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  • now THAT is amazing footage. he really did have his few days of being a tenant

  • Wow. This was amazing.

  • well there are photos of his face in the mansion when you go through the halls of the banging doors and the floating candle. they are just little pictures of his face.

  • fake 

  • @DarkVulcan666 Fake? o_O Yeahno.

  • the hatbox ghost only rented for a few days

  • more like the headbox ghost!

  • this is amazing my little sis loves this ride and i show this to her she was like OMG this was so big for her and yeah check out my channel and subscribe

  • That's pretty interesting, seeing the old footage of the attraction's exterior in '69, and nothing about it has been changed. I did read that they're supposedly bringing the Hatbox ghost back on the ride in the attic with the Black Widow Bride, but, well, "supposedly"...;)

  • THIS IS AMAZING. For those who dont understand. In simplicity, the Hatbox Ghost was an original/proposed audio animatronic figure (like the bride or any figure in the graveyard) that was ORIGINALLY in the attic scene of the ride, where the bride stands now. But the realism of the effect didnt work for shit, so it was taken out almost immediately. The point of this video was to prove it WAS in fact in the mansion, and physically seen by the public for a very short time, before it was taken out.

  • They should've put it in Epic Mickey!

  • @Bloodnswash So did I, I even scrolled down the page incase there was a hidden screamer...

  • if Disneyland or WDW don't want to bring the Hatbox Ghost back, I would put him to good use as a Halloween prop.

  • Epic!!

    I was at Dizneeland in '68 (I was 7), and was pissed that the mansion wasn't open (I clearly recall that sign).

    My first LP (my choice) was the 'Story And Song..' record.

    I guess I'm your classic "monster kid", but I think most would consider this a classic dark ride, and the legend of ol' Hattie just adds to it.

  • cool

  • Rumor has it, he will be returning to the Mansion when the new Haunted Mansion film comes out...

  • any idea of the music playing?that scary carnaval music?

  • @Alxmir23 that's the ballroom music.

  • @Alxmir23 Ballroom interlude.

  • Your an idoic fool mr puppy man

  • yeah.....i dont get this

  • Omg that old footage!!! I want to see more!!! More!!! More!!!

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  • I don't understand.

  • wait so the hatbox ghost is a person? because thats what i saw was a person D:

  • @XxrawrbabiixX It's an animatronic.

  • thats cool!

  • Cannot wait to see him come back to the mansion!

  • Wow.. he really didnt work. If you look closely the head appears in the box, but it's still on his shoulders

  • I know when he's coming back...was told by a cast member yesterday.

  • @TheDJT418 jw when is he coming back

  • @firegoddess1 I will post a video about it soon...

  • @TheDJT418 me too! Feb 21st 2012

  • @natorpen Who told you?

  • i really don't understand this... can someone please give me a simplified explanation?

  • @bellaella16 well, from what i'm getting is, before the Haunted Mansion first opened the Hatbox Ghost wasn't in the ride. As the engineer was saying in the video, the whereabouts of the Hatbox Ghost was unknown. Once the internet was starting up in the '90s, there were multiple websites where people claimed that once the ride opened in 1969, they DID see it. so finally, someone uploaded a picture of the Hatbox Ghost and this guy had footage of it. that's what makes it spooky. makes sense?

  • @blinkoffyourpants yes thank you SO much :)

  • nice work!

  • Ha facebook page

  • What record book is that? Does anyone know where I can get one?

  • I think that I say him in leotas room if you look carefully

  • @SlasherV8 His face is used in Leota's room against one of the walls. It;s not the actual animatronic, but a projection.

  • I hope he is still there, he might just be hidden(: You always looks at the things that catch your eye, things popping up, lights, things moving, he could be right there and you don't even see him(:

  • soooo in other words the hatbox ghost is aive o.o

  • If disney gave me one week at their effects dept and storage facilities I'm sure I could find him

  • @tornadoe13 and if I did I'd probably search out for all the original equipment that ran the HM and connect him to it all.

  • I hate making these kind of comments but...3 people lost their heads at the sight of the Hatbox Ghost and accidentally hit the dislike button with their fallen head. 

  • Okay, call me nuts. I wept.

