Disney Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Disney Wiki
Sorcerer Mickey sparkling

The Headless Horseman is a featured article, which means it has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Disney Wiki community. If you see a way this page can be updated or improved without compromising previous work, please feel free to contribute.

The Headless Horseman is the main antagonist of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the second half of Disney's 1949 animated feature film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Appearances

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Brom Bones tells Ichabod Crane the story of the Headless Horseman, who is the worst ghost in all of Sleepy Hollow. Every Halloween night he rides in across the countryside, looking for his head. If he can't find it, he'll take other people's heads to replace it. The only way to escape him is to cross the bridge near the church, as the Horseman's dark powers are limited only to the woods.

That very night, Ichabod rides home alone on his horse Gunpowder and keeps imagining that he is being followed. When he finds that it's only cattails bumping on a log, Ichabod laughs hysterically before being joined casually by Gunpowder. But both rider and horse suddenly stop as another, more sinister laugh joins them. They both slowly turn around to find the Headless Horseman about to attack them, sword at the ready. He gives chase, laughing all the while. When Ichabod momentarily is trapped on the Horseman's own black steed, he looks down the Horseman's neck to find nothing but evil hollow laughter. Ichabod runs for the bridge and barely manages to make it across. As Ichabod turns around, he screams as the black horse rears up and the Headless Horseman throws a flaming jack o' lantern right at him. Ichabod tries to dodge the horrible missile, but too late. He gets struck in the head and tumbles off Gunpowder into the dust.

The very next morning, Ichabod's hat is found next to a shattered pumpkin. However, Ichabod has vanished since Brom and Katrina Van Tassel are married. Rumors about Ichabod still alive and married to a wealthy widow in a distant county are all but dismissed, as the good townsfolk of Sleepy Hollow know that he must have been spirited away (or most likely killed) by the Headless Horseman himself.

Darkwing Duck

The Headless Horseman makes a very brief cameo in the Darkwing Duck episode "Monsters R Us", in which he appears from behind a closed door inside the home of Morgana Macawber. When Darkwing pays Morgana a surprise visit and finds find her house to be empty, he looks around for her before opening one of her doors to reveal the Horseman surrounded by a fire. Angered, the Horseman rides forward and tramples over Darkwing in his path, leaving horseshoe marks all over the poor hero's body.

House of Mouse

The Headless Horseman appears in House of Mouse, as a recurring guest in the audience. In "Where's Minnie?", the Headless Horseman is featured in a commercial for Scuttle's Lost & Found, the lost and found service provider for the House of Mouse nightclub.

In "Rent Day", the Horseman is one of many guests Mickey Mouse attempts to make a trade with in order for Mickey to get the fifty dollars he needs to pay the rent for the nightclub. When bargaining with the Horseman, Mickey offers to get him a pumpkin as a new head if the Horseman would give his sword to Mickey. Ultimately, however, Mickey is unable to fulfill any of his trades, so the Horseman got to keep his sword.

When Pete takes over the nightclub in "Pete's House of Villains", the Horseman takes over Clarabelle Cow's duty of hosting the Main Street Gossip segment, which leaves many of the guests unsatisfied since the Horseman lacks a head with which to speak any gossip at all.

The Cat That Looked at a King

The Headless Horseman is briefly mentioned by the King, who says he once displeased him, and subsequently "lost his head", implying that the Horseman was beheaded on order of the King.

Mickey Mouse

The Headless Horseman makes a cameo in the special "The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular", where while trick-or-treating, Goofy sees him take the place of a statue and give his iconic laugh, much to his horror.

Once Upon a Studio

The Headless Horseman appears in the men's bathroom along with Gaston, Happy, Thomas O'Malley, Prince John, Milo Thatch and Chicken Little, preparing for the group photo, he is later seen at the end of the short in the group photo

Printed media

Disney Comics

In Carl Barks' Donald Duck story The Golden Helmet, one of the items shown in the Duckburg Museum is "the Headless Horseman's toupee".

Disney Parks

The Headless Horseman is part of various Halloween festivities at Walt Disney World, leading the Boo to You Parade at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and being the center of a Sleepy Hollow themed haunted hayride at Fort Wilderness.

At Hong Kong Disneyland, the Headless Horseman was the host of the 2011 Halloween festivities. He leads the Halloween parade and starred in a new haunted maze in Adventureland, The Revenge of the Headless Horseman. Here, a member of an Adventurers Club has claimed to have found his head and is presenting it in a sideshow exhibit, provoking the Horseman's wrath. This attraction proved popular enough to become a recurring feature of the event.

