Behind the Tombstones: The Imagineers at Disneyland & Magic Kingdom Haunted Mansions

Welcome, foolish mortals… We’re stepping into the graveyards of Disney’s most beloved haunted homes to learn more about some of the tombstones at the Haunted Mansions in Disney parks. These resting places may look like mere set pieces, but each tombstone tells a story. Hidden puns, Imagineer tributes, and a few ghostly secrets are etched into the stone if you know where to look.

Today, we’ll be focusing on some of those who reside specifically at Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida. As we learn more about each name, we’ll also touch briefly on their connections to the other parks around the world. But we will cover the other parks’ tombstones in their entirety, as well as uncover some additional tombstones and busts in the future.

Let’s start off with the tombstones that appear in more than one park.

Requiesca (has a t at the end for MK)
Francis Xavier,
No Time Off For
Good Behavior
R.I.P.

Renowned Imagineer Francis Xavier “X” Atencio played a key role in shaping the Haunted Mansion’s storyline, co-writing the memorable lyrics for “Grim Grinning Ghosts”, contributed to the creation of the clever tombstone inscriptions, and his voice can be heard in the Haunted Mansion, calling for help from inside the coffin in the conservatory.

Dear Departed
Brother Dave,
He Chased a Bear
Into a Cave

This headstone honors Dave Burkhart, who served as the model builder for the Haunted Mansion.

 

At Peaceful Rest
Lies Brother Claude,
Planted Here
Beneath This Sod

At Tokyo Disneyland it reads a little different – At Peaceful Rest Lies Brother Dodd / Planted Here Beneath This Sod

Imagineer Claude Coats was responsible for designing the layout for the Haunted Mansion’s OmniMover ride track and producing numerous concept sketches for the attraction. He played a key role in shaping the mansion’s interior environments. 

 

In Memory of
Our Patriarch,
Dear Departed
Grandpa Marc

Marc Davis was a celebrated Disney designer and artist who was responsible for nearly all the Haunted Mansion’s concept art, including many of its whimsical characters and scenes.

His concept art is widely regarded by Disney fans and has inspired many of the audio-animatronic scenes found in The Haunted Mansion.

 

Master Gracey
Laid to Rest,
No Mourning Please
At His Request
Farewell

Yale Gracey was behind many of the Haunted Mansion’s special effects, such as the stretching portraits and the séance room.

Yale Gracey and Rolly Crump spent a year collaborating in a warehouse, focused on developing special effects and playful gags for The Haunted Mansion. Although The Haunted Mansion was never given an official backstory, the Master Gracey tombstone led many visitors to believe he was the owner of the mansion and the Ghost Host who guides the tour. But, according to X Atencio, who wrote the epitaphs, the term “Master” just refers to him being a young man. However, the fan theory did inspire the character of Master Gracey that appeared in the Haunted Mansion film from 2023.

Here Lies
Good Old Fred,
A Great Big Rock
Fell On His Head
R.I.P.

This epitaph pays tribute to Fred Joerger, an art director who created many of the Haunted Mansion’s plaster effects.

Wathel R. Bender,
He Rode to Glory
On a Fender
Peaceful Rest

A pioneer in Audio-Animatronics, Wathel Rogers played a key role in programming many of the Haunted Mansion’s figures.

 

Good Friend Gordon,
Now You’ve Crossed
The River Jordan

Gordon Williams created many of the Mansion’s sound effects and contributed to programming its Audio-Animatronics.

However, at Tokyo Disneyland, it reads as – R.I.P. Good friend Borden / Now you’ve crossed the River Jordan.

Rest in Peace
Cousin Huet,
We All Know
You Didn’t Do It

Cliff Huet served as both the architect and the lead interior designer.

 

Here Lies a Man
Named Martin,
The Lights Went Out
On This Old Spartan

Bill Martin led the special effects department at Imagineering and was instrumental in developing the track systems for all dark rides, as well as in lighting effects.

