in France.




A hinged-box resin Haunted Mansion was sold at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in the late 1990s. This is Walt Disney World's version, found at the Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square.




Open the box to discover the Hitchhiking Ghosts and the Corridor of Doors, with Goofy and a Ghost in a Doombuggy ride vehicle.




Here we get a rare glimpse at the back of the Mansion. Really, this is what it looks like. Haven't you always wondered?




A playset version of the Haunted Mansion could also be found at the Disney Parks. This is Walt Disney World's Mansion. It also includes accessories, and the Hitchhiking Ghosts. The Mansion facade seen at Walt Disney World can also be found at the Tokyo Disneyland version of the Haunted Mansion, located in that park's Fantasyland.



Like all the Haunted Mansions, it is equipped with wall-to-wall creeps and hot and cold running chills!



Jack Skellington and his crew from Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas have been taking over Disneyland's Haunted Mansion at Halloween and Christmas for 10 years now. "Haunted Mansion Holiday" is quite popular, and was also adapted for Tokyo Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.

Disney recently unveiled concept art for Haunted Mansion themed hotel rooms. This is probably an idea for rooms at an existing resort (a good guess could be for Disney's Port Orleans Resort at Walt Disney World in Florida). I'd love to see an entire hotel based on the Haunted Mansion.

I have been having difficulty posting photos on my blog recently, and have discovered I'm not alone. The new photo upload system does not work for everyone. I was able to find a way to revert back to the old editor, but it will be eliminated soon. Hopefully, the photo upload problems will be addressed.