The Headless Horseman made his debut as part of Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland in 2016, leading the Frightfully Fun Parade. A statue of the Horseman has also become a central feature of Disney California Adventure's Halloween festivities on Buena Vista Street.

In World of Color: Villainous!, the Headless Horseman is the last villain to appear in the villain montage (as well as the last one to be introduced in the Halloween special). As the Queen of Hearts shouts "Off with their heads!", the Horseman appears laughing maniacally wielding his sword and pumpkin head, which he throws at the audience causing a fiery explosion with actual flame streams rising up.

The Horseman also has a spell card known as "The Headless Horseman's Exploding Jack-O-Lantern" in the attraction Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.

The Headless Horseman is symbolized at the Sleepy Hollow refreshments at Liberty Square.

Gallery

Wiki
The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to The Headless Horseman.

Trivia

  • It is unknown whether or not the Headless Horseman was a real phantom or Brom Bones in disguise (as it was heavily implied in the book on which the movie was based). However, there are some suggestions that the Horseman was indeed an actual phantom, for even when Ichabod's fearful imagination is shown beforehand, Gunpowder could not have imagined it all after hearing that frightful laugh. Some of these things appear to confirm the existence of the Horseman:
    • Ichabod had looked inside his cloak, seeing nothing there.
      • However, he might have screamed because he didn't expect to see Brom, rather than not expecting to see nothingness, and he finally acknowledged that Brom was a severe threat to his life. This is supported by the Horseman slashing even harder once Ichabod looked inside.
    • Brom's horse did not have red eyes and a black mane like the Horseman's did.
    • Brom needed a saddle, reins, and a bridle to ride his horse, while the Horseman apparently didn't. His implied spiritual nature would likely allow him to remain on his horse without any real support.
      • Additionally, the Horseman's horse jumped high over a cliff, and was ahead of Ichabod briefly. No horse, let alone Brom's, could jump that high, and the Horseman remained in his saddle too.
    • The Horseman appeared to be slightly skinnier than Brom.
    • The Horseman pulled his fiery pumpkin head out of nowhere when he threw it at Ichabod, almost as though it were by magic.
  • It is unknown how the Horseman died as it was never stated in the film. In the original short story, it is said that he was a Hessian soldier whose head was blown off by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War.
    • According to a tour of the Old Dutch Church's cemetery at Sleepy Hollow, the body of the Hessian was buried in an otherwise normal patch of grass, due to him saving the life of the infant daughter of a wealthy family, despite both being on opposite sides of the American Revolution. The name of the family was "Van Tassel".
  • The song sung by Brom Bones (voiced by Bing Crosby) describes the Horseman as a spurned ghost who is rejected by the other phantoms, and is attempting to obtain a new head in order to gain acceptance.
  • In many early versions of the Haunted Mansion, the Headless Horseman was to be a focal point of the attraction's graveyard climax.
  • The Headless Horseman is one of the very few Disney villains to actually "win" rather than being defeated at the end of his/her film.
  • A portrait of the Headless Horseman can be seen in the video game Epic Mickey; in Lonesome Manor's library.
  • Despite making a small appearance, the Headless Horseman is considered one of the darkest and most disturbing Disney villains. He is also considered one of the scariest villains in any Disney canon and Disney still receives complaints from parents about him frightening children.
  • The Headless Horseman appeared on The Wonderful World of Disney the same Sunday night that the Beatles made their first appearance on national TV on The Ed Sullivan Show.
  • The maniacal laugh of the Headless Horseman has become a common stock sound effect in Halloween-themed cartoons as "EvilManLaughsWrev CRT024102", as catalogued by Sound Ideas. It is a modified version of "EvilManLaughs3x CRT024101" with added reverberation.
  • The Headless Horseman makes a cameo in the Broken Karaoke video, 'Where Are All the Monsters'.

External links

v - e - d
The-adventures-of-ichabod-and-mr-toad-logo
Media
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (The Wind in the WillowsThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow) • Video
Disney Parks
Mr. Toad's Wild RideStorybook Land Canal Boats

Restaurants: Toad Hall RestaurantSleepy Hollow Inn
Firework: Wonderful World of Animation
Halloween: Frightfully Fun ParadeGlow in the Park Halloween ParadeMickey's Boo-to-You Halloween ParadeThe Revenge of the Headless Horseman

Characters
J. Thaddeus ToadCyril ProudbottomRattyMoleAngus MacBadgerMr. WinkieWeaselsThe ProsecutorRed DevilsIchabod CraneKatrina Van TasselBrom BonesTildaBaltus Van TasselGunpowderDaredevilThe Headless Horseman
Songs
The Merrily SongIchabod CraneKatrinaHeadless Horseman
Locations
Toad HallSleepy Hollow


v - e - d
Disney Villains Logo
Members
The Evil QueenChernabogQueen of HeartsCaptain HookMaleficentCruella De VilUrsulaJafarScarHadesDr. Facilier

Other Disney Animation Villains: PeteBig Bad WolfWillie the GiantLonesome GhostsMortimer MouseMagic MirrorHonest JohnGideonStromboliMonstroPink ElephantsRingmasterThe Headless HorsemanLady TremaineAnastasia TremaineDrizella TremaineLuciferCheshire CatCard SoldiersMr. SmeeSi and AmAunt SarahDiabloJasper and HoraceMadam MimKaaShere KhanEdgarPrince JohnSir HissSheriff of NottinghamHeffalumpsWoozlesMadame MedusaBrutus and NeroAmos SladeHorned KingProfessor RatiganFeliciaSykesFlotsam and JetsamPercival C. McLeachGastonIagoShenzi, Banzai, and EdGovernor RatcliffeClaude FrolloPain and PanicFatesShan YuClaytonSaborYzmaLyle Tiberius RourkeCaptain GantuDr. Jumba JookibaJohn SilverScroopBowler Hat GuyDorisLawrenceDr. Facilier's ShadowMother GothelStabbington BrothersKing CandySour BillHansDuke of WeseltonYokaiBellwetherTamatoaKing Magnifico
Pixar Villains: Sid PhillipsScudHopperMoltEmperor ZurgStinky PeteRandall BoggsHenry J. Waternoose IIISyndromeChick HicksChef SkinnerAUTOCharles F. MuntzLotsoMiles AxlerodProfessor ZMor'duThunderclapErnesto de la CruzEvelyn DeavorDragon the Cat
Other Villains: Br'er FoxBr'er BearOogie BoogieWinifred SandersonMary SandersonSarah SandersonDr. HämstervielQueen NarissaWicked Witch of the WestRipslingerHitchhiking Ghosts

Disney Parks
Celebrate A Dreams Come True ParadeCelebrate the MagicCinderella Castle Mystery TourClub VillainDisney's FantillusionDisney's Maleficious Halloween PartyDisney's Not-So-Scary Halloween ShowDisney's Once Upon a Dream ParadeDisney Dreams!Disney's Stars 'n' Cars... As Never Seen BeforeFantasmic!Feel the MagicFrightfully Fun ParadeGlow in the Park Halloween ParadeHappy HallowishesHocus Pocus Villain SpelltacularInferno Dance PartyIt's Good To Be Bad With The Disney VillainsIt's Good to Be Bad Villainous CelebrationIt's Party Time... with Mickey and Friends... and the Disney VillainsMickey's Boo-to-You Halloween ParadeMickey and his Magic Halloween NightMomentousRe-Villains! Halloween ParadeSorcerers of the Magic KingdomThe Disney Villains Halloween ShowtimeThe Nightmare ExperimentThe Villains WorldUnleash the VillainsVillains GardensVillainy in the SkyVillains Mix and MingleVillains Night Out!Villains Tonight!WishesWorld of Color
Media
Mickey's House of VillainsOnce Upon a HalloweenDisney Villains: Simply Sinister SongsDisney Villains Songbook

Video Games: Disney Villains ChallengeDisney's Villains' Revenge


v - e - d
Kingdom keepers - logo
Books
Kingdom KeepersKingdom Keepers I: Disney After DarkKingdom Keepers II: Disney at DawnKingdom Keepers III: Disney in ShadowKingdom Keepers IV: Power PlayKingdom Keepers V: Shell GameKingdom Keepers VI: Dark PassageKingdom Keepers VII: The Insider
Characters
Original Characters: Finn WhitmanCharlene TurnerTerrence MaybeckDell PhilbyIsabella AngeloWayne KreskyAmanda LockhartJessica LockhartMrs. WhithamGreg LuowskiDillard Cole

