Batty about Fanmade

Sorry about the punny title, but I just can’t help myself.  I love sharing Haunted Mansion inspired fanmade pieces.  You might remember my first post about my love for fanmade items where I featured artist and brilliant designer Natalie Richards and her custom Haunted Mansion creations.  She is my dear friend and an inspiration, and she just might get a kick out of this post, since she is also a fan of bats. 

Some years ago, I won this next item on ebay. I was so excited because it claimed to be the sign for the entrance of the Servants Quarters at the WDW Haunted Mansion.  And it very well may have been so.  I’ve seen a number of pictures of it on flickr, and there’s even a fantasy pin in its likeness, so I figured it was an official Disney created sign.  When I received it, my initial reaction was disappointment.  I felt duped!  This could no way be an official Disney sign.  It wasn’t all sparkly and perfectly molded.  Where was the attention to detail that Disney is so famous for?  This looked crudely cut from what looked like a jigsaw and had stickers on the back for the lettering.  There was even a tip of the wing that looked to be filled in with a Sharpie Marker!  It was too amateurish, like something I could make.  Then I realized that it was probably fanmade, perhaps by one of the Cast Members at WDW, and if it were being used as marker for the break room, Disney must have sanctioned it at some level.  (These are complete assumptions on my part, and if a CM would like to confirm, deny or steer me in the right direction, I welcome it!)  Nevertheless, I came to the conclusion that it must have been authentic to the WDW Haunted Mansion ride at some point, and therefor, my mood went from sour to sweet. 

Notice the stickers?  At first I thought it was unprofessional, but if you look closely, the stickers are very accurate, perhaps even die or laser cut!  

And if they were hand-cut, then that took a lot of patience and skill…

Now every time I see this bat, I think of its creator and wonder if they were a Haunted Mansion fan, or a CM, or a CM that is also a HM fan.  It doesn’t matter to me anymore if it came from the actual ride.  I’ve grown to really appreciate all types of fanmade art, because for many of us, it provides a sense of satisfaction that we created something that connects us to this ride we care so deeply about.

I hope to make it a regular feature here to showcase fanmade Haunted Mansion inspired goodies.  You can email me at Carrie@HauntedMansionCollectibles.com if you would like to see your Haunted Mansion art showcased.