The Staring Wallpaper or Demon Eye Wallpaper is a staple of the Haunted Mansion, being found in every version of the Haunted Mansion except for Mystic Manor.
Description[]
The Staring Wallpaper is purple with several strange designs, resembling eyes and faces. When seen in the black abyss-like darkness in much of the mansion, the eyes are clearly being possessed by spirits who stare at the guests with only their eyes visible.
History[]
The design of the wallpaper was inspired by artwork created by imagineer Rolly Crump for his Museum of the Weird attraction for a monstrous plant which would grow out of a pot and fly away.[1]. While the plant was never featured in an attraction, the design was later adapted for the Haunted Mansion by Imagineers Tania McKnight Morris[2] and Claude Coats.[3][4]
Appearances[]
Main Attractions[]
Disneyland[]
In the Disneyland Haunted Mansion, the wallpaper can be found within the Corridor of Doors and Conservatory scenes.
Walt Disney World[]
In Liberty Square's Haunted Mansion, the wallpaper can be found right after the Endless Staircase sequence. Initially it resembles illuminated white eyes in pitch-blackness, staring and blinking at guests while whispering. As the Doom Buggies pass by, the eyes are revealed to be part of the wallpaper as guests enter the Corridor of Doors.
Disneyland Paris[]
In Phantom Manor, the wallpaper can be found almost immediately guests board their Doom Buggies and then throughout the Endless Hallway, Music Room, and Corridor of Doors of Ravenswood Manor. Here the eyes glow green within the corridor of doors, blinking on and off rather than having the more seamless transition of Walt Disney World's mansion.
Other Appearances[]
House of Mouse[]
In the episode House Ghosts, the wallpaper appears taking up the background as Pete is terrorized by the ghosts of the Haunted Mansion.
Muppets Haunted Mansion[]
A Muppetized version of the wallpaper appears in the special, incorporating the faces of Gonzo, Pepe the King Prawn, Uncle Deadly and Beaker into the design.
The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse[]
In the episode "Houseghosts", the wallpaper appears when the Lonesome Ghosts have completely redecorated Mickey's house into a haunted mansion.
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue![]
The wallpaper makes an easter-egg appearance in this attraction, with the pattern appearing on the shapeshifter Randall's skin as he gets attacked and has his patterns change wildly.
Merchandise[]
The wallpaper serves as a common staple of Haunted Mansion themed paraphernalia, namely in that which is aimed towards articles of clothing or accessories. The design was featured on the clothing print of the character Gracey made for Disney's Attractionista's doll-line. The wallpaper's design is also is featured on phone-cases, mugs, pouches, boxes, and the background artwork of fandom wikis; always watching.
Trivia[]
- Imagineer Tony Baxter has occasionally proposed "Every individual face on the wallpaper counts as a ghost" as an unofficial solution to the question of where the unseen members of the Mansion's 999 happy haunts are, though if one were to actually put this into practice, the numbers would easily surpass 999.