Disney Characters: Mickey MouseMinnie MouseGoofyDonald DuckDaisy DuckPlutoChip and DaleArielViolet ParrMulanKing TritonMegaraStitchRemyDjangoRajahPrince PhillipElsaRapunzelTimonPumbaaTiggerLiloWinnie the PoohPiglet
Overtakers: MaleficentChernabogThe Evil QueenCruella De VilClaude FrolloUrsulaJafarShan YuJack SparrowTia DalmaGastonPrince JohnHorned KingBig Bad WolfJ. Worthington FoulfellowGideonShenzi, Banzai, and EdDiabloMagic BroomsGreen Army MenBlackbeardShere KhanSi and AmHopperFlotsam and JetsamJudge DoomMadame LeotaSaborThe Headless HorsemanStormtroopersScarZira

Locations
Magic KingdomEpcotDisney's Hollywood StudiosDisney's Animal KingdomDisney's Typhoon LagoonDisneyQuestCinderella CastleIt's a Small WorldSplash MountainThe New Adventures of Winnie the PoohBig Thunder Mountain RailroadCamp Minnie-MickeyExpedition EverestFantasmic!Voyage of the Little MermaidDisney DreamWalt Disney: One Man's DreamDisney's Animal Kingdom LodgeSoarin'Mission: SPACETest TrackWonders of LifeMorocco PavilionChina PavilionFrance PavilionNorway PavilionMexico PavilionDisneylandJungle CruiseThe Sorcerer's HatIndiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden EyeBuzz Lightyear Astro BlastersThe Haunted MansionCasey Jr. Circus TrainMickey's ToontownMatterhornThe Disney Gallery


v - e - d
Disney's Mickey Mouse - 2013 TV Series Logo
Media
Mickey MouseThe Wonderful World of Mickey MouseWhere's My Mickey?Comic bookWhere's My Mickey? XLMickey Mouse (Music from the Disney Mickey Mouse Shorts)
Disney Parks
The AnnexMickey and Minnie's Runaway RailwayMove It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street PartyVacation FunWorld of Color: CelebrateWe Love Mickey!

Fireworks: Wonderful World of Animation

Characters
Main: Mickey MouseMinnie MouseDonald DuckDaisy DuckGoofyPluto

Supporting: YetiMickey's ScooterHorace HorsecollarGubblesCatBaby PandaClara CluckGhoulyPeteLudwig Von DrakeScrooge McDuckClarabelle CowMr. JohnsonGrandma GoofyMinnie's ScooterJosé CariocaPanchito PistolesChip 'n' DaleSleepyDocBashfulHappyGrumpyDopeySneezyForest AnimalsHuey, Dewey, and LouieThe OrphansPiñatas BandidasPamplona BullsRoad HogsGiant SquidMortimer MouseThe Three Little PigsBig Bad WolfThe Evil QueenFlamingo Maitre'dGus GooseSanta ClausChernabog and his minionsBeagle BoysSpike the BeeEricaMartian RobotMorty and Ferdie FieldmousePluto's AngelPluto's DevilMuscular KangarooPiggyWeaselsHouse of TomorrowButch the BulldogMerlinUrsulaParrotLonesome GhostsFairy GodmotherBlue FairyJiminy CricketThe Magic MirrorMelvin, Buff, and Max
Cameos: Prince CharmingCinderellaCasey JuniorWalt DisneyOswald the Lucky RabbitWillie the WhaleLadyTrampPeter PigPaddy Pig • Unnamed Dog • BelleBeastGyro GearlooseGlut the SharkKing LouieFlunkeyBandar-logBuzzy, Flaps, Ziggy, and DizzySnow WhiteGeppettoPinocchioTeenagersPhantom BlotThe Headless HorsemanDirty BillHumphrey the BearMary PoppinsThumperBambiJafarRajaMartian MastermindDumboThe CrowsSkeletonsThree Little WolvesElmer ElephantTillie TigerMax HareToby TortoiseBambi's motherOrtensiaYen SidTimothy Q. MouseRhino GuardsMaleficent’s GoonsLady KluckMadam MimAlan-A-DaleMother RabbitSkippyFriar TuckOttoSir HissTriggerFlounderAracuan BirdFlitMadame UpanovaDapper DansFlora, Fauna, and MerryweatherJ. Thaddeus ToadCheshire CatVulturesJoeJennyFriend OwlBucky BugFlowers of WonderlandAliceTiggerWillie the GiantClopinGroguR2-D2Kermit the FrogChuubySusie the Little Blue CoupeIchabod CraneTilda

