So, who’s bidding?!

Gotta love Disney and their small print. Could these animatronic torsos really be confused for a childcare article?!

I was really impressed with all the guesses and more excited that so many of you participated! In the end, Ste3ve guessed correctly! It is indeed the Hitchhiking Ghost Gate Plaque Mirror sold at the Disneyland Resort back in 2003 (I think.)

The Haunted Mansion Gate Plaque is legendary among fans and collectors in part because Disney has only released 4 replicated versions. If I’m wrong, someone please correct me. There are bootleg versions available on eekbay, of course. This plaque stands out from the others because of the special effect included. You think its just a mirror, but then suddenly the Hitchhiking Ghosts appear in ghostly green form. It seems that they did indeed follow you home. The demon’s eyes turn blood red and you hear the familiar and always bone-chilling voice of the Ghost Host with his welcoming spiel.

The sensor located in the skull at the base of the plaque is very sensitive, so we leave ours turned off most of the time.

I don’t know what it is about horned beasts. I’m frightened, and yet strangely attracted to them, this guy in particular. He looks like a cross between Amadeus and Chernabog, another favorite villain of mine.

The mirror has The Haunted Mansion etched in the glass, which I discovered is challenging to photograph. Don’t stare at the following picture too long. You might get disoriented.

Perhaps the most beautiful detail in the plaque is the wreath of oak leaves and acorns. In Celtic mythology, the mighty oak tree, often represented as oak leaves and acorns, is called the tree of doors, believed to be a gateway between worlds. You will sometimes see depictions of oak leaves and acorns on tombstones, as well, signifying strength, honor, longevity and steadfastness.

And finally, weird glows gleam where spirits dwell….

So here is a last minute video I put together, so you could see all the components working together.

Be sure to stop back this friday for another Fanmade Friday and give-away!!

I’m so excited to share my first Fanmade Friday guest with you.  I first saw Giddy Girlie’s work on a doombuggies forum, and became an instant fan of her unique vision and style that she puts into all her pieces.   I was delighted when we connected thru email and she agreed to share a little about herself and her work here on my little corner of the interweb!  

My name is Mia and I have lived in Orange County, CA all my life and spent my elementary school years in Anaheim, just down the street from Disneyland. I always knew it was bedtime, because I could hear the fireworks at 9:30pm and I would run to watch them from my bedroom window. Because it was so close, I spent a lot of time at Disneyland with my family and the HauntedMansion was always a priority ride for the middle of the day, because it is one of the few longer-length attractions with air conditioning! Once I conquered my fears of the ghosts in the Mansion, I got sucked into the magic of the attraction. How else to explain all of the weird and wonderful things that you get to see inside? A disembodied fortune teller, ghosts ballroom dancing, graveyard ghosts sipping tea and singing songs? As I grew older, I retained my passion for Disneyland and first became an annual passholder in high school (1992, I believe) and have been one ever since. I have developed my interest not only in Disneyland, but the creative minds that went into the details. I have become a big fan of Rolly Crump and Marc Davis and many of the others who helped bring the Mansion (and so many other attractions) to life.  I do have a small HauntedMansion collection of goodies, including a miniature replica of the Mansion, but I am forever on the hunt for the original Randotti souvenir tombstones!

Mia, tell us about your favorite Haunted Mansion creation. 

I have a special place in my heart for the hitchhiking ghosts – Phineas, Ezra, & Gus – so the embroidered pieces that I did of them are still some of my favorite Haunted Mansion crafts. Each of the ghosts is approx. 2.5-3″ tall and done in a satin stitch (I haven’t perfected the stitch, so I call it “polyester stitch”). In the pictures, the frame is 3.5″ tall and about 2.5″ wide, for reference. Each ghost takes me about an hour to complete, so they come together rather quickly (which is why I can sell them at a low price).

What was the inspiration behind your favorite creation? 

I think my affection for the three hitchhikers came about in a few different ways. When I was very young, I was scared of the HauntedMansion, I mean, it was full of ghosts!! But my dad used to encourage me to ride anyway, so I suppose that I always looked forward to the end of the ride, which you knew was coming because that was where you picked up a hitchhiker! I also have always admired the special effect of the ghost riding along with me. As a youngster, it seems like magic and as an adult, I have to admire this simple, but effective, trick.  It wasn’t until I was much older, maybe high school, when I learned that the hitchhikers had names and backstories of their own. That just made them even more intriguing to me and I love hearing the various versions of their histories.

Thanks Mia for sharing your favorite piece with us!  This dot painting of the Hitchhiking Ghost is my favorite!

But I’m also quite fond of these Stretching Portraits embroidery.  I can’t wait to see the finished set!

Mia is multi-talented, with her work ranging from sewing, embroidery, painting, needle felting, plastic melting, beading, gluing, and sculpting.  I am eternally grateful, Mia, that you shared some of your work with us today.  I hope to see more of your work soon!  You can see more of Mia’s work and read some of her hysterical musings by visiting her blog, www.giddygirlie.com or her Flikr page.  She’s wickedly funny, charming, and can take down a funnel cake like its nobody’s business! (Woman after my own heart. I LOVE me some funnel cake!)  I see great things in the future for this lovely lady (Madame Leota told me so, so nah!) and feel a kindred spirit in the making!  

Of course, I’m sure you’re all dying to know how you can purchase some of Giddy Girlie’s fabulous work and I’m so pleased to inform you that she has Haunted Mansion pieces, as well as other creations, on her etsy page. Stop by and show her some love, will ya? 

Ghost Host: Aaahh, there you are! And just in time, there’s a little matter I forgot to mention, beware of hitchhiking ghosts! They have selected you to fill our quota, and they’ll haunt you until you return.

It seems as though Mia’s HHG would like to haunt one of our readers’ abode, so leave a little feedback love here on Haunted Mansion Collectibles for my girl, Mia, and be entered to win one of her embroidered HHG sets.  She’s giving the winner the option of individual pieces to be framed separately (like the samples above), or all 3 ghosts in one (like the sample to the left).  Didn’t I tell ya that Mia was fantabulous?! 

The Fine Print

One entry per boil or ghoul, please…no matter how spirited you are.

No entries after the witching hour (pacific time) Wednesday, June 17th. 

The winner will be randomly selected and announced Thursday morning.

Hurry baaack!!