Since October 2001, Disneyland guests have enjoyed seeing Haunted Mansion Holiday based on Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Every year, one of the things that changes and becomes more fascinating is the Gingerbread House in the Ballroom Scene. Many guests look forward to seeing what the Gingerbread House will look like, and there are even those who try to avoid spoilers.
This year, like every year, the creation is brand new and now it’s time to glimpse into how this HOWL-iday display was made, including some dazzling details on the story behind the house and its characters.
For this year’s Gingerbread House, Jack Skellington, or should we say Sandy Claws, has recruited Dr. Finkelstein, Halloween Town’s resident mad scientist, to conjure up some ideas for this year’s creation. And boy, did he deliver!
As Dr. Finkelstein used his mad scientist expertise, he incorporated some of his experiments into the gingerbread house. Along with his trusted assistant Igor, he’s brought his own Gigantic Gingerbread Zombie, Lil’ Franky, to life! Well, almost. The doctor and his partner are testing out different tweaks to complete the transformation. And unfortunately for Lil’ Franky, that involves his head popping off and on – what a headache.
As you venture into Haunted Mansion Holiday this season, be on the lookout for this haunted haunt and Dr. Finkelstein’s creations.
This gingerbread display was quite the task to bring to life. Not only for the Disneyland Resort culinary teams, but also the technology teams, Disneyland Live Entertainment, and the Disneyland Bakery who crafted this mesmerizing creation.
In fact, it took over 150 hours to build and program the animation and lighting. That doesn’t even include the hours spent baking the tasty pieces that bring it all together. Here are some mind-blowing facts to show just how much goes into making (and baking) this 5-foot-tall, 6-foot-wide display a reality.
- 60 Pounds of Gingerbread
- 50 Pounds of Powdered Sugar
- 10 Pounds of Egg Whites
- 30 Pounds of Rolled Fondant
- 5 Pounds of Crystal Sugar
- 10 Pounds of Chocolate
- More than 240 Hours Spent Creating
- 2 Hidden Mickeys
Get a first-hand look at what bringing all this work together is like with this one-of-a-kind time-lapse of the teams creating this year’s Haunted Mansion Holiday Gingerbread House.
What’s even more fascinating is that the entire Gingerbread House is edible, but you may not want to eat it especially towards the end of the holiday run.
The work these teams do is truly incredible. For even more Halloween (and foodie) fun, check out this year’s Disneyland Resort Halloween Foodie Guide, as well as the Plaza de la Familia Foodie Guide.
Have you seen this year’s Haunted Mansion Holiday Gingerbread House? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments.
