Photos: Disneyland’s New Haunted Mansion Gift Shop

For the first time in the ride’s 55 year history, Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion now has its own dedicated gift shop. The new store, which is called Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond, is located just outside Haunted Mansion’s exit crypt. In this post we’ll take a look at the new shop and share our thoughts. This shop opened a few weeks ago but it’s gone through a few minor changes since then so we held off on this post until now.
Let’s get one thing out of the way before continuing. Many people online have pointed out that the Haunted Mansion’s new gift shop structure is a “prefab” building. That means it’s a structure fabricated offsite by a manufacturer and sold as a kit. Almost like a giant Lego set. Here is the product page. Here you can see the cost of the building. Before Disney added all the props, electrical infrastructure and whatever else they wanted, they paid between $65,589 and $83,811. Does any of this matter? Will the normal average everyday Disneyland visitor care in any way? The answer to these two questions is undeniably, no. However, is it funny to “in-the-know” terminally online dorks like you and I? Absolutely yes. This is in a park filled with beautiful, well thought out, perfectly scaled, and impeccably detailed architecture. Next to what is probably the most famous theme park ride on the planet, one that has endlessly enduring popularity for over half a century, has this bland off-the-shelf shack just a few short feet away from what is arguably the second most famous and iconic building in the park. All you can do is laugh the absurdity of it all. I do not blame a single person involved in the design process. I’m sure the budget was small. I’m just curious why. Of all things wouldn’t it make sense to spend a decent amount of money on a Haunted Mansion gift shop? Does Haunted Mansion merchandise not print money year round? Does Haunted Mansion Holiday merch not fly off the shelves during the Halloween and Christmas seasons? It’s all so strange.

On social media, a lot of people have brought up the scale of Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond. Even some long tenured former Imagineers have pointed out this issue. Photos don’t do it justice, but the building looks huge and out of place. It’s sandwiched between the Haunted Mansion and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Both of which masterfully use forced perspective to give a convincing illusion of height and size. Forced perspective is not used on this new structure which makes it mismatched to its surroundings. In terms of theme, the gift shop is supposed to be the Haunted Mansion’s carriage house. I was obviously not around in the Victorian era, nor am I an expert on anything 1800s architecture, but I don’t think it matches the Haunted Mansion in any way, or looks like a structure that would be outside of a real mansion that looks like the Haunted Mansion. ANYWAY…

Here’s a look at the shop’s sign, which can be seen when exiting the Haunted Mansion.

Lets talk about something that looks great. Inside Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond is a portrait of Leota herself.

As you may know she is portrayed by legendary Disney Imagineer Leota Toombs. The painting looks great and is a nice tribute to her.

The ceiling inside the shop has a rustic exposed wood look. Many props adorn the walls and shelves which evoke scenes from the ride.

The checkout counter in Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond.

There’s definitely a lot to look at inside.

This crystal ball is near the front entrance. It features a impressive swirling smoke and lighting effect. Madame Leota makes an appearance inside the ball every now and then.

Mirrors, tarot cards and candles are abundant inside the shop. What you wont find inside anymore is the AI generated image of a ghostly bride. It was removed shortly after the shop opened. AI generated art used by a company started by artists and built on a legacy of beautiful art is another one of those weird things about this place. But its gone now thankfully.

Signs for spiritual oils and palm readings near the register.

Lanterns. We can’t forget to point out the lanterns.

Just outside the doorway there’s more lanterns, bells, and other decor.

The shelves of Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond are stocked with Haunted Mansion clothing, purses, backpacks, pins, statues, artwork, and whatever else you may need.

What do you think of Haunted Mansion’s new gift shop? Do you agree or disagree with the various critiques people have presented? Let us know in the comments.