We're more than halfway to Halloween, so celebrate with this jam-packed episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast! Topics include Hallmark's latest Haunted Mansion Keepsakes ornaments, The Disney Cruise Lines' Haunted Mansion Parlor, the new Bride in the attic, and Madame Leota's Somewhere Beyond carriage house. Contact us at comments@doombuggies.com
Jun 14, 2025•1 hr 23 min
This week, Jeff remembers Pete Renaday (known to Haunted Mansion fiends as "Peter Renoudet, the Ghost Host") and shares some stories of his time getting to know this incredible Disney voice talent, who passed away last week. We also discuss the Haunted Mansion 10K at the recent Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon weekend, and also talk about the little-known role Duane Alt played in the development of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.
Sep 14, 2024•1 hr 19 min
This month, we celebrate the Haunted Mansion's 55th anniversary by taking a look back in time to the beginning, and celebrate the spooky "first act" of the attraction as you experience the cold corridors and creepy corners before Madame Leota calls forth the happy haunts. Also - the Haunted Mansion reopens with its holiday overlay; new merch fills the shelves... and more.
Jul 31, 2024•59 min
Welcome Foolish Mortals! In this episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast, Jeff and Julia discuss the recent announcement of upcoming changes to the queue area of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, which will include new garden areas and a new retail merchandise location. But does the announced theming make sense? Fan reaction is mixed. Also - Disneyland hosts a Haunted Mansion themed giveaway; the Garner Holt Foundation hosts a Grim Grinning Gala - and more! Make contact at comments@doombuggies.com....
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Welcome foolish mortals to another episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast. This week, Jeff gives a brief reaction to the new Haunted Mansion film opening today, and then Jeff and Julia have recorded a full audio commentary to the 2003 Haunted Mansion movie starring Eddie Murphy. Watch along with us... if you dare! Bwa ha ha ha! Reach us at comments@doombuggies.com
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 43
Ep. 42: Remembering Rolly In this episode, Jeff talks about the time he spent with Rolly working on his book, and discusses the impact Rolly made on Imagineering and the history of the Walt Disney Company. We also talk about an upcoming event THIS FRIDAY, APRIL 14 (see @TheHappiestClubOnEarth for details) featuring Jeff with voice actors Mark Silverman and Peter Renoudet, and ponder the corruptible, mortal state of the Ghost Host.
Apr 11, 2023•52 min
Ep. 41: Disney animation's dark side and the Haunted Mansion In this episode, Jeff and Julia discuss animation and its impact on the development and operation of the Haunted Mansion attraction. First, we discuss the darker side of Disney animation, and then Jeff reviews a panel discussion about Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, a recent animated stop-motion feature, and then we talk about the Haunted Mansion's history, and how Walt Disney Production and WED Imagineering used animation to create th...
Feb 06, 2023•52 min
Ep. 40: DoomBuggies at Mousecon East Bay 2022 On November 6, 2022, DoomBuggies founder Jeff Baham spoke about the Haunted Mansion at the 7th annual Mousecon East Bay convention in Northern California. This episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast is DEAD-icated to that presentation, which is presented here in its entirety. If you didn't get a chance to visit Mousecon in Northern California, you can still get tickets to Mousecon Bakersfield, which will be taking place on January 28, 2023, and Jeff will...
Nov 23, 2022•50 min
In honor of the 25th anniversary of DoomBuggies.com on Oct. 31, 2022, DoomBuggies founder Jeff Baham has teamed up with the Sibling Library Podcast to create a brand-new telling of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." As Haunted Mansion fans know, "Sleepy Hollow" was a tale which Walt Disney made into a classic animated film, and was then considered by Imagineer Ken Anderson as a potential setting for one of the showstopping scenes inside of Disneyland's proposed haunted house attr...
Oct 31, 2022•47 min
Welcome, Foolish Mortals! This month, The DoomBuggies Podcast celebrates 25 years of DoomBuggies.com by discussing a wide variety of reflections of the Haunted Mansion in media and popular culture. We talk about possible inspirations, famous recordings, television and streaming specials, and more. Also, as a special bonus, we have a conversation with Theme Park Designer David Younger and discuss his latest project, an adventure game titled "Foolish Mortals." Plus - Halloween sound effects record...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 32 min
Welcome, Foolish Mortals! This month, the DoomBuggies Podcast takes a wander down the tree-shrouded path into the dark shadowy history of DoomBuggies.com, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next month on Halloween. We talk about the legendary 10-year-anniversary party at Disneyland, and share some stories and memories from the past quarter century of Haunted Mansion fandom. Plus - more merch news, happenings, Hocus Pocus 2, and a thought about that famous demon-eyed wallpaper.