  • This is amazing and I literally got the chills. Ah, to go back in time I would love to see this eye to eye.

  • cool...

  • This is awesome! Keep posting more videos they're all great.

  • wow.......lame

    

  • I bet there just trying to scare the geuests! :)

  • @Emotexmex

    I see, I had a simialar story too. My Cousin could of sworn to see it too back in the 80's. I showed her Hattie and she remembered it pretty well but not the effect it did. Maybe Disney had something to do with him countless times to attempt his return Perhaps?

  • now i want to go to disneyland and go on the haunted mansion to see where the hatbox ghost could of been

  • Is this really Paul Frees, or is it an imitator?

  • @GrayManichean Yes, that is Paul Frees in the beginning. The clip is from a radio ad.

  • it has... the troll face!!! D:

  • the 3 hitchhiking ghosts dont like this.

  • @TECfan1 I loved it. What are you talking about?

  • @TECfan1 I think 4 :D

  • I;ve been on this ride for years, and I have never heard of the Hatbox Ghost until last october. Hopefully when they reinstall him, I'll get to see him.

  • there is probably some guy looking at this video saying "I really shouldnt have took that thing

  • the bride totes moved at 3:12

  • So I guess Tony's memory is off by a few days. Thanks for finding and sharing that footage!

  • when i die id like to visit the hauntedmansion and scare people

  • Wait, so was this from your home movies or did you find them somewhere else?

  • does anything pop out of somewhere in theis video

  • So the hatbox ghost, as just a prop is now a ghost?

    A ghost in a ghost INCEPTION.

  • While i was in my haunted mansion phase i showed her the pic of this ghost (doombuggies) and she said she remembered it. I asked when since she lived in mexico and never went to disneyland in the 60's and she told me a year b4 you were born making it 1992. I thought Impossible! but she even remembered the disappearing head effect. Maybe they tried to bring him back???

  • This is as exciting and chilling as if you had a real ghost on film.

  • This guy has such a creepy voice. It reminds me of HAL or something.

    BUT HEY it's the Hatbox Ghost! What great footage!

  • Guy: freeze right there

    Me: *stops video* bcuz this guys voice gives me chills

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  • @Bloodnswash Same here. Forgot how many friends of mine I sent this to, and they were blown away by this. Talk about amazing...now if Disneyland could only bring him back...

  • Well even if it didn't work in the mansion back then... then why cant that try to make it now? I'm sure they have crazy more effects they can work with now... I mean come on PUT IN THE HAT BOX GHOST DISNEY!

  • @Mansionology So, the hanging man is the ghost host since the man with the neuce/hatchet in the portrait is "the ghost host", correct? Is there any proof that Gracey is the man in the aging portrait? I always assumed that gracey was the man in the aging portrait and that the ghost host and the hanging man weren't affiliated; but now I realize they were since the host says "there's always my way.."

  • @spongebobslushpants1 Yes, the hanging skeleton is the Ghost Host's remains and the "hatchet man" painting is his portrait. The "aging man" portrait in the foyer depicts the master of the house, according to Jason Surrell. It still hasn't been 100% confirmed whether or not Master Gracey is the "master" in the foyer portrait.

  • A very chilling glimpse of the ghost! I find the Haunted Mansion to be an extremely mysterious and compelling experience, even if it were just for the history alone. The ride is a masterpiece!

  • Omg, this is amazing. Thank you so much for this. Wow!

  • That's astonishing! I never thought I'd ever see ANY video footage of the old guy!

  • woah... creepy! the Hatbox ghost must be a REAL ghost...

  • Oh my god that is awesome.

  • When Taco Bell removed olives from its menu (and thus from their 7-Layer Burrito), how did the 7-Layer Burrito continue to have seven layers?

  • @hididdleydee

    they replaced the seventh layer with sauce

  • What's the name of his other channel??

  • I have a question, how long do you suppose he was in the attic? And where is he now?

  • @LEGOMaster56 He was only in the ride for maybe a couple of days...A week tops. It is now a mystery where he is now. Disney doesn't even know his whereabouts. It's all a mystery of what became of him :S

  • @Blu923the2nd I know where his head is. :) Look on his FB page, then go to his photos.

