Haunted Mansion Etsy Fun

If you love Disney's Haunted Mansion like I do, you'll love these handmade treasures that we found over on Etsy. Check out the hand painted Converse sneakers above inspired by the wall paper in the Haunted Mansion. Love them.

Or these mouse ears inspired by the maids that let you into the mansion.

Here's a wall paper infinity scarf.

Or this fabulous necklace...

We'll get you ready for Halloween.

D23 Expo - Star Wars, Disney Legends and More

Mystery Playground was at D23 Expo this past weekend, the Disney Conference in Anaheim, California. The first act of the weekend was to get in line for the Disney Legends presentation where Disney anoints those who have contributed to the Disney legacy.  

We saw Richard Sherman and Ashley Brown perform the song, A Kiss Goodnight from the Disneyland Forever Fireworks show. 

Here's a video of that performance:

There was a performance honoring Disney Legend Eyvind Earle with a tribute by "Dancing with the Stars" Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd performed the Sleeping Beauty Waltz:

Susan Lucci, who played Erica Cane on All My Children, received an award. She said if she designed a ride for Disneyland for Erica it would be a rollercoaster with lots of husbands. 

George Lucas received the Disney Legends Award and told us that Goofy was the inspiration behind JarJar Binks.

And the surprise award was for Johnny Depp:

The new Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens movie costumes were out, here's the costume for Rey (Daisy Ridley):

Here's Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christy - Brienne on Game of Thrones)

Here's BB-8:

Here's the new Jack Sparrow costume:

A sequel to the Alice in Wonderland live action movie is coming out next year. Here are the costumes from that movie:

The models for the Pandora world slated for Animal Kingdom look fabulous:

Haunted Mansion & Pirates Harveys Handbags

I love Disneyland and I love handbags, so there is nothing better than a great Disneyland handbag - well almost. Harveys Seatbelt company has introduced bags with graphics from the original Disneyland ride posters in honor of the Disneyland Diamond Celebration. These are the posters that you see when you walk through the tunnel under the train station to get into Disneyland.

Five rides are celebrated on five different totes available in the park - Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dumbo, Peter Pan's Flight and The Enchanted Tiki Room. All five are great, although I would have loved an Alice in Wonderland or a Matterhorn (Hello, Harveys?). They also have two wallet styles and a smaller bag that have a montage of many of the posters on them. The great thing about Harveys bag is that they are pretty indestructible. They used to be too heavy for me to carry, but the company has gone to great pains to make them lighter. 

Here's a video so you can see all of the styles:

Not to be outdone, Dooney & Bourke has also issued two patterns to celebrate the Disneyland 60th. The first is blue and white and it comes in wristlet, letter carrier, satchel and big tote. 

The second is just blue and comes in satchel, letter carrier and wallet. You can get the price details for all of the Diamond Celebration Dooneys here.

All of these styles are available at Disneyland as I write this in August 2015. If you're looking for information about Disneyland Haunted Mansion Dooney & Bourkes, you can find that here. 

Speakeasy California Adventure: Carthay Circle

Carthay Circle Restaurant and bar doesn't really count as a speakeasy, because it's in Disney's California Adventure and the time period is a little late, but since the Mystery Playground team recently went and loved it, we'll still review it.

The restaurant is modeled after the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles, where there original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made it's debut on December 21, 1937. The restaurant has a wonderful old Hollywood vibe and if you look closely at the wall art on the first floor, you may be able to find memorabilia from the premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 

The Carthay Circle is a wonderful oasis in a busy park, geared more towards adults than children. The bar downstairs is also a wonderful place to grab a drink and sit down while others are running around. 

Food:
When you go, don't miss the Signature Fried Biscuits stuffed with White Cheddar, Bacon and Jalapeño with Apricot Honey Butter. They are fabulous and the taste of the jalapeño is ever so feint. 

Another thing not to miss is the Carthay Theater Popcorn Ice Cream. The ice cream usually accompanies the Valrhona Caramel Chocolate Turnover with House Made Marshmallow, but since we were so full they just brought us the popcorn ice cream. It was delicious and it really did taste like fresh, old fashioned buttered pop corn. 

Drinks:
They do have wonderful hand crafted cocktails. After a day in the parks, we just focused on the food. 

Reservations:
To get in, you need to pay admission into Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, CA, and you might also need a reservation during busy park times. You can reserve a table by calling Disney Dining at (714)781-DINE. They take reservations up to 60 days in advance. 

To see other Mystery Playground modern speakeasy reviews, click here.

Cars Land Holidays and Christmas Trees

Disneyland and California Adventure are always decorated so beautiful for the holidays, but the decorations in Cars Land this year have a wonderful sense of humor. I just had to share. 

Check out the one of kind,  Route 66, tree. 

The Cars Snow Plow is all dressed up for the holidays and there is even a little ornament to match. 

Above is the peace sign loving tree of the laid back van, Filmore. Below we have two trees from Sarge's Surplus Hut.

Sally's Cozy Cone hotel is decked out in bright orange with the extra special cone Christmas tree. 

The trees inside Flo's Cafe have a musical feel. The tree outside has motor oil for all. I don't usually put motor oil on my trees. 

The Band, Train, at Disneyland

The band, Train, performed at Disneyland today. They were  filming a Frozen-themed Christmas special. I love this band and it was the second time I was able to see them in person. They are great fun at a live performance so if you ever get the chance to see them, I say go! 

Here's a snippet of Cadellac Cadellac: