Caretaker

The Caretaker, semi-officially named Silas Crump, is a character found within the Haunted Mansion.
==History==
===Background===
The Caretaker is the groundskeeper for the Haunted Mansion and/or its adjacent cemetery. He does a nightly job with his dog with both master and pet being terrified of the manor's undead residents.
Many names have been put forward for the Caretaker over the years but the closest to an official one is Silas Crump. This name coming from a crate which could once be found in Liberty Square which was addressed to him.
==Appearance==
All the figures share the same face mold and basic costume (barring variations in the length of his scarf). The hairstyle of the Caretaker varies considerably however; for example when Walt Disney World first opened, he sported red hair with a Lincoln beard, something still displayed in the Tokyo Disneyland attraction, meanwhile the Disneyland version is clean-shaven with white hair.
==Appearances==
===The Haunted Mansion===
The Caretaker appears in all mainstream versions of the Haunted Mansion. He and his dog stand at the gates of the cemetery right after the guests fall from the attic. The caretaker and dog are seen cowering at the sight of the ghosts.
===Live-Appearances===
The Caretaker has made a handful of meet 'n' greet appearances as a face character, where he gives his dog's name to be "Bones". He notably opened the opening show to the Mansion's 50th-anniversary celebrations in 2019, warning the audience that he was feeling, down into his bones, that more supernatural activity would be afoot tonight than there had been ever since the Mansion first opened five decades earlier.
==Other Appearances==
===Film===
====The Haunted Mansion (film)====
The caretaker and his dog make a brief cameo as ghosts during the graveyard sequence. In this depiction, the dog's breed is identified as a Labrador retriever and is shown to be healthy in shape.
Early script drafts gave him a speaking role warning the Evers about the hauntings with the intent of casting Don Knotts. However, the character was regulated into a cameo, with an uncredited Knotts playing him as his last live-action film role. 
====Haunted Mansion (2023 film)====
The Caretaker and his dog appear in this movie, wherein they are depicted as ghosts, much like in the 2003 film. Here, they make their first appearance in a vision Ben Matthias is drawn into. As Ben visits the graveyard, the Caretaker, his dog, and the Hitchhiking Ghosts all manifest. The Caretaker warns Ben against entering the graveyard, unless he wants to go to the afterlife. He later helps the protagonists defeat the villain, Alistair Crump, during the climax and remains in the mansion as a resident, helping the new owners and becoming part of their family.
===Television===
====The Mouse Factory====
The Caretaker, under the name of Clyde, is briefly seen in Episode 4 of the TV series, Spooks and Magic, now being the caretaker of "Diller's Midnight Manor" (the Mansion as renamed and taken over by host Phyllis Diller).
====Muppets Haunted Mansion====
The Gravedigger, portrayed by Darren Criss, appears in the Disney+ special, with a Muppet dog.
===Printed Material===
====The Ghost Gallery====
In the 1990s, cast-members of the Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World created a backstory for the attraction as a means of answering guest questions. All of this backstory was recorded on paper and while unofficial, has since influenced both the original Haunted Mansion's official and semi-official features as-well as adaptations based on the Haunted Mansion.
In this story, he is a Walt Disney World cast-member named Dick O'Dell who was given a room in the Haunted Mansion to live in after the manor was moved to Florida from New York as an attraction. His dog is the child of Loki, the ghost dog seen in the ride who itself is the child of the Hellhound in the ride which once belonged to Master Gracey.
====The Haunted Mansion (SLG Comics)====
The Caretaker is named Horace Fusselbottom in the comics. While depicted as incredibly nervous and easy to frighten, Horace actually has a courageous spirit beneath his frightened façade, with the ghosts enjoying his company so much that they frighten away a replacement in "The New Groundskeeper".
In "The Groundskeeper's Secret", his motivation for taking the job of watching over a haunted house and graveyard is revealed. A widower, Horace buried his deceased wife in the graveyard adjacent to the Mansion, allowing him to meet her spirit every night while on the job.
===Video Games===
====The Haunted Mansion (video game)====
Main Article: Zeke Holloway
The caretaker appears in this adoption as a ghost in the winter gardens, although his dog is written out. He makes his appearance once the level is completed and is shown to be disgruntled, often remarking that no person is around to pay him for his work. Notably, the game's main protagonist, Ezekiel "Zeke" Holloway, is inspired by the Caretaker. 
=== Disney Crossy Road ===
The Caretaker is a playable character in the Haunted Mansion levels of this mobile-game.
== Gallery ==
==Trivia==
*In Phantom Manor, the Phantom serves to fill in the Caretaker's niche, being found holding a shoulder with his own undead dog outside the mansion following the bride scene.
*The name "Silas Crump" is a tribute to imagineer Rolly Crump, who worked on the Haunted Mansion.
*There are several adoptions and art that show both the Caretaker and his dog reimagined or rewritten as ghosts. 
*During the seasonal overlay Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Caretaker and his dog are replaced by Jack and his ghost dog Zero. 
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