 

R.I.P.
In Memoriam
Uncle Myall,
Here You’ll Lie
For Quite a While

Chuck Myall served as an art director and project designer at WED Enterprises, playing a key role in the development and planning of the Magic Kingdom.

R.I.P.
Mister Sewell,
The Victim of
A Dirty Duel
Peaceful Rest

Bob Sewell was among the lead modelers at WED Enterprises.

Dear Sweet Leota,
Beloved By All
In Regions Beyond Now,
But Having a Ball

As an artist at WED, the likeness of "Little" Leota Toombs was used as the model for the head inside the crystal ball during the séance scene, inspiring the character’s name, “Madame Leota,” in her honor. Keep an eye on her tombstone—it rises and lowers, and its realistic face opens its eyes to watch guests as they enter, creating a wonderfully eerie effect.

 

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First Lady of Opera
Our Haunting Harriet
Searched For A Tune
But Never Could Carry It

Harriet Burns was the first woman to join Walt Disney Imagineering and worked as both a model maker and scenic designer. She played a crucial role in bringing the friendly ghosts of the Haunted Mansion to life. Initially, she was chosen to provide the face for the character that became Madame Leota, but her features were ultimately too delicate to be projected onto the bust, so Leota Toombs was selected instead.

Her tombstone features a Viking helmet, referencing her role as the female Opera Ghost in the Graveyard scene.

 

Campbell
He Died In A Fall
It's A Fact Notwithstanding
But the Judges Admired
His Form On The Landing

Collin Campbell contributed the spooky illustrations for the beloved book for the “The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion” album from 1969, which became a favorite keepsake for generations of Disneyland fans.

 

The Crypt at the Magic Kingdom features 4 unique individuals:

Farewell Forever,
Mister Frees
Your Voice Will Carry
On The Breeze

A salute to actor Paul Frees, the voice behind the Ghost Host.

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A Train
Made A Stain
Of Absent-Minded
Uncle Blaine
Rest In Pieces

Blaine Gibson was a sculptor, animator, and Disney Imagineer who crafted character molds for the Haunted Mansion as well as many other Disney attractions.

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While
Brother Roland
Here Reposes
His Soul's Above
Or One Supposes

A more direct tribute to Rolland "Rolly" Crump.

One of Rolly Crump’s first projects at WED was developing concepts for The Haunted Mansion alongside Yale Gracey, focusing on illusions rather than the traditional “spook house” approach. Crump designed imaginative elements such as the “candle man” and talking furniture. (if you look closely in the attic scene at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, you just might find the “candle man” hiding in there.)

Crump and Gracey also experimented with illusions like Pepper’s Ghost, which became central to the Mansion’s ballroom scene. Originally intended as a walk-through, the attraction evolved into a ride, but many of Crump’s creative illusions and concepts remain at the heart of the Haunted Mansion experience.

  ---------------------------

Drink A Toast To
Our Friend
Ken
Fill Your Glass
And Don't Say
"When"

Ken Anderson was an animator and Imagineer who developed many of the foundational concepts for The Haunted Mansion. His contributions included sketches, paintings, models, and audio recordings.

Ken was chosen by Walt Disney to head the project for the Haunted Mansion. He drew inspiration for the Mansion’s design from Southern antebellum and plantation homes, ultimately basing it on the Shipley-Lydecker House in Baltimore, Maryland.

Throughout the development process, Ken wrote four different scripts for the attraction: the first centered on the Legend of Captain Gore, the second on Bloodmere Manor, the third featured a ghostly wedding reminiscent of Phantom Manor, and the final draft was inspired by the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Many of Anderson’s ideas and scenes were incorporated into the final version of the Haunted Mansion, including the design of the Disneyland Mansion, a hanging character, and an elevator for guests.

Here Floats Captain Culpepper Clyne
Allergic To Dirt So He's Pickled in Brine
He Braved The Sea And All Her Wrath
But Drowned On Land While Taking A Bath

Captain Culpepper Clyne's crypt is located in the Haunted Mansion queue at the Magic Kingdom, where guests can hear his voice singing sailors’ chants. Occasionally, water or bubbles spray from the crypt when the Captain’s ghost sneezes.

