The Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World has added a new prop that pays homage to late Disney Legend and Imagineer Rolly Crump. The prop is “The Candleman,” something Crump developed for the unbuilt Museum of the Weird attraction.
The Candleman was one idea that did not come to fruition. As the name and sketch above suggest, it was to be a wax figure with candles on his head and hand (or a trident he held).
An original Candleman is visible on the table to the left in this photo of Crump showing off some of his Museum of the Weird artifacts. The unbuilt walkthrough attraction was planned as a companion for The Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square in Disneyland. The museum idea was scrapped after Disney’s death, but some of Crump’s weird artifacts did end up in the Mansion — including the “Donald Duck chair” which would have been a talking chair in the Museum of the Weird.
Recently, Disney added a Candleman figure to the Haunted Mansion in Magic Kingdom.
He’s located in the attic, on the table beside the suit of armor.
Rolly Crump passed away at age 93 this past March. Crump started with Disney as an animator on films throughout the 1950s, including “Peter Pan,” “Lady and the Tramp,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “One Hundred and One Dalmatians.” He then joined WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering).
In addition to work on The Haunted Mansion, Enchanted Tiki Room, and other attractions, Crump worked on “it’s a small world.” He designed the Tower of the Four Winds, which sat outside the attraction at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. When the attraction moved to Disneyland, he was responsible for the final façade, drawing inspiration from Mary Blair’s work on the rest of the attraction.
The Hatbox Ghost will also soon materialize in the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom. The “Donald Duck chair” was removed to make way for him in the Endless Hallway, and the floating candelabra may also be permanently removed.
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