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AVP
10-16-2004, 05:25 PM
Received from Disneyland:

BIDDING ON DISNEYLAND TOMBSTONE SURPASSES $30,000

ANAHEIM, Calif., October 16, 2004 – In less than two days, and with five more days to go, the bidding on a piece of Disneyland history, a personalized “tombstone” in the Haunted Mansion attraction, has surpassed $30,000. The online charity auction, benefiting selected chapters of The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, is featured on eBay, The World’s Online Marketplace®.

Bidding opened at 6:00 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, October 14 and was up to $6,000 in the first hour. The auction closes on Thursday, October 21 at 6:00 p.m. (EST) and the winning bidder will be publicly announced on Friday, October 22. The winner and a guest will be spirited away to Disneyland park in time for a midnight "wake" and “burial” ceremony on Thursday, October 28, officially placing the tombstone in the graveyard of the “Haunted Mansion.”

The unique gravestone will bear the winner’s first name and a humorous epitaph (inspired by the lucky bidder’s interests and hobbies) written and personalized by the team at Walt Disney Imagineering. To view the auction, visit:
http://auctions.images.go.com/Images/I-Catalog/disneyauctions/index.html

Disney Vault
10-16-2004, 05:35 PM
The outside graveyard or the on inside as part of the attraction?

disneyperson
10-16-2004, 05:35 PM
OK guys, how high will it go? Here in our office, we think it will top 50,000. Insane!

disneyperson
10-16-2004, 05:36 PM
The outside graveyard or the on inside as part of the attraction?
Inside as part of the graveyard scene.

I Heart Disneyland!
10-16-2004, 10:04 PM
Gee....at that BARGAIN price :eek: , maybe I will bid. I WISH!!!!! :D

JeffG
10-16-2004, 10:14 PM
The current high-bidder is someone named "filmcritic54". Leonard Maltin, maybe?

-Jeff

Tref
10-16-2004, 10:55 PM
The current high-bidder is someone named "filmcritic54". Leonard Maltin, maybe? -Jeff

Enough of this flim flam eyewash! Why do we need to see anybody's name on a Disneyland gravestone? And Leonard Maltin? Good Lord, I can't escape this guy's bearded mug in real life and now I have to see him as part of my favorite queue? Outrageous!

I tells ya, this is the gradual brick by brick selling out of Disneyland. What's next? My vote -- the windows above the shops on Main Street. Sacrilege, says I.

Mismark my words well, chaps, I predict that one day we will be seeing major corporations placing bids on the hi-jacking of the Disney name, itself. The same as they do with sports arenas. Think, Staples presents Disneyland!

Of course, if I could afford the $50,000 for the headstone I would jump at the chance. I am no fool. No sir-ree. A stated previously, in song, I'm going to live to see one hundred and three.

I remain,

AVP
10-16-2004, 11:40 PM
What's next? My vote -- the windows above the shops on Main Street. Sacrilege, says I. I'm not sure how tongue-in-cheek you were being, but this is the exact concern I raised when I heard about this. I see windows on Main Street and names on buildings and initials on tombstones and dates in the Star Tours queue, and wonder "who was that person," and "what did they do at Disney?" These things are traditionally the "credits" of the "show" we experience at Disneyland, and I like seeing, and often understanding, the inside references to some great Imagineers.

It seems Disney is doing such a miserable job of keeping corporate sponsors that they are looking to guests to make up the revenue. If this trend continues, I'll instead be wondering "who is that person, and how much did they pay for that?"

I am disturbed by it.

AVP

Tref
10-17-2004, 12:31 AM
... I see windows on Main Street and names on buildings and initials on tombstones and dates in the Star Tours queue, and wonder "who was that person," and "what did they do at Disney?" These things are traditionally the "credits" of the "show" we experience at Disneyland, and I like seeing, and often understanding, the inside references to some great Imagineers.

It seems Disney is doing such a miserable job of keeping corporate sponsors that they are looking to guests to make up the revenue. If this trend continues, I'll instead be wondering "who is that person, and how much did they pay for that?"

I am disturbed by it.

AVP


My sentiments exactly.

I Heart Disneyland!
10-17-2004, 01:12 AM
I could not agree more, it's a sad thought!

VickiC
10-17-2004, 06:09 AM
It seems Disney is doing such a miserable job of keeping corporate sponsors that they are looking to guests to make up the revenue. If this trend continues, I'll instead be wondering "who is that person, and how much did they pay for that?"

AVP

I would agree if not for the fact that the proceeds are going to charity.

Kitsune_SD
10-17-2004, 07:53 AM
I would agree if not for the fact that the proceeds are going to charity.

Yes, but the brick money does not (as far as I know, at least) for the bricks between the parks. There is potential here for a disturbing trend...

Are there any other Mansion fans that are bothered by the addition of a 1,000th ghost? This does break the tradition. They aren't gonna change the attraction spiel to include ghost 1,000 in the story - will they?

But still, I admit if I had the cash to burn you would see my name on that tombstone...

