Showing posts with label haunted mansion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label haunted mansion. Show all posts

09 August 2016

Happy 47th birthday, Haunted Mansion!

Disneyland's Haunted Mansion has been my absolute favorite Disney attraction since I was a kid. It's tough to explain just why -- it just is, and always will be.

Today, the 47th anniversary of its opening day, I'd like to share some film photographs of the Mansion that I've taken over the years as well as a few links to historical resources regarding the imagineering and history of the attraction.






























Please visit + enjoy the following:
The Backside of Water Podcast - Haunted Mansion episode
Theme Park Tourist - The Dark, Troubled History of Disney's Haunted Mansion
The History of Haunted Mansion Holiday
The history and return of the infamous Hatbox Ghost
Haunted Mansion complete soundtrack
Marvel Comics debuts 5 issue Haunted Mansion series in 2016


24 January 2016

recent finds from the Orange Show swap meet

I absolutely love going to the swap meet.

Growing up in San Diego, my dad was at Kobey's Swap Meet at the San Diego Sports Arena nearly every weekend, sometimes buying, sometimes selling. I'm pretty sure this is where the "thrill of the hunt" seed was planted in me, I absolutely love searching for treasures, diamonds in the rough.

While Kobey's had segregated "old" and "new" sections of the grounds, unfortunately many contemporary swap meets are mostly "new" items and of zero interest to me. I've permanently crossed many local swap meets off of my list because of this, but there is one nearby that never disappoints -- the San Bernardino Swap Meet at the National Orange Show Fairgrounds. From the treasures waiting to be found to the characters you're destined to meet, it's very reminiscent of the countless weekends wandering the aisles with my dad.


This swap meet is massive. We usually go about twice a year, and always find something special. Last Sunday was our first outing of the new year, and we came away with a ton of great stuff, including a set of Jarts lawn darts, a clay wheeled skateboard, and, of course, some wonderful postcards to add to my collection. I'll likely share all of them here at some point, but I'll begin today with this set of Disneyland postcards from the 1970s.


The mysterious depths of the legendary Seven Seas have been brought to reality for passengers aboard one of Disneyland's air-conditioned submarines. Guests enjoy looking through portholes to view an underwater panorama of sunken treasures, mermaids, a sea serpent, and beautiful floral and fauna of the underseas world.

Brillant "Fantasy in the Sky" fireworks burst over the Disneyland Castle every summer evening as a part of the show in "Disneyland After Dark."

A ghostly ball reaches its height as frolicking spirits perch, precariously, on a huge chandelier. They are just a few of the 999 fun-loving ghosts in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.

Playful Indian elephants, at home in their own enchanted bathing pool, have a trunk full of watery surprises for guests on a cruise down the Rivers of Adventure in Disneyland.

Gazelles, gnus, zebra, lions, and giraffes tell the story and point up the law of the jungle... survival of the fittest... in this expansive grassland region along the banks of the Rivers of the World in Disneyland's Adventureland.

Playful Indian elephants, at home in their own enchanted bathing pool, have a trunk full of watery surprises for guests on a cruise down the Rivers of Adventure in Disneyland. 

Dusk comes to Frontierland as the Mark Twain steamboat makes its way past Cascade Mountain on a peaceful trip along the banks of the Rivers of America.

A bobsled finds a watery surprise in a glacial lake after twisting and careening down the icy Matterhorn Mountain.

The Rainbow Ridge Mine Train takes guests deep into underground caverns where breathtaking waterfalls, multi-colored stalactites and stalagmites are seen inside beautiful Rainbow Caverns in Frontierland.

Along the winding Seven Seaways, guests embark on the "Happiest Cruise that ever sailed" -- Disneyland's exciting musical fantasy, "It's a Small World."



17 April 2014

Tomb Sweet Tomb

Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Opened to the public August 9, 1969.
Photographed here with a 1950s Anscoflex camera on April 6, 2014.

The Haunted Mansion has been my favorite Disneyland attraction since I was a child.





09 August 2013

Happy 44th birthday, Haunted Mansion

My all time favorite ride at Disneyland, the Haunted Mansion, opened on this day in 1969. What better time than now to listen to the complete ride soundtrack, foolish mortals?


© Monika Seitz Vega, June 2013



14 June 2012

Disneyland by Holga

I know I've mentioned before how much I love Disneyland. What I want to emphasize today, though, is how perfect a relationship my Holga and Disneyland have. It is by far my favorite camera to take to the park. 



18 May 2012 © Monika Seitz Vega 


18 May 2012 © Monika Seitz Vega


18 May 2012 © Monika Seitz Vega


18 May 2012 © Monika Seitz Vega


18 May 2012 © Monika Seitz Vega

With this weekend's official opening of Cars Land comes a whole new adventure for the Holga and I, and I'm eager for it.