The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland boasts that it has 999 happy haunts, but there is room for a thousand. When many people think of Halloween and Disney haunts, the Ghost Host and the socializing ghosts come to mind. However, there are a few other ghost stories from around Disneyland through the years. Seeing that it is Halloween, it seems like the perfect time to share ten of these spooky legends from the park. We can’t verify the truth behind these legends in any way so don’t read into them beyond what they are. A fun exploration of some of the urban legends surrounding Disneyland for Halloween. If you don’t like ghost stories, it’s best to stop reading at this point. If you do enjoy them, it’s time to explore some of these tales and then see if any of these grim grinning ghosts materialize when visiting Disneyland next.
- The Haunted Mansion – There are lots of ghost stories the float around the Haunted Mansion. This is exactly what is expected. After all, it is a haunted house! However, to kick off our top ten, the DAPS MAGIC team picked this story. There are actually two fairly well-known ghost stories here. The first goes back to the origin of the Haunted Mansion. When it was being built a worker who was a sound designer was said to have heard music playing in the seance room. However, the origin of this music couldn’t be found. This went on for days. Finally, a speaker was just placed there to cover the strange sounds. The other prevalent story from the Haunted Mansion involves a mother who sprinkled the ashes of her young son in the Haunted Mansion so that he could be one of the ghosts. This was after she was told not to (and really, you should NEVER do that). Legend has it that he still can be seen and heard crying near the exit of the Haunted Mansion. Others have sworn that they can feel a cold space near the exit as well.
- Pirates of the Caribbean – Continuing on with our ghost story journey in New Orleans Square, another story has a young boy being seen on monitors from the control room riding Pirates of the Caribbean. However, every time the boat returns to the loading area, it is empty. A variation on this story has Walt Disney being seen riding the boats or also inhabiting what is now 21 Royal Street above Pirates of the Caribbean.
- it’s a small world – Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have the dolls aboard it’s a small world come to life after the attraction had concluding operations for the day and been powered down? The story goes that some Cast Members loved working there so much that after they had passed on, they returned to reside in the attraction. After hours when everything had been powered down, lights would turn on and off and the dolls would come to life on their own.
- America Sings – Where Star Wars: Launch Bay now resides originally was the home of America Sings. Two weeks after the attraction opened, a young operator died on the attraction when she was crushed between moving walls. It is said that to this day a voice can be heard telling people to “be careful” in the building.
- The PeopleMover – The PeopleMover was a slow moving tour over the skies of Disneyland that seemed at a surface level, very safe. However, one teenage boy discovered that even a slow moving attraction can be dangerous when one doesn’t keep their hands, arms, or full body inside the vehicle. Because of that, he is said to have taken his final ride on thee PeopleMover and his ghost continues to haunt Disneyland today. It is said that this young man liked blonds and still is known to pull on the blond hair of females visiting the park.
- The Matterhorn – Another ghost story from Disneyland involves a ghost named Dolly. The story goes that Dolly resides in the Matterhorn where she died after unbuckling on the attraction. Cast Members who have done walk throughs have commented how that area of the attraction always made them uneasy and the lights always seemed to burn out.
- Space Mountain – Space Mountain is said to be the home of Mr. One Way. Mr One Way rides Space Mountain with single riders. When the ride ends, he can never be found. He is said to be found wandering around the Cast Member lockers rooms near Space Mountain as well. Have you ever ridden Space Mountain with Mr. One Way?
- Main Street, USA – Did you ever wonder how kids find their way to Disneyland Baby Care Center? This could be from the help of ‘the lady in white.’ This woman supposedly lived on the land where Main Street, USA now stands and died in 1900. Now she can occasionally be seen dressed in white turn of the century clothing at night. She also has been known to help lost kids find their way to the Disneyland Baby Care Center.
- Tom Sawyer Island – There is a reason that Tom Sawyer Island closes to the public at night. A graduating high school senior once drowned late at night after the park closed when trying to escape the island in the dark. His ghost is said to haunt the island to this day. Cast Members have been known to see his form running around the island but when they go to investigate, nothing can be found!
- Main Street Firehouse – Most Disney fans know that the light always remains on above the Main Street Firehouse every evening for Walt Disney. However, that wasn’t always the case. Years ago before this tradition began, a person who was cleaning Walt’s Apartment turned the light off and left. She returned later to find the light back on. Supposedly, she then heard a voice say “I’m here.”
Which of these ten ghost stories is your favorite? Have you seen any ghosts at Disneyland? Let us know your thoughts and share with us your stories in the comments below! We’d also love to hear any other ghost stories you’ve heard of at Disneyland! Please keep the stories family friendly as you share them. We hope you all have a spooktacular Halloween and we look forward to seeing you in the parks.
Happy Halloween!
