Disney DIY: Where to find authentic Haunted Mansion ballroom table setting selections

in Disney, Disneyland Resort, Theme Parks

A Child blowing a cake

“How in the after-world, do I set my dining room like Disney’s Haunted Mansion ballroom table?” When that came up online recently, it was time to do some digging (and, once the graves were completed, some research, too).

Disney’s original retirement home for ghosts turning 50 this year. In honor of this swinging wake, we felt it was time to share a spirited selection of ride authentic accouterments for the perfect paranormal place setting.

Where’s a crystal ball when you need one?

While leisurely perusing ghostly goodies online (as any fan of the Haunted Mansion does from time to time), I stumbled upon a very good question. Facebook user Dawn M. (via Haunted Mansion Fan Page Buy/Sell on Facebook) inquired about authentic appearing plates for her wonderfully recreated Haunted Mansion ballroom table. Another fan quickly quipped that the pattern is called “Blue Italian” and offered a link to the delightful dishes.

Curious, I took a peek and almost earned an express trip to the beloved mansion, when my heart almost stopped, upon realizing the $332 price tag!

Where else might these magical place settings be found? Unable to conjure up an answer from the spirits, I took the weird wide web to assemble the ingredients for this ethereal inspired endeavor. What follows is a shopping list for fans to recreate their very own version of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ballroom table setting.

Dining Table

Gathering the ghostly goodies

A fearsome foundation (aka table cloth) sets the stage for this ghostly gathering of goodies.  This ivory Damask 72×72 cotton/polyester piece is a pretty close match.

Table with a Tablecloth

$30 (+shipping) from Bed Bath & Beyond

The perfect paranormal pattern – after learning of the correct authentic dining platters (aka the dishes), I took a gander at Amazon and the fickle finger of fortune smiled upon me! Spode’s “Blue Italian” pattern popped up on Amazon for a fraction of the cost.

Set of Ceramic Plates and Glass

$80 from Amazon

Of note, this 1816 pattern, however, was not the first to make hidden Mickey’s on the haunted mansion ballroom table. The original design was less ornate and was replaced sometime in the late 70’s/early 80’s.

Antique apparitions

The remaining two items on this epitaph of entertainment are a bit more difficult to gather. The final two elements remaining require recovery from regions beyond. These Haunted Mansion ballroom table antiques can still be found online (even on Amazon), but unlike the 999 retired ghosts, they only haunt in small quantities.

Ghostly goblets, fit for a king, can be traced back to the 1800s.  Originally known as “Excelsior” these nineteenth-century cranberry-colored crystal creations are more commonly called “Kings Crown” (or even thumbprint) due to their ornate design.

Passed down through three companies (Adams Glass, Tiffin Glass and Indiana Glass), their manufacturing terminated at the end of the 20th century. Used goblets can still be found online and come in two sizes: King’s Crown cranberry wine glasses and the larger King’s Crown cranberry claret wine glass.  They do materialize (at various price points) on Amazon from time to time.

Wine Glass

$50 (+ shipping) on Amazon

Phantom Flatware – Lastly, perhaps the most obscure and expensive piece of the Haunted Mansion ballroom table setting is its fancy flatware. Simple yet elegant, these dining utensils (salad fork, dinner fork, butter knife, spoon and teaspoon), found in the Cantada pattern, provide paranormal place settings for this ghostly ballroom. A vintage 18/8, 47 piece set from Community Stainless can run as much as $240.00!

Stainless Spoons

$240 (+ shipping) from Amazon

A table with ghosts sitting around it

While other incarnations of Disney’s ghostly retreat rely on different patterns and styles, these 5 phantom favorites fall in line with the only one currently celebrating 50 years of thrilling guests. For details on the other place settings, be sure to check out the Long-Forgotten blog. Not only was their entry on Haunted Mansion Ballroom Table Settings extremely helpful in calling in the spirits of this story, but there’s also a happy haunted host of details on this topic and several other Mansion mysteries on the site.

The Haunted Mansion

Recreating an authentic atmos-Fear resembling the spirited setting at Disney’s Haunted Mansion ballroom table may not be the most economical example of proving one’s passion for the attraction, but it does offer a degree of pride knowing that same selections are certainly serving as a hidden Mickey while playful spooks celebrate their swinging wake.

Dining platters and King’s Crown cranberry wine glasses from The Haunted Mansion

Source and images: Amazon, Long-Forgotten, Michael Gavin

in Disney, Disneyland Resort, Theme Parks

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