LEFT : The Spectral Bride . PHOTO BY RICH RAMOS , RIGHT : The Waltzing Dead . PHOTO BY CLIFF WANG
guitar ? I ’ ve never laughed so hard in my life . Get it , girl .
The “ pirate unit ” of the parade has always represented Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean . Captain Hook and Mr . Smee had once crewed the ship , but there must have been a mutiny : Captains Jack and Barbossa now stand on deck while Smee and Hook fend off Lost Boys in the streets . Tinkerbell separates the two warring factions by adorably riding atop an overflowing treasure chest mini-float .
In earlier incarnations of Boo-to-You , Cruella de Vil stalked down the street in a surely misguided effort at realism — she eyed a wheeled cage with four very real , scared , and barking Dalmations . They were retired from the parade in 2005 , when we instead saw a much more relaxed bloodhound leading a very frightened Haunted Mansion gravedigger .
The Haunted Mansion float was much like the one we have today ( complete with gravediggers dragging those shovels ) but used to be led by Chip ‘ n ’ Dale in rather unconvincing ghost costumes . Since then , we have seen variations on the theme , including the addition of Madame Leota and a new leader for the Waltzing Dead — the spectral Bride materialized in 2019 .
Floats you may recognize today have undergone a few changes : Splash Mountain characters left in favor of Clarabelle Cow on the silo and barn floats in 2013 , and the Goofy ’ s Candy Company ( love that merch tie-in ) bubblegum machine swapped to a Wreck-It Ralph theme in 2014 .
A sadly bygone float was a Herculesthemed crag of rock that featured the Muses solemnly crooning in front of Hades while huge glowing Hydra puppets snarled at the crowd . Other defunct Boo-to-You floats included a towering Hundred Acre Wood tree ( retired in 2013 ), the Evil Witch crone mixing up a smoking brew , and a forgettable giant , grinning jack-o ’ -lantern .
COSTUMES , TREATS , AND ACTIVITIES The trick-or-treat locations , food offerings , and merchandise have varied throughout the years — well-earned prizes for enthusiastic trick-or-treaters . The costumes of both adults and children in attendance have grown increasingly creative and elaborate since the party ’ s inception . We ’ ve seen everything from a “ Code 2319 ” from Monsters , Inc . ( yep , that ’ s a sock stuck to the back of a shirt ) to a complete cardboard replica of a Skyliner gondola .
Dressing up has always been a part of MNSSHP , and just like us , Mickey and Minnie put careful thought into their costumes . Their adorable get-ups have included scarecrow and cowgirl , jester and witch , and vampire and fairy .
One feature of after-hours parties is short lines for all attractions , and in 2018 , two rides received spooky enhancements . The first was a pitch-dark ride on Space Mountain to freaky upbeat tunes . Sounds delightful , but that haunted track terrorized my daughter more than any ghost could ( I smartly waited outside to attend to my Hades Nachos ). Over at Pirates of the Caribbean , a few scruffy swashbucklers interacted with guests . The
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