The Ghost Relations Department is an organization from the Haunted Mansion.
History
Background
The Ghost Relations Department is an organization affiliated with the bureaucracy of the Haunted Mansion which oversees new arrivals to the estate for post-lifetime leases. The organization also shows a willingness to bring in the living for residency services and a disaffection towards their own lives; being apparently willing to stalk and end them for their own purposes.
The GRD is affiliated with having a sort of quota which they need to fill for operational purposes and apparently utilizes death certificates for registration of their leases. Members are not specified for the group but there are several characters who appear to hold a connection with it. Little Leota is more likely than any as being a member as she is the one who ushers mortal guests to hurry back while giving them post-mortem lease information and is identified as overseeing guest-entry by the Ghost Host. The Ghost Host as-well can be presumed to have at-least an affiliation with the department as can the Hitchhiking Ghosts who are said by the Ghost Host to follow guests home until they return to help fulfil the mansion's quota.
The group is also traditionally identified as the Ghost Relations Department of Disneyland, a remnant of an older backstory for the Haunted Mansion being canonically located in Disneyland in Anaheim, California. In modern cannon with the GRD and mansion being canonically located in New Orleans, Louisiana this might be explained by them being partnered with the fictionalized, "Magic Kingdom" entity of Disneyland.
Development History
The Ghost Relations Department was initially created for promotional material regarding the opening of the Haunted Mansion in the 1960s. Most notably it was featured in a sign marking the outside of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland before the attraction's opening in 1969. Since then the GRD has made a number of Haunted Mansion related appearances although as of yet exclusively for the Disneyland incarnation of the attraction with it being unclear if Walt Disney World or Tokyo Disneyland have their own variants.
Appearances
The Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion's first reference to the Ghost Relations Department was made in the time that the Haunted Mansion was being developed. The sign appeared c. 1963 in New Orleans Square outside of the antebellum mansion which would become the classic Disney attraction. The sign was designed by Disney Legend, Marty Sklar and read as:
"Notice! All ghosts and restless spirits; post-lifetime leases are now available in this HAUNTED MANSION don't be left out in the sunshine! Enjoy active-retirement in this country club atmosphere- the fashionable address of famous ghosts, ghosts trying to make a name for themselves...and ghosts afraid to live be themselves! Leases include license to scare the daylights out of guests visiting the Portrait Gallery, Museum of the Supernatural, Graveyard, and other happy haunting grounds. For reservations, send resume of past-experience to: Ghost Relations Dept. Disneyland; Please! Do not apply in person".
In the 1990s, a new reference to the GRD was integrated via a hearse installed by Tony Baxter and Bob Baranick. The hearse contained a sign which read: "Reservations accepted; Ghost Relations Department; Disneyland; Please do not apply in person!". This sign is only present in the Disneyland version of the hearse, not appearing in the Magic Kingdom's hearse which merely contains funeral flowers.
Potential References
- The Ghost Host in Liberty Square's Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World contains a line from the Ghost Host about making final arrangements for retirement in the mansion with Little Leota at the end of the tour.
- Little Leota', "Hurry Back" spiel at the end of the ride can be taken as her working on behalf for the GRD's mission.
- The Ghost Host mentions, "Our quota" during the Hitchhiking Ghost scene, alluding to a beaurocracy behind the haunting of the estate.
Main Street Cinema
The organization "Ghost Relations" is mentioned on a posting from the Disneyland Casting Agency which reads, "Ghosts and Restless Spirits Wanted Seeking ghosts and goblins to perform with ghoulish delight in haunted house musical. Spirited performers only. Auditions at Ghost Relations".
Other Appearances
Radio Appearances
Haunted Mansion Promotional Material
Radio promotions for the Haunted Mansion's opening in 1969 revolved around the GRD and interviews with ghosts intending to use it to retire in the Haunted Mansion. This included the likes of ghosts: Willie the Wisp, Granny Ghoul and Phineas Pock (a separate character from the singing bust Phineas P. Pock). The diegetic rationalization for these adds being to promote more spirits to retire to the Haunted Mansion.
The Ghost Post
The Ghost Post interactive service for the Haunted Mansion was connected to the story of the Ghost Relations Department, albeit removed of its connections to Disneyland as a diegetic entity related to the GRD. The GRD is the framing device for the service with them being the ones who send Haunted Mansion paraphernalia for guests. This is because of the mysterious fog which trapped the ghosts in the mansion with the GRD attempting to have guests free the ghosts. To do this the Ghost Post allied with the splinter group known as the Committee of Wandering Ghosts which consisted of CoWG founder Pearl E. Gates, Prof. Wathel R. Bender, Sally Slater and Herr Victor Geist.
Printed Materials
Disney Kingdoms
The sign for the GRD appears at the end of Disney Kingdoms: The Haunted Mansion when it is nailed up by protagonist Danny Crowe. He does this to inform others on the nature of the Haunted Mansion after he frees its residents from the evil sea captain who haunted the house.
Trivia
- The Ghost Relations Department of Disneyland take of the organization might be presumed to have some say over other Disneyland attractions with ghosts. This might include Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye and Snow White's Scary Adventures
External Links
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