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9 Hidden Easter Eggs to Look For While Waiting in Line For Disney's Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion is one of Disney’s most iconic attractions. Equal parts dark and funny, the home of the 999 happy haunts has been a beloved classic since it opened at the Disney parks. But almost as fun as going on the ride is winding your way through its queue, particularly in Walt Disney World. The Haunted Mansion area there showcases a number of interactive activities, hidden gems, and clever Easter eggs for guests to enjoy before they get on their Doom Buggies, meet their ghost hosts, and get delightfully frightened. Read on to find out nine things to look for while waiting in line for the attraction at Walt Disney World and to see how many you’ve already spotted over the years.
Related: 9 Facts About Tinker Bell's Job at Disney World That Prove the Role Is Truly Magical
Mr. Toad's Grave
Mr. Toad – yep, of the now-extinct attraction Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which was replaced by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – is one of the characters you’ll find buried in the Haunted Mansion’s pet cemetery. His tombstone reads: “Here Lies Toad, it’s sad but true. Not nearly as marketable as Winnie the Pooh.”
Madame Leota's Wandering Eyes
The character inside the crystal ball in the Haunted Mansion’s seance room also adorns one of the tombstones in the queue area. Watch her stone closely, as every once in a while she will open her eyes to check out the visitors to her mansion.
Clues to Solve a Murder Mystery
At the beginning of the queue, you’ll be greeted by busts of the members of the Dread Family. The bad news? They killed each other out of greed for their family fortune. But you can try to solve the family murder mystery! Each bust includes a cryptogram and a small image to help the guest figure out who killed whom.
Bookshelves That Come to Life
In the queue, you’ll pass the mausoleum of Prudence Pock – a poet who died of writer’s block, according to her memorial stone. You’ll see what appears to be carvings of library book stacks – but the books in these carvings keep popping in and out of their positions. Guests can try to push the books back in faster than they pop out.
Hidden Music to Make
The Decomposing Composer’s Crypt, which visitors encounter midway through the line, has raised icons of instruments like a harp, a trumpet, and even a screeching cat that plays variations of “Grim Grinning Ghosts” when touched. There are instruments on either side of the crypt, and an organ – also playable – sits on the end.
A Lost Engagement Ring
Look for an engagement ring hidden in the cement on the ground outside. While the “ring” was actually just a piece of a metal pole that was previously removed from the mansion’s queue, fans created the legend that it belonged to the Haunted Mansion’s attic bride, Constance, who threw it off the balcony after she murdered one of her husbands. In 2011, to playfully add to this popular story, Disney replaced the piece of metal with one that looked much more like an actual engagement ring.
A Watery Grave
Near the end of the line, as you reach the entrance to the ride itself, is a large tub-shaped monument with arms and legs sticking out of the top. This is the final resting place of Culpepper Clyne, a sea captain who “braved the seas and all her wrath, but drowned on land while taking a bath.” If your timing is right, you might hear Culpepper singing a sea shanty or get splashed by the water that sprays from his crypt when he sneezes.