In 1961, handbills announcing a 1963 opening of the Haunted Mansion were given out at Disneyland’s main entrance.[1] Construction began a year later, and the exterior was completed in 1963. The attraction was previewed in a 1965 episode of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color[1], but the attraction itself would not open until 1969. The six year delay owed heavily to Disney’s involvement in the New York World’s Fair in 1964–1965 and to an attraction redesign after Walt’s death in 1966. Many Imagineers such as Marc Davis, X Atencio, and Claude Coats contributed ideas after the fair and after Ken left the project. Rolly Crump showed Walt some designs for his version showing bizarre things like coffin clocks, candle men, talking chairs, man eating plants, tiki like busts, living gypsy wagons, and a faced mirror. Walt liked this and wanted to make the proclaimed “Museum of the Weird” a restaurant side to the now named Haunted Mansion, similar to the Blue Bayou at Pirates of the Caribbean. Although the idea died off, most of it lived on in the final attraction. Marc Davis and Claude Coats were two of the mansion’s main designers were in a constant argument over whether the ride should be scary or funny. Claude who had a life of a background artist made moody surroundings like endless hallways, corridor of doors, and characterless environments made a scary adventure. Marc who designed most of the characters and zany spooks, thought that the ride should be classic Disney silly …

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