  • @LEGOMaster56 Just an old picture, or maybe even a replica (more likely a replica). As Tony Baxter said in this video, all of his figure molds are gone, the characters are gone, everything that has to do with this character is gone. It disappeared. It's most likely he was chopped down for his parts. Although he wasn't an advanced figure that could build lets say a charcter in America Sings, but they most likely used some of his parts to help build other characters. Sad, huh?

  • @Blu923the2nd i was refering to how is head is still in the mansion, it's used as a pop up ghost

  • @LEGOMaster56

    uh. I 'm not so sure. I have compaired the pics and they don't match.

    That is my opinion and feel free to dissagree.

  • THANK YOU!

  • amazing! you can

    see his hand shaking with his cane like that anamontronic

    book said. did anyone noticed?

  • Same thing happened with a animatronic horse at Dollyworld!!! It's a conspiracy!!!

  • I'm sure that part of the love of the hat box ghost came from the fact that Walt's uncle was a hatter and he often would use hat boxes in his work as a nod to his uncle (ie: the hat box that Lady is given to Darling in Lady and the Tramp).

  • why the fuck do people care about this soo much? So a robot that didnt have its effects working properly was removed. Who gives a shit...

  • @jayrobson88 obviously people who care about it. Who the fuck goes on videos about things they don't care about and leave comments. Oh yeah. Trolls!

  • I think I must have seen a promotional for this guy when I was quite young because it is familiar and maybe this is reason I did not like the Mansion when I was young!

  • Want him back? I'm not sure Hattie ever LEFT.

    After all, SOMEBODY is back there throwing the switches that make everything go . . .and nobody has ever explained where he went . . .

  • This was surprisingly interesting.

  • Amazing vid mate!

  • Thank you so much for that video, me and my friend have made so many suggestions upon this, we have learned that for the upcoming Haunted mansion movie, there's a chance for good old Hatbox to return. Let's cross our fingers and hope so

  • Then if he was removed there are only 998 ghosts in the mansion.

  • @Kodachrome40  heeeeeeyy! your right! wouldn't have pointed that out. that.

  • @Kodachrome40 Don't forget the moving Knight! Now it's only 997.

  • @Kodachrome40

    You're forgetting the promotional thing Disney did where they added a real person to the the ride. The winner got a tombstone that is placed near the gravedigger in the graveyard scene.

  • Now THAT is awesome.

  • so cool!! i want him in the ride!!! its weird how know one knows his whereabouts, how could tht have happened? creepy

  • @msladysaurus rumour has it he was reused as one of the eagles in the attraction america sings but i find that unlikely as the hatbox ghost was too simple to be that kind of animatronic: he was really just made up of wire and the two heads (1 on the body, 1 in the hatbox), nothing else. There's even rumours that a hatbox ghost was made for the disneyworld mansion but never installed. If that version of the hatbox ghost even existed, funnily no one knows where that 1 is either

  • @nuclear1250 hmmm, i guess it will always be a mystery:)

  • Well, time to stop calling Mom a liar.

  • he belongs there and should return

  • I love how they post signs like that "Post-Lifetime leases available" and then get mad when people spread ashes in there.

    They should have a program or something where people can place their ashes in an urn and they're stored somewhere in the mansion.

  • @Demithegoddess The reason why they get mad is because those ashes haven't paid their lease - they're squatters!

  • They need the hatbox for walt's frozen head

  • @Bloodnswash As did I! I was expecting the Hatbox ghost to came out from my darkened bathroom and ask me to become the 1000th soul in the mansion.

  • This adds so much mystery to the mythology of the Haunted Mansion and Disneyland itself. I love it, it really shows the stories and tales than can arise from this special land.

  • Good Show! (good job)

  • THAT IS FANTASTIC! :). My mom and aunt actually went to Disneyland back in '69 the weekend Haunted Mansion opened. She remembers it being quite an event, the cue almost starting where Pirates is located. Recently we were talking about the Haunted Mansion, and I had to ask her did she see this figure. Thanks to the internet, found a pic...and she was like "whoa!!...I remember that!...he was creepy..but we didn't get what he was supposed to do..." this very cool, thanks for posting.