Sep 15, 2022•55 min
Welcome, Foolish Mortals! This month, the DoomBuggies Podcast takes you to Tarrytown, NY where we visit the home of author Washington Irving and the location of his story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Julia talks about modern Sleepy Hollow and a quick visit she made to the village, and Jeff looks at the town's history, and some of the ways Irving's famous short story has affected the place. Finally, we take a look at Disney's interpretation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and we discuss Imaginee...
Jul 20, 2022•54 min
Welcome, Foolish Mortals, to the June 2022 episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast. This month we're digging heels over heads into the topic of Haunted Mansion collectibles! We'll take a look at the grue-vy history of the attraction's souvenirs and memorabilia, and we'll mention some of the events that have produced so much ghoulishly great stuff over the past 53 years. We also discuss some upcoming events, new Haunted Mansion dice, a cool collectible from Phil Sears, and more! Contact us at comments...
Jun 14, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Welcome, Foolish Mortals, to the May 2022 episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast. This month we're digging up - er, digging IN to the latest news regarding the 2023 version of "The Haunted Mansion" from Walt Disney Pictures, and we speak with Maegan Foret, who had the good fortune of acting as an extra and a stand-in in the upcoming film. We'll also take a look back at the official backstory from the 2003 version of "The Haunted Mansion," and compare how that story relates to the various storylines ...
May 14, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Welcome foolish Muppets to our October episode of the DoomBuggies Podcast. This month is dead-icated to "Muppets Haunted Mansion," a new special streaming on Disney+. We share news of Muppets-related spooktacular events at the Disney Parks, discuss our feelings about and opinions of the new show, talk about MacGuffins, and report on a recent event at the Walt Disney Family Museum that featured Dave "Gonzo the Great" Goelz and Bill "Pepe the King Prawn" Barretta sharing inside stories from the se...
Oct 16, 2021•1 hr 15 min
This month, DoomBuggies hosts Jeff and Julia take you back 52 years to the opening day of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. We talk about the myths that surrounded the attraction before it opened, the press accounts that accompanied the opening of the attraction, and the mindset of the foolish mortals who waited upwards of 4 hours to ride through the Mansion during the hype of the long-awaited opening of the doors - the "creak heard 'round the world," as they said. Plus - counting the Mansion's...
Sep 15, 2021•56 min
This month, we take a brief look into the history of the development of the mechanics of the Haunted Mansion, and a few of the key engineers and technicians from WED and MAPO who took the famous Imagineers' designs and concepts and turned them into an immersive physical experience. We also look at the latest news, including an upcoming Disney+ series featuring the Mansion and a new book about Haunted Mansion designer Claude Coats. Plus, which would make a better Haunted Mansion overlay - Dark Sh...
Jun 19, 2021•1 hr 7 min
This month, Jeff and Julia visit Disneyland on opening day 2021 and make a beeline for the Haunted Mansion to experience the updates, refreshed sets, and new effects added to the refurbished attraction. We also discuss the latest Haunted Mansion news, including a Muppets mash-up, new merch (of course), and an exhibit from the Disney Archives that is closing soon.
May 28, 2021•50 min
This month, Jeff and Julia present a special edition of the DoomBuggies Podcast to discuss the soon-to-be-unveiled changes coming to the Disneyland version of the Haunted Mansion, which include fan-favorite characters and new props and effects which call back to some of the Imagineer's earliest concepts for the attraction.
Apr 19, 2021•30 min
Welcome, Foolish Mortals - to the DoomBuggies Podcast! This week, we take a look at some of the ghost stories that existed during the conceptualization of the Haunted Mansion, and consider some of the ideas and tales that might have influenced the Walt Disney and his Imagineers as they designed the greatest haunted house dark ride of all time. Also, in news, we mention some new artwork dealing with the Haunted Mansion, a new publication ready for pre-order, and we await the reopening of Disneyla...
Mar 15, 2021•43 min
This month, DoomBuggies explores the topic of nuptial doom, specifically as found in the recently renovated Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris. We meet Melanie Ravenswood, the bride of the manor, and discuss her tragic history, the sorrow of loves lost, and the new special effects that were added to the attraction in 2019. We also discuss our favorite couples in the Haunted Mansion, and share the latest news in which Donny Osmond remembers going to school in the Haunted Mansion as a child - and m...
