Ok, so there have been many stories about the haunted mansion's 999 ghosts. (And there's always room for one more...) But what are the most popular ones, and how much truth is there to them?
The next two tales are the most documented- and my favorite- probably because they are so incredibly creepy.
The Weeping Child:
"In the late 1980s, there was a family who loved going to Disney World every summer with their five year old son. When he died in a car accident in his home town, he was cremated and his family came back one last time to deposit his ashes among the urns in the Haunted Mansion. He didn't like the ride much in life, often complaining that it was too scary for him. Doomed to be eternally frightened of his final resting place, he sits at the rides exit and cries. Many people have found him, and noticing his normal, yet retro appearance, and have tried to help him find his parents, only to find that he inexplicably disappears when they look away. If you see a crying boy at this attraction, it's best to leave him be or you may be in for a fright"
The truth? This particular case of ash dropping has never been confirmed, but each year, hundreds of "guests" have to be removed by special after hours cleanup crews to be respectfully "dealt with" since many urns, vases and small bottles of human ashes are left there every month. It is very possible that at least one person left there, didn't want this to be their resting place. There have been over 200 people who report a boy with the same outfit on crying at the ride's exit, but his existence has never been confirmed. (like every ghost, "proof" is hard to come by.)
The next two tales are the most documented- and my favorite- probably because they are so incredibly creepy.
The Weeping Child:
"In the late 1980s, there was a family who loved going to Disney World every summer with their five year old son. When he died in a car accident in his home town, he was cremated and his family came back one last time to deposit his ashes among the urns in the Haunted Mansion. He didn't like the ride much in life, often complaining that it was too scary for him. Doomed to be eternally frightened of his final resting place, he sits at the rides exit and cries. Many people have found him, and noticing his normal, yet retro appearance, and have tried to help him find his parents, only to find that he inexplicably disappears when they look away. If you see a crying boy at this attraction, it's best to leave him be or you may be in for a fright"
The truth? This particular case of ash dropping has never been confirmed, but each year, hundreds of "guests" have to be removed by special after hours cleanup crews to be respectfully "dealt with" since many urns, vases and small bottles of human ashes are left there every month. It is very possible that at least one person left there, didn't want this to be their resting place. There have been over 200 people who report a boy with the same outfit on crying at the ride's exit, but his existence has never been confirmed. (like every ghost, "proof" is hard to come by.)
The Man with a Cane:
According to former cast member Michael Jamis:
"I worked the Orlando Mansion in 1978. At that time, a story about "The Man with the Cane" was already circulating. I was told he would appear in an empty Doombuggy in the load area late at night when ride operators were by themselves at the load position. Story goes: a girl was working load late one night, they had gone down to one stretch room and the crowds were light. This meant there was usually a lapse in guests between stretch room dumps. This left you, the operator alone for a few minutes, walking the load belt, listening to that music and the sound effects, peering into the darkness that stretched into the ride at one end and from the unload area at the other. So one night this hostess is working load when from the unload area a Doombuggy rounds the corner with a man sitting in the middle of the seat, looking very gaunt, staring straight ahead, hands resting on a cane positioned in front of him.
The operator tries to make eye contact and say hello, the man does not respond but instead disappears with the Doombuggy as it works it's way into the ride. The hostess goes to the load console, calls the unload operator on the phone to say, "Who was that you just sent me? He wouldn't say hello!" To which the unload operator responded, I didn't send anyone around to you. They contacted their lead, all waited for the car to come out of the ride and of course when it did... it was empty. We were always told it was the ghost of Yale Gracey."
The Truth:
People believe it to be the ghost of imagineer Yale Gracey due to his love of and involvement with the ride prior to his death, and because people seem to think they see a resemblance. However, I have never heard of him donning a cane when he was alive and I doubt you automatically get one in the afterlife. (Pictured below, working on the attraction's props)
Others believe the ghost to be a pilot who crashed into Bay Lake (WDW, near the Contemporary resort) in the 1940s, before the theme park existed.
No one knows exactly who it could be, but many cast members have reportedly seen them, when they were alone, of course.
According to former cast member Michael Jamis:
"I worked the Orlando Mansion in 1978. At that time, a story about "The Man with the Cane" was already circulating. I was told he would appear in an empty Doombuggy in the load area late at night when ride operators were by themselves at the load position. Story goes: a girl was working load late one night, they had gone down to one stretch room and the crowds were light. This meant there was usually a lapse in guests between stretch room dumps. This left you, the operator alone for a few minutes, walking the load belt, listening to that music and the sound effects, peering into the darkness that stretched into the ride at one end and from the unload area at the other. So one night this hostess is working load when from the unload area a Doombuggy rounds the corner with a man sitting in the middle of the seat, looking very gaunt, staring straight ahead, hands resting on a cane positioned in front of him.
The operator tries to make eye contact and say hello, the man does not respond but instead disappears with the Doombuggy as it works it's way into the ride. The hostess goes to the load console, calls the unload operator on the phone to say, "Who was that you just sent me? He wouldn't say hello!" To which the unload operator responded, I didn't send anyone around to you. They contacted their lead, all waited for the car to come out of the ride and of course when it did... it was empty. We were always told it was the ghost of Yale Gracey."
The Truth:
People believe it to be the ghost of imagineer Yale Gracey due to his love of and involvement with the ride prior to his death, and because people seem to think they see a resemblance. However, I have never heard of him donning a cane when he was alive and I doubt you automatically get one in the afterlife. (Pictured below, working on the attraction's props)
Others believe the ghost to be a pilot who crashed into Bay Lake (WDW, near the Contemporary resort) in the 1940s, before the theme park existed.
No one knows exactly who it could be, but many cast members have reportedly seen them, when they were alone, of course.