So I read in Genii Magazine a few issues back that Disney had made some Haunted Mansion Playing Cards. Richard Kaufman, of Genii was kind enough to provide a telephone number to purchase these directly from Disney. Since I lived 10 miles from Disneyland, I figured next time I visit, I’ll pick up a few decks. I had seen them on eBay for as much as $10.00 or $15.00 dollars, but I happened to know they retailed for $5.00.

My friend’s band was playing a St. Patrick’s Day concert at the Anaheim House of Blues and I was “All Access” in exchange for photographing their performance. I arrived 20 minutes ahead of time and went straight to the World of Disney store and asked a clerk for the Playing Cards. She knew they existed, but had not seen them. She asked a supervisor and discovered that they only had a few decks and they were in the warehouse. She brought out 3 decks which I promptly purchased.

I would not have brought these cards up in a Magic Forum, but since Genii mentioned it and I know many Magic enthusiasts collect cards, I wanted to review them.



First of all, these are clearly Disney Collectors cards and not meant to be used for play or performance. I’ll explain. Marked on the outer box it’s labeled, “Glow in the dark”. The backs of these cards are coated with a phosphorescent texture so “The Haunted Mansion” and eerie eyes glow when exposed to florescent light. The first thing I noticed as I was fanning the cards is “they don’t”. The abrasive texture on the backs causes the cards to stick together. As I attempted an Overhand Shuffle I immediately noticed the texture was scratching the finish on the faces of the cards.

The Glow in the Dark texture on card backs yields a “light” rough-smooth surface. I attempted to try an “Invisible Deck” stack, but the rough texture does not hold well enough.

The design quality is great if you like the Haunted Mansion or the gothic-spooky look. The backs say “The Haunted Mansion” and the background represents the Haunted Mansion wallpaper with the ghoulish faces with glowing eyes. Printed on one end is “Walt Disney World” and “Disneyland” on opposite end. This makes for subtle gimmick to use as a “one-Way” deck.

The court-cards, including the aces, are represented by the “Stretching” portraits in the Gallery. The pips look as if they were written with a calligraphy pen. Although I like how they are uniquely arranged and how they look, they are hard to tell apart since they design is so similar. The joker is Madam Leota’s face floating in here crystal ball. The faces and backs have a distressed look to them, with the court-cards looking as if they art is old and cracking. The face backgrounds have a beautiful Victorian ivy pattern on parchment. They are also Bridge size, not Poker size.

So in closing, these are strictly novelty or collectors cards. The cards are highly unsuitable for performance use. You cannot fan or flourish with them because of the rough texture on the backs and with continual use, the faces will scratch over time. From a Disney - Haunted Mansion - Gothic Genre enthusiast point of view, these cards are fantastic. As a magician, these cards are unusable. They retail for $5.00 and are exclusively available at the theme park stores.

Thanks for the info ... I'll be geting some. I don't need to fan or flourish, but I hope I can do something like a SS.
Hope they have them here in Orlando?
They appear to be One Way.

WOW!!! this's cool, thanks!!!

I was at Disney World in Orlando last week and they still have these decks. The price is $4.95 and they had a good stock of them when I was there. For anyone interested you can find them at the gypsy cart gift stand next to the Haunted Mansion. I did not see them in any of the other gift shops in the park. As reviewed above, they are great looking props but not suited for manipulation.