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Ep. 41: Disney animation's dark side and the Haunted Mansion In this episode, Jeff and Julia discuss animation and its impact on the development and operation of the Haunted Mansion attraction. First, we discuss the darker side of Disney animation, and then Jeff reviews a panel discussion about Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, a recent animated stop-motion feature, and then we talk about the Haunted Mansion's history, and how Walt Disney Production and WED Imagineering used animation to create the scenes and effects inside of the Haunted Mansion. Contact the DoomBuggies Podcast at 1-888-5-HATBOX or comments@doombuggies.com.

Ep. 40: DoomBuggies at Mousecon East Bay 2022 On November 6, 2022, DoomBuggies founder Jeff Baham spoke about the Haunted Mansion at the 7th annual Mousecon East Bay convention in Northern California. This episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast is DEAD-icated to that presentation, which is presented here in its entirety. If you didn't get a chance to visit Mousecon in Northern California, you can still get tickets to Mousecon Bakersfield, which will be taking place on January 28, 2023, and Jeff will be making a presentation there as well. Contact the DoomBuggies Podcast at 1-888-5-HATBOX or comments@doombuggies.com.

In honor of the 25th anniversary of DoomBuggies.com on Oct. 31, 2022, DoomBuggies founder Jeff Baham has teamed up with the Sibling Library Podcast to create a brand-new telling of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." As Haunted Mansion fans know, "Sleepy Hollow" was a tale which Walt Disney made into a classic animated film, and was then considered by Imagineer Ken Anderson as a potential setting for one of the showstopping scenes inside of Disneyland's proposed haunted house attraction, long before plans for the Haunted Mansion were finalized. So grab a blanket and start a crackling fire, pour yourself a cup of warm cider, and enjoy listening to our telling of Irving's classic horror story. Contact the DoomBuggies Podcast at 1-888-5-HATBOX or comments@doombuggies.com.

Welcome, Foolish Mortals! This month, The DoomBuggies Podcast celebrates 25 years of DoomBuggies.com by discussing a wide variety of reflections of the Haunted Mansion in media and popular culture. We talk about possible inspirations, famous recordings, television and streaming specials, and more. Also, as a special bonus, we have a conversation with Theme Park Designer David Younger and discuss his latest project, an adventure game titled "Foolish Mortals." Plus - Halloween sound effects records... and more! Special note: DoomBuggies' host Jeff Baham will be speaking about the Haunted Mansion at Mouse-Con in Concord, CA on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022. For more information, visit mouse-con.com.

Welcome, Foolish Mortals! This month, the DoomBuggies Podcast takes a wander down the tree-shrouded path into the dark shadowy history of DoomBuggies.com, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next month on Halloween. We talk about the legendary 10-year-anniversary party at Disneyland, and share some stories and memories from the past quarter century of Haunted Mansion fandom. Plus - more merch news, happenings, Hocus Pocus 2, and a thought about that famous demon-eyed wallpaper.

Welcome, Foolish Mortals! This month, the DoomBuggies Podcast takes you to Tarrytown, NY where we visit the home of author Washington Irving and the location of his story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Julia talks about modern Sleepy Hollow and a quick visit she made to the village, and Jeff looks at the town's history, and some of the ways Irving's famous short story has affected the place. Finally, we take a look at Disney's interpretation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and we discuss Imagineer Ken Anderson's concepts for incorporating the story into his walk-through Haunted Mansion. Plus - LEGO finally releases a Haunted Mansion kit, we consider Salem, MA as a Halloween destination - and more.

Welcome, Foolish Mortals, to the June 2022 episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast. This month we're digging heels over heads into the topic of Haunted Mansion collectibles! We'll take a look at the grue-vy history of the attraction's souvenirs and memorabilia, and we'll mention some of the events that have produced so much ghoulishly great stuff over the past 53 years. We also discuss some upcoming events, new Haunted Mansion dice, a cool collectible from Phil Sears, and more! Contact us at comments@doombuggies.com or call toll free 1-888-5-HATBOX.

Welcome, Foolish Mortals, to the May 2022 episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast. This month we're digging up - er, digging IN to the latest news regarding the 2023 version of "The Haunted Mansion" from Walt Disney Pictures, and we speak with Maegan Foret, who had the good fortune of acting as an extra and a stand-in in the upcoming film. We'll also take a look back at the official backstory from the 2003 version of "The Haunted Mansion," and compare how that story relates to the various storylines pursued by the Imagineers during the creation of the Disneyland attraction in the '50s and '60s. Plus - Halfway to Halloween merch, our latest collectibles - and more! Contact us at comments@doombuggies.com

Welcome foolish Muppets to our October episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast. This month is dead-icated to "Muppets Haunted Mansion," a new special streaming on Disney+. We share news of Muppets-related spooktacular events at the Disney Parks, discuss our feelings about and opinions of the new show, talk about MacGuffins, and report on a recent event at the Walt Disney Family Museum that featured Dave "Gonzo the Great" Goelz and Bill "Pepe the King Prawn" Barretta sharing inside stories from the sets of the new special, and talking about their experiences while making the show. Finally, we welcome Kirk Thatcher, the director of "Muppets Haunted Mansion," to the show to share his insights into the making of this new holiday tradition. Plus - post a photo of your Haunted-Mansion-themed Halloween pumpkin and tag #doombuggies, and you can win a Death Certificate autographed by Ghost Host Peter Renoudet!