  • I have never looked for the hatbox ghost but now I will have to. @MANEATINGWREATH I personally think that it would be a great mystery to future generations but I think it would also be something for them to look out for when they ride the ride. Thats my personal opinion to weither or not to for him to remain a mystery or not.

  • which dineyland was the origonal manson in?

  • @tornadoe13 The original Haunted Manson is in California. The very first park was in California so California had all of the firsts before the rest of the Disneyland parks.

  • @RumsGone

    darn. bit to far for me to visit

  • @tornadoe13 I believe you are asking which park got the first mansion? If so, Disneyland. It opened in 1969. Walt Disney World's mansion opened with the park in 1971, and all the others in the 80s and 90s :)

  • @Blu923the2nd

    no I'm trying to find out the location of the first disney park and the place where this mansion was so I can visit one day whey it's been put back

  • @tornadoe13 I just said: Disneyland. Disneyland in Anaheim was the first park to ever been opened (1955). He is supposed to return, but funding was cut short. I honestly think that reason was a lie (it was released by Disney). I'm pretty sure he will be added when the new Haunted Mansion movie comes out next year (the Hatbox Ghost is the main character in this new film)

  • I think Hatbox Ghost would be a great addition and I'm sure today the technology could be perfected. How exciting to have real proof of him!

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  • Wow, this is great. Disney history is so interesting I love it.

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  • Thank you for such legitimate information. Like before, I still like your voice. haha.

  • All I can say is WOW. This really is an amazing video and discovery. Bravo to the Disney History Institute and please keep them coming.

    So my opinion, and answer to your question? As I was watching the video on Miceage and before seeing the question, I was thinking "this really should come back to the HM using today's technology."

  • Great video and I like how you combined different pieces of old footage and told the story in detail. Thanks for putting this together. Ignore the haters.

  • I would love for the Hatbox ghost to be added into today's mansion, I pretty sure we've got the technology to do the effect justice. The only problem arrises when you consider that the story of hte attic has changed considerably.... so I don't know how they would add this character into there..... amazing video though

  • @Jmarsh1955: Well, since Constance is titled the Black Widow Bride (seeing as she kills her various grooms-to-be by beheading them), The Hatbox Ghost would work, since he literally loses his head over his bride.

  • @Jmarsh1955: This, of course, differs from the stories told about the Beating Heart Bride (christened Emily by fans, but called Elizabeth in the 2003 film) that existed before hatchet-brandishing Constance, for in one story, Emily's groom is sea pirate Captain Blood (Nuptial Doom, ironically recorded recently by Connie's voice actress), in another, The Hatbox Ghost is her proposed groom, but in most other tellings--no matter how she is killed--she is wed to Ghost Host, Master Gracey.

  • @TherealRNO Master Gracey is not the Ghost Host.

  • @Mansionology: The officially released lapel pins & the 2003 film with Eddie Murphy say otherwise.

  • @TherealRNO That stuff does not count. WDI's official stance is that Master Gracey is NOT the Ghost Host.

  • @Mansionology: They wouldn't have allowed the above if he weren't. Face it, your argument holds no weght, whilst mine is backed by various stories told over the years by various people who worked on the Mansion, by Connie's voice actress herself (she recorded Nuptial Doom), the 2003 film, & officially released merch like the lapel pins.

  • @TherealRNO You have no idea what you're talking about, dude. You think fan fiction (which includes cast member stories) and licensed (but NON-CANON) material overrules Imagineering?

    The bride had NO official name. NO backstory. Until 2006. Her name is Constance.

    The Ghost Host was never meant to be Master Gracey. That was an incorrect fan assumption that gained popularity. The guy with the noose around his neck and holding a hatchet is the Ghost Host as envisioned by Marc Davis.

  • @Mansionology: "The Ghost Host was never meant to be Master Gracey" you say, yet besides the 2003 film & Nuptial Doom, other officialized recordings licensed by Disney--such as The Song & Story of The Haunted Mansion--would also disagree with this, given the opening speil, "Good evening. Welcome to The Haunted Mansion. I am your host. Your Ghost Host. Kindly step this way. You will not be harmed, but you will not be released until you take a tour of my home."

