I love visiting the Haunted Mansion in the fall, as there is something extra special about the attraction during the Halloween season at Disney Parks. Perhaps that is one reason why we waited until September to release the much anticipated Vinylmation – Haunted Mansion series #1. This limited release, mystery series has been in development for over a year, and contains a handful of the 999 happy haunts. I spoke with Disney Design Group artist Casey Jones about how he selected the characters for the series.
“We knew we couldn’t feature every single character from the attraction,” explained Casey. “So we selected a character from almost each of the different show scenes. This set gives us a strong foundation to build upon for a future Haunted Mansion series.”
One thing I noticed is that the series contains a lot of accessories. Eight of the figures have some type of accessory item, which Casey explained “helped add the essential touches for each character.”
I was happy to see that the Hatbox Ghost is included in this series. He is also featured on the packaging, which was designed by Thomas Scott with help from artist Dan Salgo. Thomas told me the packaging (which looks stellar) was a nod to a different kind of vinyl.
“We used the cover of the ‘The Story & Song from The Haunted Mansion’ vinyl album as inspiration for the packaging,” said Thomas. “We even used the unique ‘Haunted Mansion’ lettering found on that album as a nice tribute.”
One of Casey’s favorite figures is the singing bust, as he felt it translated the best to the Mickey Mouse-shaped canvas. (Look for the hidden Mickey on the back of the figure.)
To celebrate the release of this series, we will be holding two different release parties. On Friday, September 21, the series will be released at D Street at Downtown Disney West Side in Florida. Casey will be meeting with fans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day. We will also release a one-of-a-kind custom 9-inch Mariner figure designed by Casey.
Casey will then make an appearance from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 22, at D Street in the Downtown Disney District in California. That morning, we will release the mystery series; Casey’s one-of-a-kind, custom 9-inch Bride figure; and additional custom figures by Javier Soto, John Henselmeier, Julie West and Miss Mindy.
Check out these posts for more news about Vinylmation at Disney Parks:
Comments
Steven, do you know if the set will be sold in the Disney store locations outside Anaheim/Florida? I live in Seattle near a few Disney stores and they carry certain sets of Vinylmations.
I love the artwork on the case. I noticed one of the tombstones spells Casey Jones when you unmix the letters. Oh and one spells Miller as well. Very cool.
Will these be available online? or only at the parks? I absolutely adore the stretching room ghosts!
@Vanessa – Yes! They will be sold via the Disney Parks online store starting September 21.
Where’s the Ghost Host? He’s never featured in any merchandise.
And no, the Ghost Host is not Master Gracey.
I never have gotten into the Vinylmation collecting but will buy this set cause I’m such a Haunted Mansion fan. Could you help me figure out how this works – I understand you do not know what figure is inside the box so how do you keep from buying the same one? How much is each figure, is there a discount if you buy the whole collection?
@Timothy – Welcome to Vinylmation! I’d be happy to explain a few things. This is a limited release mystery series which means that it will be sold at Disney Parks for a certain period of time.
There are 12 figures in the series – 11 of the figures are shown on the individual boxes pictured in the second images above. There is one figure known as the “mystery chaser” which isn’t shown on the box. On occasion, we may also include variant figures which are even more rare (usually the variant figures may contain different coloring, art, etc). We don’t show which figures may be variants on the packaging.
You can purchase either an individual box, or you can purchase the entire tray of 24. If you purchase the entire tray, you get two sets of 11 known figures, plus one additional random figure from the series, and one mystery chaser figure. There is no discount for purchasing the entire tray. Unfortunately, there really is no way to determine which figure is in a particularly mystery box.
I would invite you to visit the D-Street locations in Califorina or Florida next time you are visiting Disney Parks. The Cast there can show you in person how things work (in case you have additional questions). I hope this is helpful.
Will the Custom Vinylmation Designs presented in the gallery be available for purchase as well?
@Brendan – The one-of-a-kind custom figures will be released at D-Street locations. The Mariner will only be released at the D-Street in Florida located at Downtown Disney West Side on September 21. The remaining custom figures will be released at D-Street in California on September 22.
This might be ny favorite of all sets thus far. Not only are they well thought out and the designs are incredible. But the Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom is one of all time favorite places to visit when there. Great job!!! It has been well worth the wait. And I hear through the grape vine that there might be multiple variants. How exciting if true!
Where is Ezra — our tallest Hitchhiking Ghost?
@Jason – I rode The Haunted Mansion this past Sunday and I think he followed me home. 🙂 This series features a handful of characters from the attraction, which gives us room to grow the series in the future. We have done similar things with other series whose stories contain a lot of characters (like “Star Wars” for example).
Hooray! The Hatbox Ghost returns! I can’t wait to see him when he is put back in the Mansion. I hope the Vinylmation was a hint of things to come.
I won’t be visiting Disneyworld until 11-5. Will they be available by mail?
@Brittany – The three hitchhiking ghosts will not be found in series 1. This series sets the stage for future development by drawing from a variety of characters from The Haunted Mansion.
@Barry – The series will also be released on September 21 via the Disney Parks online store – http://www.DisneyParks.com/Store
You could also contact Disney Parks and Resorts Merchandise Guest Services at 1-877-560-6477 or via email – merchandiseguestservices@disney.go.com
Reference this item number – 400006751584
Will all three hitchhiking ghosts be in the series?
They look great!
Any idea when we’ll be seeing Park Starz Series 2?
Yay! So happy to see “Master Gracey” is among the collection! He is my favorite happy haunt and I love that Haunted Mansion merchandise is featuring him more.
I have been waiting sooo long for this! Must get the entire set. They look amazing!
I absolutely LOVE the Butler and the Stretching Chamber statuettes!
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