The Vampire Teddy Bear is a Nightmare Before Christmas character who appears in the annual Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay of the Haunted Mansions in Tokyo and California.
Origins[]
The Teddy originally appeared in the poem The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton and later on was shown in the 1993 Animated Disney movie of the same name.
In both stories, the Vampire Teddy was created by the inhabitants of Halloween Town to be a Christmas gift for when they took over Christmas; in the film having been created by the Corpse Dad, the Devil, and the Wolfman.
On Christmas, the Teddy (as well as the other gifts) are resealed to be a nightmarish creation which tormented its owners by chasing them while snapping its teeth. It was later taken back by Santa Claus to protect the children and replaced with actual gifts.
Appearances[]
Disneyland[]
The Vampire Teddy joins the Raven character during the Holiday overlay and appears several times throughout the attraction. It's first appearance is in the Stretching Room where it appears in one of the paintings. After this the Teddy shows up multiple times, firstly shortly after boarding the Doom Buggy where it is shown playing with a spider on a string, after this the Teddy is seen in the Conservatory sitting on the Coffin Occupant's coffin holding a hammer as the Occupant desperately tries to escape from being nailed shut in the coffin.
In the Séance Chamber the Teddy sits on the armchair ringing a pair of bells as Madame Leota recites the Thirteen Days of Christmas poem. Just before the Graveyard sequence the Teddy can be seen sitting on a branch where he is biting on christmas lights which are producing sparks in the teddy's mouth, at the end of the sequence the Teddy is shown sitting on top of the entrance to the Mausoleum while playing a horn along with a giant ice statue.
Tokyo Disneyland[]
In Tokyo Disneyland the Teddy additionally appears in Sally's arms in the staircase, hiding in a Christmas box as-well as later in the Music Room playing the Piano as Sally listens.
Merchandise[]
- Some pins show the bear riding a Doombuggy alongside the Giant Snake.
- The bear appeared in plushy form in Disney Parks' WISHABLES series along with Oogie Boogie, the Giant Snake, Zero, and a Sandy Claws Jack.
Trivia[]
- The head of the teddy is a Hidden Mickey, replicating the head-shape of Mickey Mouse.
- The design of the Teddy Bear is highly reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat logo for the Schreck Department Store from Tim Burton's film Batman Returns (1993), which came out the same year as The Nightmare Before Christmas.
- In the attraction, the Teddy Bear is given a voice made to sound like a giggling small child. This is unique to the ride's depiction of the character.
- It is currently unknown who provided the voice, but the most likely theories are voice actresses Kath Soucie and Susanne Blakeslee, who both do voice-work in the overlay (as Sally and Madame Leota respectively).