D23 News: The Hatbox Ghost popcorn bucket has a working disappearing effect
A lever at the base rotates a door open so the ghost appears in the window, the same trick the attraction does. It launched at Disneyland Resort on D23 Day with a two-per-person limit.
Most popcorn buckets are a shape with a face on it.
This one has a mechanism. WDW News Today reports that a lever at the base of the new Hatbox Ghost bucket rotates a door open, making the ghost appear through a clear window on the side. That’s the same appearing and disappearing gag the figure does inside The Haunted Mansion.
It went on sale at Disneyland Resort on Thursday, August 13, for D23 Day.
What the Hatbox Ghost bucket looks like
Dark blue, and shaped like the hatbox rather than the ghost.
One side carries the clear window. The other has an embossed Haunted Mansion logo. A Disney Parks strap comes with it.
That’s a different approach from the earlier Hatbox Ghost sipper, which was molded as the character himself. This one is the container his head lives in, which is a more literal read of the joke.
Where to buy the Hatbox Ghost popcorn bucket
Six locations across both parks.
In Disneyland: Harbour Galley, Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, Popcorn at Frontierland, and Popcorn at New Orleans. In Disney California Adventure: Popcorn at Grizzly Peak Airfield and Popcorn near Carthay Circle Restaurant.
Limit two per person per transaction. No discounts apply. Available while supplies last.
Disney has not published a price. Fantasy Land News estimated around $30 ahead of the launch, which is an estimate and not a confirmed figure.
Why the timing is a little early
Halloween Time at Disneyland doesn’t start until August 21.
The bucket landed eight days ahead of it, on a fan event date. That’s a deliberate choice, putting a limited Halloween novelty in front of the exact crowd most likely to line up for one.
A Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey cake pop launched the same day at Candy Palace, Trolley Treats, and Disney Wonderful World of Sweets.
The Hatbox Ghost is also at Magic Kingdom
Same bucket, different rules.
The Florida version is exclusive to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which opened August 7, sold at carts near Cinderella Castle to party ticket holders only. A Headless Horseman sipper joins it there.
The character himself has an odd history for something now on a popcorn bucket. He appeared when the Haunted Mansion opened in 1969, was pulled almost immediately because the effect didn’t work, and didn’t come back until 2015.
Forty-six years in storage, and now his head is a snack container with a lever on it.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
WDW News Today (August 13, 2026), the bucket’s design and the working lever mechanism, plus the Disneyland launch details
Disney Parks Blog via MiceChat (July 2026), the official D23 Day announcement including all six sales locations, the purchase limit, and the cake pop
Fantasy Land News (July 2026), the estimated price point and the Halloween Time calendar context
Haunted Attraction Network (August 2026), the both-coasts launch framing and the Halloween Time start date
Laughing Place (July 2026), the comparison to the earlier Hatbox Ghost sipper and the character’s 1969 removal and 2015 return