FindingMickey.com

Walt & Roy Disney's Golden Initials

New Orleans Square: Walt & Roy Disney's initials are hidden within the decorative balcony railing found above the Pirates of the Caribbean (directly above the Royal Street Verandah - gumbo & chowder shop).

Pieces of Eight - Monkey Chandelier

Pieces of Eight - New Orleans Square: Next to the Pirates of the Caribbean exit is a pirate shop named Pieces of Eight. Hanging inside the shop is an unusual chandelier featuring a white monkey. The Pieces of Eight monkey is the inspiration behind Jack - Captain Barbossa's capuchin monkey from the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Pieces of Eight - Jack Sparrow Voodoo Doll

Pieces of Eight - New Orleans Square: There's an odd Disney Detail in the Pieces of Eight display window found at the end of the Pirates of the Caribbean exit corridor. A eerily adorable Captain Jack Sparrow voodoo doll is hidden behind the silver goblet in the display. Fans of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest may recognize Eight-eyed Jack, dinner guest for the Pelegostos natives.

Port of New Orleans

New Orleans Square: The sails & masts from a sailing ship acknowledge the Port of New Orleans - enhancing New Orleans Square's backstory.

The State of Louisiana's - Pelican Flag

New Orleans Square: Another Disney detail, the Pelican Flag - Louisiana's official state flag, flies proudly over New Orleans Square. 

Marty & Graw - Jewel of Orleans

New Orleans Square: The Jewel of Orleans was home to some exquisite antique jewelry and a very unusual Disney detail. Guests may have noticed a rat wearing Mickey Mouse Ears & Mardis Gras beads, accompanied by a plastic Godzilla carrying a tiny Tinker Bell. Cast Members have named the mismatched pair of shop residents, Marty & Graw. Cast Members, also refer to the plastic rodent wearing Mouse Ears as Mickey's cousin, Rickey Rat.

Update - After the Jewel of Orleans, managed by Dianne's Estate Jewelry, closed its doors on April 4, 2010 - Ricky Rat and Godzilla were gone.

Godzilla & Tinker Bell - Jewel of Orleans

New Orleans Square: Rescued by Disneyland Security, this plastic Godzilla repays the Disney kindness, by carrying a tired Tinker Bell in his mouth.

Update - After the Jewel of Orleans, managed by Dianne's Estate Jewelry, closed its doors on April 4, 2010 - Godzilla was gone.

Ricky Rat - Jewel of Orleans

New Orleans Square: An unusual Disney detail can be found inside the Jewel of Orleans. Mickey Mouse's cousin, Ricky Rat, seems to be celebrating Mardis Gras. According to Cast Members, Ricky and his cache of beads, have been there for quite a long time.

Update - After the Jewel of Orleans, managed by Dianne's Estate Jewelry, closed its doors on April 4, 2010 - Ricky Rat was gone.

Telegraph Office - Morse Code Message

New Orleans Square: The telegraph office attached to the New Orleans Square Railroad Station, replays a part of Walt Disney's Disneyland Opening Day Dedication in Morse code.

"TO ALL WHO COME TO DISNEYLAND, WELCOME. HERE AGE RELIVES FOND MEMORIES OF THE PAST, AND HERE YOUTH MAY SAVOR THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF THE FUTURE."

Amateur radio operator George Eldridge helped restore the message in 1997. After taping the message, Eldridge discovered that it had been cut short. The telegram was improperly edited when Imagineers transferred the message from a continuously looping tape, to a digital recording. Thanks to Eldridge, the recording now plays the correct message.

Haunted Mansion - Sparky's Grave

The annual Nightmare Before Christmas - Haunted Mansion overlay has a new Tim Burton-inspired addition. The pet cemetery in the Haunted Mansion's front garden features a new headstone and freshly dug gravesite. The stylized cross and empty grave are a tribute to Sparky, the animated star of Burton's Frankenweenie (2012).

Haunted Mansion - The Ballroom Spider

Eagle eyed guests may have spotted a giant spider, attached to the glass in the Haunted Mansion's Ballroom. The spider and its web were placed to cover a large crack in the glass sheet that helps project the Ballroom's ghastly effects.

The Disneyland Legend is that a kid with a slingshot created the crack, although it could have been a stray bullet from the ghostly duel. Since the giant panes of glass were positioned before the Haunted Mansion's construction was completed, it would have taken a great deal of effort and money to replace the broken glass. Placing a giant spider and web over the crack created a creepy and inexpensive solution to the problem.

Haunted Mansion - Pipe Organ

The famous pipe organ in the Haunted Mansion Ballroom was originally used in the Walt Disney Studios feature 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The mansion's oversized organ plays the eerie & upbeat Grim Grinning Ghosts, the Haunted Mansion's official theme. In the 1954 Disney classic, Captain Nemo uses the ornate organ to play a haunting version of J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

In the Jules Verne novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1874), Nemo is described as a scientific genius. Nemo is also an organ past master, having risen above the rank of master, another reference his education and intelligence.

Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare - Tim's Gift

During the Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare a special Halloween-themed Christmas gift appears in the attic for Tim, a nod to Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Producer Tim Burton. (Photo from 2010)

Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare - Naughty or Nice List

Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare - Cymbal-Banging Oogie Boogie Toy

Oogie Boogie

New Orleans Square: Every year around Halloween Time, Oogie Boogie makes an appearance as a Disneyland popcorn vendor. The neon green villain from A Nightmare Before Christmas can be found in the popcorn cart near the New Orleans Square fountain, just outside of the Haunted Mansion's iron gates.

Crypt Dated 1764

In New Orleans Square, near the Haunted Mansion, there is what appears to be an old crypt. Covered with bricks and dated 1764, the crypt is built into to the wall along the Rivers of America.

There are lots of stories and rumors about this odd Disney Detail. The crypt might have been part of the wealthy pirate backstory, originally meant to tie the Haunted Mansion to Pirates of the Caribbean. It may also be an attempt to link the manor to Jean Lafitte, a pirate & privateer in the New Orleans area, who fought against the British in the War of 1812. Another story claims that the date of 1764, is a tribute to one of the Imagineers who helped create New Orleans Square.