SallySkellington
10-17-2004, 09:14 AM
Are there any other Mansion fans that are bothered by the addition of a 1,000th ghost? This does break the tradition. They aren't gonna change the attraction spiel to include ghost 1,000 in the story - will they?

It sure disturbs me. As someone mentioned on another thread, this means the Mansion will now be full! :eek: And besides, 1,000 doesn't have the same ring as 999. :crying:

GusMan
10-17-2004, 11:56 AM
I agree on the "sponsorship" comments - to a point. Corporate sponsors are everywhere in the parks and for good reason - they pay for that exposure. That is good for both Disney and the sponsor. (Maybe more from their point of view than ours, though.) Does it get a little old after a while? It can. However, I think a lot of other parks are a lot worse on the sponsor thing. Maybe some would find the sponsorship better if it reduced prices on certain things, but that just isn't going to happen.

As VickiC stated, the proceeds for this headstone auction goes to charity, so that is a good thing. Maybe they did not realise the uproar this would cause among the Disney Die-Hard community. I mean, only we die-hards would know a lot of the hidden secrets and meanings of the parks. In a way, this would not follow the general "rules" of Disney trivia. Could this mean that Disney is getting sloppy? I hope this is only a one-time faux-pas. (sp?)

Along the same note, IMO buying a brick or a "Leave a Legacy" (Epcot) tile is just another way for a person to be "a part of" the Disney history. Does Disney make money from it? Sure they do - and probably quite a bit of it as well. But for the most part people who partake in such activities have to view it as a form of entertainment and a fun way to share the experience with others. Like "hey, when you go down there, look up my brick" or "go find my tile!"

On a humourous note... if I bid on the headstone and won, can I pay that with my Disney Visa and get the Rewards dollars? :)

Mark Goldhaber
10-17-2004, 07:25 PM
Are there any other Mansion fans that are bothered by the addition of a 1,000th ghost? This does break the tradition. They aren't gonna change the attraction spiel to include ghost 1,000 in the story - will they?
I discussed this very fact with the source who told me about this a month ago, who is much more intensely interested in the subject than I am. Supposedly, since the winning bidder is only an "honorary" guest, there are still 999 "real" spirits, and hence one more spot remains available for a "real" ghost.

Darkbeer
10-17-2004, 07:57 PM
Gotta love the current bid...

Thirty-Five Thousand Dollars and 75 CENTS

:rolleyes:

Pirate Girl
10-17-2004, 08:34 PM
I thought the tombstone would be on the outside of the attraction. As much as I would love to have my name on that tombstone...the idea of changing the ride this way bothers me.

I Heart Disneyland!
10-17-2004, 10:48 PM
Gotta love the current bid...

Thirty-Five Thousand Dollars and 75 CENTS

:rolleyes:

Quick, put in your bid to bring it to an even dollar amount! ;)

SallySkellington
10-18-2004, 07:23 PM
Fear not, the current bid is $35,700. Back to an even amount. ;)

Darkbeer
10-18-2004, 07:35 PM
Fear not, the current bid is $35,700. Back to an even amount. ;)
But to the Disney PR folks, it is "nearly $40,000"...

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/10-18-2004/0002285236&EDATE=

:rolleyes: :fez:

MrsPooh
10-18-2004, 07:38 PM
OK guys, how high will it go? Here in our office, we think it will top 50,000. Insane!

I agree with what someone else posted on the other thread, I wouldn't be surprised to see it get in the six figures. What with how it shot off the way that it did.

I am torn with this argument. I see what you are all saying, that it is almost sacrilige to do this, but at the same time I would be there bidding if I had the money. What a great honor!

I wonder if a celebrity is bidding, ala John Stamos and the old Disneyland sign?

MrsPooh
10-18-2004, 07:41 PM
OMG! I just had an AWFUL thought!

What if Michael Jackson is bidding? What if he wins? :eek: :( :mad:

:::::Shudders::::::

I think I am gonna be sick.......

VickiC
10-18-2004, 07:52 PM
OMG! I just had an AWFUL thought!

What if Michael Jackson is bidding? What if he wins? :eek: :( :mad:

:::::Shudders::::::

I think I am gonna be sick.......

I'm sure we could all think of plenty of things to put on his tombstone. They might not be terribly family friendly though....

Are there really 999 named ghosts in the HM,? I'm not up on HM lore, to be honest I've never really liked it in any of it's incarnations, it always seemed hokey. Now the kids are deathly afraid of it and I may never be able to ride it again.

AliciasMom
10-19-2004, 07:44 AM
OMG! I just had an AWFUL thought!

What if Michael Jackson is bidding? What if he wins? :eek: :( :mad:

:::::Shudders::::::

I think I am gonna be sick.......

LOL. I had those same thoughts in another thread. I wouldn't be surprised.

I rather Jacko have it than someone like Britney Spears though.

AVP
10-19-2004, 08:51 AM
What a great honor! That's my problem with this - it's not an honor. It would be an honor if you were granted a place in the credits for some creative contribution to Disney. Whomever wins this will have "bought" their place in Disney history.

A petty distinction to some, I'm sure, but that's how I feel about it.

AVP