Dedicated Haunted Mansion Store

[darkfairycthulu]

And before you say....but DarkFairy! What about Le Bat En Rogue?

To which I reply....I don't count that. All they have in there is increasingly bad Nightmare merch, and maybe 5 (if that) increasingly small and lame HM items, if anything.

So my idea is this. McDonald's has fled the Harbour Gallery. It is currently closed, and if it comes back, likely, just gonna be another burger and fries joint. Knock down the main building with the kitchen and food service and start fresh, or gut it, and make a small Mansion only shop inside, no Nightmare junk allowed. The inside could be decorated with statuary and paintings, like the attic, and have merchandise hearkening back to the old days of HM merch...Randotti style skulls, Marc Davis art postcards, attraction posters, maybe a nice new line of figures of the Mansion's inhabitants, some nice attraction art based clothing, higher end serious style figurines, a retro style collection of the early wind-up models the park sold.

Given the enthusiasm Mansion fans have for any serious, well-designed merchandise that comes along, this stuff would sell like hotcakes. Add in some postcards, and small Mansion inspired toys, and the ubiqutous pins based on the ride for the casual guest, and I predict you'd have a winner. Your thoughts?

[aashee]

I like it. What will bring in the most money, that's what Dland is thinking. So an entire shop with only HM stuff is a pipe dream especially if no HMH stuff is expected. This does bring the point that Disney needs to have more HM merchadise available period and frankly if it's at World of Disney I'd be pleased.

[Oswald the Rabbitt]

I like the idea I say theme it to a haunted boat house or carriage house or something along those lines.

[filmfreak11]

as long as it doesn't completely get rid of the harbor theme already established in that corner of the park.

[darkfairycthulu]

Originally Posted by Oswald the Rabbitt

I like the idea I say theme it to a haunted boat house or carriage house or something along those lines.

The carriage house would be a good idea, certainly. Or maybe a shipping office with strange, slightly macabre artifacts that have just been offloaded would be even better.

[darkfairycthulu]

Originally Posted by aashee

I like it. What will bring in the most money, that's what Dland is thinking. So an entire shop with only HM stuff is a pipe dream especially if no HMH stuff is expected. This does bring the point that Disney needs to have more HM merchadise available period and frankly if it's at World of Disney I'd be pleased.

Well, that's the thing with the HMH merchandise too...in the early years, 2002 and such, they made very specific and thought out merchandise that actually tied to and was about the attraction. Now, you go in there, and it's ugly junky shirts, princess style stuff about Jack, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel backscratchers. Seriously. It's all cheap crap. I personally like the film....but the merchandise is way out of hand and all poor quality and bad design.

[WheresMickey]

I agree, also since this year is a BIG year for the Haunted Mansion!

[sunnygirl]

Originally Posted by darkfairycthulu

It's all cheap crap.

Disneyland has made an empire out of cheap crap, at least when it comes to merchandise. It's what the kiddies love.

[HBG2]

Sure, I'll beat the drum one more time.

I still think they should find a spot for a fully-themed shop (like the Gag Factory in Toontown), and finally give us Rolly Crump's Museum of the Weird. It was Walt's very own idea, and Rolly Crump is still around and perhaps could be persuaded to oversee the project design. I would close Le Bat en Rouge, expand it (somehow), rename it the Museum of the Weird, and incorporate a magic shop, HMH merch, HM merch, maybe Fantasmic, novelties, Disney Villains, etc., with major MW set pieces interspersed, so it's equal parts emporium and museum. They already did something a little bit like this when they turned Rolly's MW gypsy cart design into Madame Leota's Cart at WDW.

Is it even possible to imagine a shop like that not being popular? Always crowded? Making $?

[mycroft16]

Originally Posted by HBG2

I still think they should find a spot for a fully-themed shop (like the Gag Factory in Toontown), and finally give us Rolly Crump's Museum of the Weird.

I like this idea. A dedicated HM shop needs to be much more than just another merch shop. It needs to be fully themed, fully realized and have some kind of a history to it. It could be the place they are having an estate sale for the mansion since it has stood "empty" for so long. Artifacts (replicas of the stretching room portraits), busts of the people, etc... all on sale "by auction." Could do it up really nicely in a creepy kind of auction vibe. Some cheap crap for the kiddies, some mid-level stuff for us mid-pay people and some really nice, high end collectible stuff for the hardcore mansion nuts and those of us who like to dream.

[lou_mom]

Sounds cool to me. I really dislike the HMH though so the origianal Hm for me. The store idea would me neat and I really like the museum idea too.

[Walt Jr.]

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[stitchon]

Originally Posted by darkfairycthulu

And before you say....but DarkFairy! What about Le Bat En Rogue?

To which I reply....I don't count that. All they have in there is increasingly bad Nightmare merch, and maybe 5 (if that) increasingly small and lame HM items, if anything.

So my idea is this. McDonald's has fled the Harbour Gallery. It is currently closed, and if it comes back, likely, just gonna be another burger and fries joint. Knock down the main building with the kitchen and food service and start fresh, or gut it, and make a small Mansion only shop inside, no Nightmare junk allowed. The inside could be decorated with statuary and paintings, like the attic, and have merchandise hearkening back to the old days of HM merch...Randotti style skulls, Marc Davis art postcards, attraction posters, maybe a nice new line of figures of the Mansion's inhabitants, some nice attraction art based clothing, higher end serious style figurines, a retro style collection of the early wind-up models the park sold.

Given the enthusiasm Mansion fans have for any serious, well-designed merchandise that comes along, this stuff would sell like hotcakes. Add in some postcards, and small Mansion inspired toys, and the ubiqutous pins based on the ride for the casual guest, and I predict you'd have a winner. Your thoughts?

As long as it's well-themed and has attraction-related merch, I'm all for it. Why should Pirates get to have all the fun? Give the ghosts a shot.

[darkfairycthulu]

Originally Posted by Walt Jr.

Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes.Ye s.Yes.Yes.
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I don't know if you're enthusiastic enough there... But seriously, yes. This should have been done like, yesterday.

[MadameGracey]

Brilliant! I would spend so much money at that store if they had it. The le bat en rouge is all nightmare with the exception of three items which are HM, which are not very good items...

I LOVE this idea! I say take it to disney!