I have mentioned this many times in the past, the Haunted Mansion is my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World. I have experienced the Disneyland version and honestly I personally like the Florida version better, but I may be biases since that’s the one I’ve been able to ride most often. Even though the Ghost Host mentions that there are 999 Happy Haunts inside, there is one spirt that can be found in the California Mansion that has never appeared in Walt Disney World. That is until now.

Back in September 2023 at Disney’s Destination D23 Expo, Josh D’Amaro the Chairman of Parks and Resorts announced that the fan favorite Hatbox Ghost would be materializing in the Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion later that year. Sure enough towards the end over November he appeared for all guests to enjoy.

There has been some concern about his placement in the Mansion, but that’s a conversation for other park enthusiasts to get into. I love seeing the Hatbox Ghost and the effect of his face moving from the Hatbox to the top of his neck and back again is an amazing effect. Seeing it in person is a must, but there are many videos online (including one from our own Youtube Channel you can see below) that show off the effect quite well.

Now for us coin collectors I was hoping to see a new design released immediately after his grand release inside the Mansion, however as with many new things at Disney we had to wait. Thankfully it wasn’t too long into 2024 when a whole slew of new pressed penny designs were released to replace the previous 100th Anniversary designs, and sure enough that Hatbox was among them.

So this machine is not the easiest to find and I’ll try my best to explain exactly where it is located. First off it’s not really close to the Haunted Mansion. There is a Haunted Mansion themed machine with 4 penny designs but that is not the machine we are talking about today. This machine is still inside the Liberty Square area of the park so I guess that’s kind of connected to the Haunted Mansion. There is a quick service restaurant called Sleep Hollow and this machine is behind that. Technically this little breezeway pictures above is right outside the Hall of Presidents exit. Why they thought this was a good place for a machine I’m not sure.

The machine cabinet is nothing to special, dark paint on the wooden cabinet. There are three designs available at this machine, each will cost $1 and the machine supplies the penny to be pressed. I’ve mentioned before but get some questions about this periodically. If you only want one or two designs then you must pay with cash. That is the only way to press individual designs. If you use your credit / debit card or a digital form of payment like ApplePay or Google Wallet you will automatically be charged the full $3 and get the full set. If that’s what you want great, but I do see this happen often where someone swipes there card, and just gets one coin and walks off while the machine is still pressing the other designs.

Here he is the brand new Hatbox Ghost pressed penny designs now available at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. I think the design is fantastic, I love the Haunted Mansion font at the top, and of course the classic Hatbox Ghost pose in the middle.

Let me know in the comments, what is your favorite Disney attraction, and if you enjoy the Haunted Mansion of the 999 happy haunts which is your favorite? Maybe Madame Leota, or the Hitchhiking Ghosts. There are so many good ones to choose. Stay spooky and Keep on Pressing!

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