Grams is one of the ghosts found in the Haunted Mansion.
History[]
Background[]
Grams was the name given to an old woman who died and became a ghost. She would go on to haunt the Haunted Mansion, though it is unknown if she had any affiliation with it in life or only moved in post-mortem via the Ghost Relations Department.
Development History[]
An old-lady ghost in a wheelchair was first proposed for the Haunted Mansion by imagineer Ken Anderson as shown in his concept art and an excerpt from a proposed scene where, "The room 'comes to life' as a green fire ignites itself in the fireplace and an empty rocking chair beside begins to rock". The element remained even after Anderson left the project with Grams being portrayed by the animatronic for the grandma from Carousel of Progress.
Grams is also frequently assumed to be Granny Ghoul, a character voiced by Paul Frees (doing an impression of Ruth McDevitt) who appeared in promotional radio adds for the Haunted Mansion's opening in Disneyland. This character was revealed to have been a socialite from Peoria, Illinois, who worked as a silent-film actress in vampire movies. As with Grams it is unknown when she first came to the Haunted Mansion, but it is known that she finds amusement in the extreme reactions mortals have to ghosts.
Appearances[]
The Haunted Mansion[]
Grams appears in the ballroom scene of the attraction, sitting in a rocking chair nearby a fireplace. As she rocks, she fades in and out of sight revealing the face-like design of her rocking-chair's back.
Other Appearances[]
Video Games[]
The Haunted Mansion (video game)[]
In this video-game, Grams, identified as "Old Lady", is one of the supporting protagonists and is among the six main friendly ghosts enslaved by Atticus Thorn. She first appears in the Great Hall, talking with the other ghosts and commenting of Zeke Holloway's good attitude, viewing him as a person worthy of helping them destroy the mansion's curse. When Zeke faints, Grams hopes he feels better after she and the other ghosts nurse him back to health. She later reappears in the Parlor level where gives Zeke a weapon upgrade upon the level's completion. At the end of the game, Grams and the other ghosts gather to commend Zeke for his bravery and success in defeating Thorn and, along with Leota, becomes his mentor and guide for his career as an author. Her backstory is revealed when the player finds her death certificate which shows that she died via poisoned tea.
This version of the character was voiced by the late Russi Taylor, who was the official voice of Minnie Mouse from 1986 until her death in 2019.
Printed-Materials[]
The Haunted Mansion: Frights of Fancy[]
Grams is one of the ghosts in this comic recruited by Constance Hatchaway to help the protagonist Sydney make the Haunted Mansion scarier.