Feb 13, 2021•51 min
This month, we are going back to the late 1980s to discuss a much-discussed book of tales: The Haunted Mansion's Ghost Gallery. This collection of stories was developed by Cast Members from the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion attraction, and it represented their attempt to describe all of the denizens of the Mansion. We'll discuss the history of the collection, the development of the stories, and we'll read a few excerpts. Plus - we list our favorite graveyard ghosts, and we di...
Jan 13, 2021•52 min
This month, we take a dive into the newest gigantic tome for your tomb published by Disney Editions - Holiday Magic at the Disney Parks: Celebrations Around the World from Fall to Winter, by Graham Allan, Charlie Price and the director of the Walt Disney Archives, Rebecca Cline. We dig specifically into the book-length chapter about Haunted Mansion Holiday, and discuss some of the revelations and artwork unearthed by this magnificent collection of photos and facts. Plus - some Haunted Mansion re...
Dec 13, 2020•39 min
This month, we present part two of our discussion of the architecture of the Haunted Mansion, and discuss the look, feel and architectural style and era of the facade buildings in Anaheim and Orlando that give the Haunted Mansion its spooky setting. We discuss the atmosphere and styling created by WED Imagineer Claude Coats, the historical setting dedicated to each of the Mansions' settings, and the single book that started it all. Plus - news about Haunted Mansion paper projects, spooky "no-tou...
Nov 13, 2020•44 min
In this special Halloween 2020 edition of the DoomBuggies Podcast, Jeff and Julia present a word-for-word dramatization of the continuity and narration working script for Disneyland's Haunted Mansion from November 13, 1968, as written by famed WED Imagineer X. Atencio. Enjoy this peek behind the scenes at the production of the greatest haunted house attraction ever created. Happy Halloween, Doombugs and Foomorts!
Oct 31, 2020•33 min
Welcome, foolish mortals, to the DoomBuggies Podcast! This week, we celebrate the start of the spooking season by listing our favorite Disney Halloween video treats (all of which are available to stream on Disney Plus, to boot!) Then we discuss the latest news, including a virtual fan-created Haunted Mansion project, some new Haunted Mansion merch, and a cool virtual trick-or-treat fundraiser. Finally, we discuss the origins of the Haunted Mansion's architecture, and consider what really lies un...
Oct 14, 2020•49 min
This month, DoomBuggies celebrates the start of the spooking season with some crafty tips from some bewitching artists. But first, we take a look at the results of the recent Van Eaton Disneyland memorabilia auction to consider the value of some of the high profile Haunted Mansion souvenirs that were sold. Then, DoomBuggies welcomes artisans Emma "Emmacabre" Mosier and Tina Biles to the show to discuss some ways to keep things spooky this Halloween, from inspiration to methodology. Learn easy wa...
Sep 14, 2020•1 hr 12 min
This month, DoomBuggies celebrates the Haunted Mansion's 51st birthday with a plethora of spooky happenings. We all might be locked down, but opportunities await. While Disneyland's Oogie Boogie Bash might have been cancelled, you can still get your scare on by buying candles with dancing flames using licensed Imagineering technology, or taking a haunted virtual run while learning about the Bay Area's most ghostly places. We also discuss Super 7's Comic Con Haunted Mansion "ReAction" figures, wh...
Aug 09, 2020•53 min
In this month's episode of The DoomBuggies Podcast, DoomBuggies' founder Jeff Baham introduces co-host Julia Layne and they introduce the show's new format, then talk about some new Haunted Mansion merchandise hitting the virtual shelves, including dolls, tiki mugs, Funko, face masks, and more. Next, Jeff offers a short history lesson on the contributions of Disney Legend (and Walt's original business partner) Ub Iwerks to the special projection effects used in the Haunted Mansion.
Jul 13, 2020•43 min
In this episode of the DoomBuggies Spook Show, we look at some opportunities that are coming quickly as the Haunted Mansion's 50th anniversary rapidly approaches on August 9, 2019. DoomBuggies offers a special event on August 9, while Disneyland offers its own overnight spooky celebration celebrating the anniversary with two parties and the release of a plethora of new art and collectibles. Then, Jeff talks about the winners of the D23 Expo Design Challenge and reviews "Happy Haunts Materialize:...
Jul 13, 2019•44 min