This month, DoomBuggies hosts Jeff and Julia take you back 52 years to the opening day of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. We talk about the myths that surrounded the attraction before it opened, the press accounts that accompanied the opening of the attraction, and the mindset of the foolish mortals who waited upwards of 4 hours to ride through the Mansion during the hype of the long-awaited opening of the doors - the "creak heard 'round the world," as they said. Plus - counting the Mansion's ghosts, and a merchandise report!

This month, we take a brief look into the history of the development of the mechanics of the Haunted Mansion, and a few of the key engineers and technicians from WED and MAPO who took the famous Imagineers' designs and concepts and turned them into an immersive physical experience. We also look at the latest news, including an upcoming Disney+ series featuring the Mansion and a new book about Haunted Mansion designer Claude Coats. Plus, which would make a better Haunted Mansion overlay - Dark Shadows, or Hocus Pocus?

This month, Jeff and Julia visit Disneyland on opening day 2021 and make a beeline for the Haunted Mansion to experience the updates, refreshed sets, and new effects added to the refurbished attraction. We also discuss the latest Haunted Mansion news, including a Muppets mash-up, new merch (of course), and an exhibit from the Disney Archives that is closing soon.

This month, Jeff and Julia present a special edition of the DoomBuggies Podcast to discuss the soon-to-be-unveiled changes coming to the Disneyland version of the Haunted Mansion, which include fan-favorite characters and new props and effects which call back to some of the Imagineer's earliest concepts for the attraction.

Welcome, Foolish Mortals - to the DoomBuggies Podcast! This week, we take a look at some of the ghost stories that existed during the conceptualization of the Haunted Mansion, and consider some of the ideas and tales that might have influenced the Walt Disney and his Imagineers as they designed the greatest haunted house dark ride of all time. Also, in news, we mention some new artwork dealing with the Haunted Mansion, a new publication ready for pre-order, and we await the reopening of Disneyland and the original Haunted Mansion attraction.

This month, DoomBuggies explores the topic of nuptial doom, specifically as found in the recently renovated Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris. We meet Melanie Ravenswood, the bride of the manor, and discuss her tragic history, the sorrow of loves lost, and the new special effects that were added to the attraction in 2019. We also discuss our favorite couples in the Haunted Mansion, and share the latest news in which Donny Osmond remembers going to school in the Haunted Mansion as a child - and more!

This month, we are going back to the late 1980s to discuss a much-discussed book of tales: The Haunted Mansion's Ghost Gallery. This collection of stories was developed by Cast Members from the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion attraction, and it represented their attempt to describe all of the denizens of the Mansion. We'll discuss the history of the collection, the development of the stories, and we'll read a few excerpts. Plus - we list our favorite graveyard ghosts, and we discuss the new merchandise that is hitting the shelves.

This month, we take a dive into the newest gigantic tome for your tomb published by Disney Editions - Holiday Magic at the Disney Parks: Celebrations Around the World from Fall to Winter, by Graham Allan, Charlie Price and the director of the Walt Disney Archives, Rebecca Cline. We dig specifically into the book-length chapter about Haunted Mansion Holiday, and discuss some of the revelations and artwork unearthed by this magnificent collection of photos and facts. Plus - some Haunted Mansion related gift ideas, and more.

This month, we present part two of our discussion of the architecture of the Haunted Mansion, and discuss the look, feel and architectural style and era of the facade buildings in Anaheim and Orlando that give the Haunted Mansion its spooky setting. We discuss the atmosphere and styling created by WED Imagineer Claude Coats, the historical setting dedicated to each of the Mansions' settings, and the single book that started it all. Plus - news about Haunted Mansion paper projects, spooky "no-touch pulls," NBC pop-up advent calendar... and a discussion of Haunted Mansion Holiday's pros and cons.

In this special Halloween 2020 edition of the DoomBuggies Podcast, Jeff and Julia present a word-for-word dramatization of the continuity and narration working script for Disneyland's Haunted Mansion from November 13, 1968, as written by famed WED Imagineer X. Atencio. Enjoy this peek behind the scenes at the production of the greatest haunted house attraction ever created. Happy Halloween, Doombugs and Foomorts!

Welcome, foolish mortals, to the DoomBuggies Podcast! This week, we celebrate the start of the spooking season by listing our favorite Disney Halloween video treats (all of which are available to stream on Disney Plus, to boot!) Then we discuss the latest news, including a virtual fan-created Haunted Mansion project, some new Haunted Mansion merch, and a cool virtual trick-or-treat fundraiser. Finally, we discuss the origins of the Haunted Mansion's architecture, and consider what really lies under the foundations of that old house on the hill.