Captain Clyne was also intended to represent "The Mariner," a character whose portrait appears in the loading zone with eyes that once followed guests. The Mariner was inspired by early, unused concepts for Captain Gore, a character from the story ideas developed by Ken Anderson.

 

Cousin Victor
He Brewed A
Batch
Of Bad Elixir

Vic Greene’s tombstone was created as in recognition to one of the Haunted Mansion’s chief architects.

Interesting fact - In 1970, the “Family Plot” area where Vic Greene’s tombstone was originally located was removed to make space for a larger queue. After Greene’s passing, his widow requested that the tombstone not be returned to the area, so out of respect to her it was never added back to the Magic Kingdom or Tokyo Disneyland. 

In 2014, Vic Greene’s grandson started a petition to bring back the tombstone. By late 2016, the Berm Cemetery at Disneyland was reestablished, and Cousin Victor’s tombstone was returned.

R.I.P.
Cam Irving
Probably Should've Thought of Swerving

This is a salute to Imagineer Kim Irvine, who is not only the daughter of Leota Toombs, who we mentioned earlier, but she was instrumental in the most recent update to the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, especially with the Bride scene in the attic. Continuing her mother’s legacy, Kim Irvine now serves as the model for Leota characters in updates and seasonal overlays, including Haunted Mansion Holiday. She also had a cameo appearance as a maid in “Muppets Haunted Mansion”.

In Final Rest, M. Dibjib. He Had to Eat That One Last Rib

and

Loyal Friend Esteban Pine. No Longer Has to Wait in Line

In this double tombstone, M. Dibjib commemorates Imagineer Michael Dobrzycki, while Esteban Pine pays tribute to Steve Pinedo.

Michael Dobrzycki is an art director at Walt Disney Imagineering.

Steve Pinedo is a Sr. Design Asset Specialist, Show Documentation Asset Administrator, Creative Design Services Manager, Show Awareness Producer.

Julia Shrub
Such A Good Sport
When People Would Tease Her
For Being So Short

Julia Shrub is one of the spirits featured in the Haunted Mansion.

This tombstone acknowledges Julie Bush, a contemporary Imagineer and a leading landscape designer at Disneyland.

 

Aqui Descansa
Bradford
Clemente
Por
Demasiado
Beber
de la Fuente

Brad Clemens was the senior show designer for the Haunted Mansion.

His tombstone's epitaph is written in Spanish and translates to "Here Rests Bradford Clemente. He drank too much from the fountain”. At the top of the epitaph is a bunch of grapes, giving us a clue as to which "fountain" we are referring to here.

Here Lies
Phineas
Pock
Laid To Rest
Beneath This
Rock
R.I.P.

While this tombstone doesn’t recognize a designer or builder, it does celebrate a character featured in every Haunted Mansion around the world except Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland.

At Disneyland, Phineas P. Pock appears as an animated marble bust in the graveyard, singing “Grim Grinning Ghosts” with the Mellomen Group, portrayed by Bob Ebright.

In Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square Mansion, Phineas is also part of the ride, but his tombstone on the hillside simply bears his name, without an epitaph.

At Phantom Manor in Paris, Phineas can be found in the Underworld section before Phantom Canyon, performing “Grim Grinning Ghosts” alongside three other busts. And in Tokyo Disneyland, Phineas and the other Singing Busts are represented in the graveyard scene as well.

 

Rolo
Rumpkin
Lived And
Died A
Friendly
Bumpkin

Rolo Rumkin is a character featured in every Haunted Mansion attraction worldwide, except for Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland. His voice and likeness are provided by Verne Rowe.

At Disneyland, his spirit appears as an animated marble bust in the graveyard, joining the Mellomen Group to perform “Grim Grinning Ghosts.”

