Ep115: The Basket In The Mansion

In this episode: In this episode we read some listener comments from the blog, talk about the new gingerbread house coming to the Haunted Mansion and the basket that appeared in the graveyard last year. We also talk about the latest take on the Peanuts gang on 'Boomerang' (by Cartoon Network) plus Mario watches Pete's Dragon without us and experiences the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the first time!

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Every year fans anticipate the gingerbread house in the ballroom of the Haunted Mansion as part of Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. This year seemed to spark a little extra excitement in people because it looks like Sally might finally be getting some love in the overlay! We’ve grown used to seeing Jack, Zero the Ghost Dog and Oogie Boogie as part of the overlay but where was Sally? In all the years that the Mansion has undergone this holiday transformation the only hint of Sally we truly got was “Little Sally” in place of “Little Leota” as you’re exiting the attraction. This year feels a bit different though. First off, take a look at the concept art below:

By the numbers, here are the stats of the latest gingerbread creation:

200 pounds gingerbread
200 pounds powdered sugar
4 gallons egg whites
1 gallon lemon juice
50 pounds fondant
1/3 pound glitter

Sounds delicious doesn’t it? Another interesting thing actually happened during the last Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay. A basket appeared in the graveyard just yards away from where Jack and Zero stand. Check it out:

Considering the theme of this year’s gingerbread house and the basket last year, could someone familiar be joining the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay? As of this post we are 10 days away from the Mansion reopening its doors after Jack wrecks the halls but it would truly be something new and awesome!

The gingerbread house in the Grand Californian is a sight to be seen! The 2015 gingerbread house stood just over 7 ½ feet tall and 12 feet wide! The entire structure was designed and built by 25 artists, bakers and even engineers and took them over 1,400 hours from start to finish. Here are the stats for that one:

600 lbs. of gingerbread
600 lbs. of powdered sugar
12 gallons of egg whites
3.5 gallons of lemon juice
150 lbs. of fondant
1 lb. of Pixie Dust

Huge difference from the Mansion house, right?! If you walk through the Grand Californian while this structure is up we guarantee that you will want a glass of milk. Unless you don’t like gingerbread then… sorry, we can’t help you.

Although we liked the 2015 Peanuts movie, there is an absolute charm to the new shorts by Normaal Studios. The contract (made back in 2014) calls for 500 shorts and we’re really excited! The writing is clever and the mixture of watercolor, halftone print, rough sketch, color and of course, the Peanuts gang, makes for an entertaining couple of minutes. The shorts (shown on the Cartoon Network owned channel, Boomerang) are available On-Demand in most areas. Check your local TV provider for more info. Below is a sample video of the shorts:

Mario finally made it out to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and he rode the ‘Forbidden Journey’. Like many of the attractions at Universal Studios, this is also a simulation ride (mostly resembling Star Tours but in smaller vehicles). Here is a video of the Florida version of the attraction so that you get the idea (if you haven’t been on it and don’t mind it being spoiled) :

Have you been on the ‘Forbidden Journey’ yet? Leave us a comment down below and let us know what you thought of it.

VJ and Aj (from DisneyFor2) challenged us to do the Disney Tag on Youtube. Here are Mario’s answers to the challenge. Next week, Javier’s video will be released! If you like the video or want to check out more, please head to our YouTube channel (below) and make sure to subscribe for future updates.

https://www.youtube.com/Podketeers

Until next time! °o°