  • @TherealRNO "Licensed by Disney" does not make something canon. There was also a Haunted Mansion book released by the Disney company that names the Leota character "Madame Blackheart" and the bride "Sally Little."

    The Ghost Host saying "my home" in the Story and Song album doesn't mean anything, except for that it's his home.

  • @Mansionology: Excuse me, but the ORIGINAL Imagineers CAME UP with the "fanon" stories. Nuptial Doom is ITSELF based on the stories told to Kat (the VOICE of Constance) by her father as an original Imagineer during the Mansion's early years. So really, the "fanon" stories were, at one time--prior to the 2006 & 2007 rehaunt--canon to the Mansion lore, as was the notion that Master Gracey & The Ghost Host were synonymous.

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  • Jesus christ.....the narration.... is SO BAD in this video.....that I just....want to punch my tv.

  • @EterLeo I concur. This should be a 2 minute video... tops.

  • Hattie! Holy crap, man, you made the find of a Mansion fan's lifetime there.

  • See Orlando...my little brother. I do remember seeing the Hat Box Ghost when I was very little I even told him where I saw it and it was in the same place as I described that it on this video. I was right..I was very small but I have a very good memory. Well I do hope to see again soon. Thank you so much for this video. Great Investigative Work. Great Video...

  • Whoa, amazing. So he WAS there after the Mansion opened to the public. Upon seeing this footage, I must admit that he looked pretty creepy in the attic scene. After the new movie comes out (next year), I really hope they put him back in the ride. Think about this, technology has really come a long way since the 60s. I'm sure they can do something really special with him. Like have his head disapear every time Constance raises her axe.

  • Awesome video! :)

  • AH, WHERE DID IT GO!?

    Great video btw SUBSCRIBED

  • Outstanding! Thank you for sharing:D

  • that doombuggies photo of the hatbox, i thought the head was suppose to disappear and appear in the hatbox, it did not disappear from the body was in both places the body and the hatbox.

  • @rickamerson The illusion of the head disappearing from his shoulders and reappearing in the box was done by lighting. There were two heads, both staying put, however, the lighting was suppose to go out on one spot, and come up in another. The pic you see is both being illuminated. The main reason the Hatbox Ghost went away, is, well... the trick didn't work very well.

  • its been announced that hes coming back

  • @CharlieOmfg by who?

  • The coolest thing would be to bring him back, but only on an irregular basis - once a week or so. It would be a luck of the draw thing that would add even more to his allure.

  • Finally!!! This is MAJOR news for the Disney fan community. It's like (and I'm not stretching this) someone captured footage of Jesus. I freakin kid you not!!!

    Oh, and how can Tony Baxter just stand there with that "thing" moving and hissing at him?? Creepy!

  • @ReesiePuffs64: "Oh, and how can Tony Baxter just stand there with that "thing" moving and hissing at him?? Creepy!"

    Emily--as she christened by fans--is NOT a thing. In the story, she is a heartbreak spirit. In fact, even with Constance having replaced her, Emily's heartbeat can still be heard, most likely to set up the return of ol' Hatty.

  • @TherealRNO

    Oh, I know the mythology of the mansion. That's facinating stuff. And I prefer Emily's story to Constance. It just makes more sense. It fits with the whole socializing not scaring thing. But I just mean the animatronic itself! I for one would be freaked out of my mind standing in front of it not knowing when the pressure valve would be released causing it to jerk about. Baxter has some balls.

  • @ReesiePuffs64

    The bride was never named Emily. That was made up by cast members. For some reason, many fans still insist that the bride's "real" name was Emily and that she had a tragic backstory, etc. There was no official name or backstory for the bride character until 2006 (Constance).

  • @Mansionology

    I'm aware of that. Just like how many fans insist that the painting of the young man is Master Gracy when it is really the noose man. Or that Yale Gracy's nickname was never supposed to be a character. Or how the Yeti is called Harold. Or the Fantasmic dragons. The Florida one is Joanne and the Cali one is Murphy.

  • What a great find! Finally, proof that the legendary Old Hattie lived in the Mansion for a time. Case closed!