In Phantom Manor, Rolo is seen in the Underworld section before Phantom Canyon, where he continues to sing “Grim Grinning Ghosts,” this time accompanied by three other busts.

In Tokyo Disneyland, Rolo and the other Singing Busts are also present in the graveyard scene.

In other appearances, such as the Ghost Gallery, Rolo is known as Richard Ravens. According to the story, he was a member of the Yale Glee Club, befriended the Ghost Host (Master Gracey), and became a songwriter alongside future bust Robert Croft. Legend has it that the singers met their end at Gracey Manor when a lightning bolt struck their microphones.

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At both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom, there are crypts featuring fun puns. Let's check some of them out now!

From left to right, top to bottom:

• I. Trudy Departed (I truly departed)
• Theo Later (See you later)
  
• Ray N. Carnation (Reincarnation)
  
• U.R. Gone (You are gone)
  
• I.L. Bebeck (I'll be back)
  
• Dustin T. Dust (Dust into dust)
• Levi Tation (Levitation)
• I.M. Mortal (I am mortal)
  
• Rustin Peece (Rest in peace)
  
• M.T. Tombs (Empty tombs)
  
• G.I. Miss You (Gee, I miss you)
  
• Pearl E. Gates (Pearly gates)

From left to right, top to bottom:

• Hal Lusinashun (Hallucination)
  
• Bea Witch (Bewitch)
  
• Hap A. Rition (Apparition)
  
• Manny Festation (Manifestation)
  
• Metta Fisiks (Metaphysics)
  
• Clare Voince (Clairvoyance)
  
• Wee G. Bord (Ouija board)
  
• I. Emma Spook (I am a spook)
  
• Paul Tergyst (Poltergeist)

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As we make our way back through the graveyard gates, we leave behind the clever carvings, ghostly giggles, and the Imagineers who turned tombstones into timeless tributes.

The Haunted Mansion’s epitaphs remind us that Disney magic lives not just in the rides… but in the details most guests might never notice.

Thank you for joining us on this tour of the Haunted Mansion graveyards around Disney parks.

Which tombstone or pun crypt is your favorite? Is there an Imagineer you'd like to see a tombstone for? What would it say? Share your thoughts and photos with us by commenting below, or becoming a member of our Facebook Group: Where in the Park Explorers! There’s always room for one more!

Until next time… beware of hitchhiking ghosts… and we’ll see you somewhere in the park.

 

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✨Articles referenced in this blog - in order of appearance✨

Francis "X" Atencio, Dave Burkhart, Claude Coats, Marc Davis, Yale Gracey, Fred Joerger, Wathel Rogers, Gordon Williams, Cliff Huet, Bill Martin, Chuck Myall, Bob Sewell, Leota Toombs

DisneyDispatch.com - The 13 Tombstones at the Haunted Mansion 0 Jeff Heimbuch, 2011

TheMouseletsforLess.com - The Tombstones and Creepy Old Crypts of the Haunted Mansion - Lou Mongello, 2005
Harriet Burns - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Collin Campbell - D23.com
Paul Frees -

Mister Frees - Haunted Mansion Wiki

Paul Frees - Haunted Mansion Wiki

Ghost Host - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Blaine Gibson - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Roland "Rolly" Crump - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Ken Anderson -

Ken Anderson Haunted Mansion Wiki

Shipley-Lydecker House - MDHistory.org
Captain Culpepper Clyne - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Victor Greene - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Kim Irvine - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Michael Dobrycki & Steve Pinedo -

M. Dibjib - Haunted Mansion Wiki

Michael Dobrycki - Whittier.edu

Esteban Pine - Haunted Mansion Wiki

Steve Pinedo - LinkedIn
Julia Bush - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Brad Clemens - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Phineas Pock - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Rolo Rumpkin - Haunted Mansion Wiki
Pun Crypts Disneyland & Magic Kingdom - Haunted Mansion Wiki

General Info and Epitaph Sayings - Haunted Mansion Wiki