Episodes
Mickey Mouse

Season 1: "No Service" • "Yodelberg" • "Croissant de Triomphe" • "New York Weenie" • "Tokyo Go" • "Stayin' Cool" • "Gasp!" • "Panda-monium" • "Bad Ear Day" • "Ghoul Friend" • "Dog Show" • "O Sole Minnie" • "Potatoland" • "Sleepwalkin'" • "Flipperboobootosis" • "Tapped Out" • "Third Wheel" • "The Adorable Couple"
Season 2: "Cable Car Chaos" • "Fire Escape" • "Eau de Minnie" • "O Futebol Clássico" • "Down the Hatch" • "Goofy's Grandma" • "Captain Donald" • "Mumbai Madness" • "The Boiler Room" • "Space Walkies" • "Mickey Monkey" • "Clogged" • "Goofy's First Love" • "Doggone Biscuits" • "Workin' Stiff" • "Al Rojo Vivo" • "Bottle Shocked" • "A Flower for Minnie" • "Bronco Busted"
Season 3: "Coned!" • "One Man Band" • "Wish Upon a Coin" • "Movie Time" • "Shifting Gears" • "Black and White" • "­­¡Feliz Cumpleaños!" • "Wonders of the Deep" • "Road Hogs" • "No" • "Roughin' It" • "Dancevidaniya" • "Couple Sweaters" • "Turkish Delights" • "Sock Burglar" • "Ku'u Lei Melody" • "Entombed" • "No Reservations" • "Split Decision" • "Good Sports"
Season 4: "Swimmin' Hole" • "Canned" • "Touchdown and Out" • "Locked in Love" • "Bee Inspired" • "Shipped Out" • "Three-Legged Race" • "Nature's Wonderland" • "The Birthday Song" • "The Perfect Dream" • "Feed the Birds" • "Carnaval" • "Year of the Dog" • "The Fancy Gentleman" • "New Shoes" • "Springtime" • "Dumb Luck" • "Flushed!" • "Roll 'em"
Season 5: "Amore Motore" • "A Pete Scorned" • "House Painters" • "Surprise!" • "Hats Enough" • "Safari, So Good" • "For Whom the Booth Tolls" • "Outta Time" • "My Little Garden" • "You, Me and Fifi" • "Outback at Ya!" • "Our Homespun Melody" • "Over the Moon" • "Easy Street" • "Two Can't Play" • "Our Floating Dreams" • "Gone to Pieces" • "Carried Away"
Specials: "Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special" • "The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular"
The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse
Season 1: "Cheese Wranglers" • "House of Tomorrow" • "Hard to Swallow" • "School of Fish" • "Keep on Rollin'" • "The Big Good Wolf" • "The Brave Little Squire" • "An Ordinary Date" • "Supermarket Scramble" • "Just the Four of Us" • "Houseghosts" • "The Enchanting Hut" • "Duet for Two" • "Birdwatching" • "Bellboys" • "I Heart Mickey" • "Untold Treasures" • "Disappearing Act" • "Once Upon an Apple" • "Game Night"
Season 2: "The Wonderful Winter of Mickey Mouse" • "The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse" • "The Wonderful Summer of Mickey Mouse" • "The Wonderful Autumn of Mickey Mouse" • "Steamboat Silly"

Locations
Snack ShackCafe MinniePatisserie Daisy

Places in the World: Paris, FranceNew York City, New YorkTokyo, JapanBeijing, ChinaVenice, ItalyIdahoSan Francisco, CaliforniaBrazilIndiaPamplona, SpainMonacoLondon, EnglandMexicoMoscow, RussiaTurkeyHawaiiEgyptKorea
Allusions to Disneyland: Matterhorn BobsledsIt's a Small WorldMain Street Electrical ParadeKing Arthur CarrouselThe Haunted MansionGreat Moments with Mr. LincolnSpace MountainRocket to the MoonMine Train Through Nature's Wonderland

Songs
The Adorable CoupleHappy Birthday, Mickey Mouse • Jing-A-Ling-A-Ling • I'm AliveSwimmin' HoleOur Homespun MelodyCarried AwayNothing Can Stop Us NowBubblegum Days and Cotton Candy NightsDuet for TwoYodelbergPua Nani ĒTop of the WorldMumbai MadnessSpringtime SymphonyIsland RhythmFeelin' the LoveSummer VacationSweet Summer JamsThe Fall SongA Shooting StarHilltop Hootenanny
Advertisement