Hitchhiking Ghosts

The Hitchhiking Ghosts are a trio of infamous hosts that are located near the end of The Haunted Mansion in the Disney theme parks.
==History==
===Background===
The Hitchhiking Ghosts are three resident spirits of the Haunted Mansion known as Phineas (A.K.A. The Traveler), Ezra (A.K.A. The Skeleton), and Gus (A.K.A. The Prisoner). As hitchhiking ghosts they use their ghostly powers to haunt mortals that cross paths with the mansion, working to fill up a quota from mansion officials.
===Development===
The three got their semi-official names from a cast-member created backstory for the mansion called The Ghost Gallery. Since the story's creation, the names have been frequently affiliated with the trio in merchandise and the ride itself.
In 2011, Walt Disney World began further characterizing the trio in the attraction. Phineas' character was inspired by John Candy and Chris Farley, Ezra was inspired by John Cleese, Jim Carrey, and Michael Keaton, while Gus was inspired by Christopher Lloyd's character from the sitcom Taxi.
==Appearances==
===The Haunted Mansion===
The Hitchhiking Ghosts are the "Poster Ghosts" for the Haunted Mansion, appearing in most promotional materials and posters for the ride.
In all versions of the ride (except Phantom Manor and Mystic Manor), the trio appear in the exit crypt to haunt guests as they leave the mansion as the Ghost Host explains their nature. Each of the ghosts appear alongside the guests in mirrors showing their Doom Buggies. In the Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland versions of the attraction, this is achieved with a semi-transparent mirror that has doom-buggies with Hitchhiker AA figures on the other side. In the Magic Kingdom, this was replaced with a CGI effect in 2011 that allowed them to move more freely at the expense of the figures' visibility.
Gus is the only one of them to consistently make an additional appearance in the ride, being found in the graveyard alongside the Executioner and the Beheaded Knight. In Walt Disney World, the three have tombstones visible outside of the Haunted Mansion.
===Haunted Mansion Holiday===
In the first couple years of Haunted Mansion Holiday, the trio could be visible from a window in the distance which Lock, Shock and Barrel were peering through. They are also mentioned attempting to hitchhike a ride in Jack's sleigh but being denied.
===Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom===
In Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, they have their own spell card called "The Haunted Mansion's Happy Haunting Grounds". It was only available to guests that attended Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in the fall of 2013.
===Disney Movie Magic===
A scene from the 2003 film featuring the hitchhiking ghosts was featured among the Disney live action movie clips in the finale. 
===Meet 'n' Greets===
They rarely appear as face characters, only appearing during events, such as the ride's 40th Anniversary.
==Other appearances==
===Films===
====Mickey's House of Villains====
In the made-for-DVD compilation movie Mickey's House of Villains, they are freed from a crate by Cruella De Vil and join the villains in the song It's Our House Now! as they take over the House of Mouse. Aside from scaring the guests, they do not appear to be doing anything bad and are just happy to scare the guests.
====The Haunted Mansion====
The hitchhiking ghosts make a cameo appearance in the graveyard scene of this film with Jeremy Howard as Ezra, Deep Roy as Gus, and Clay Martinez as Phineas. Phineas and Gus later hitch a ride in the hearse that Jim Evers, Michael Evers, and Megan Evers are in before annoyingly bantering about whether or not Jim and his children can see them, a gag on their invisible nature from the original ride but of unclear reference without knowledge of the source material.
====Haunted Mansion (2023)====
The hitchhiking ghosts appear in the 2023 film adaptation of the ride with Fedor Steer as Ezra, Terence Rosemore as Phineas, and Mike Benitez as Gus. The three of them manifest within a dream along with the Caretaker and his dog where Gus playfully beckons Ben Matthias to take them with him towards the graveyard, adding that "You're going that way soon." Interestingly, the gimmick of them following people out of the mansion is not done by them, but instead by the other ghosts, such as the Mariner.
In a deleted scene when Ben was searching for William Gracey, the hitchhiking ghosts tried to use three cars that were parked outside the mansion to leave, but couldn't get any of them to start, before noticing Ben watching them through a window.
===Television===
====House of Mouse====
The ghosts appear in several episodes of this show.
In the series premiere "The Stolen Cartoons", they were shown when Pete told Mickey that the club was "deader than the Haunted Mansion".
At the end of the advertisement for "The 7 Deadly Singers" in "Pete's House of Villains", they appear in a warning that tells the audience to "Beware of ticket scalping ghosts."
The ghosts' most noticeably in the episode "House Ghosts", where they are freed from a crate by Pete and sing "Grim Grinning Ghosts" along with other residents of The Haunted Mansion, such as the Bride, the Executioner, and the Hatbox Ghost, as well as the Lonesome Ghosts and the Skeletons from The Skeleton Dance. During the musical number, they scare Pete out of the club.
====Muppets Haunted Mansion====
The trio appear at the end of the Disney+ special, hitching a ride with Gonzo and Pepe. Upon seeing them while having a phone conversation with the two, Kermit suggests bringing them over for breakfast.
====Disney XD Shorts====
Ezra appeared, oddly without Phineas and Gus, in a stop-motion animated Disney XD station ID aired in October 2016, in which Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz have a run-in with him.
====Random Rings====
The Hitchhiking Ghosts are among the ghosts called by Scratch in the short "Scratch Calls The Haunted Mansion". He asks them for a personal referral in exchange for a ride to get into the Haunted Mansion, but they refused and hang up for their grievances towards him.
===Printed materials===
====The Ghost Gallery====
The Ghost Gallery was an unofficial series of Haunted Mansion character biographies created by Disney World cast members in an effort to add more mythos to the attraction. This story proved so popular that it was responsible for inspiring the plot of the SLG Comics and created the hitchhikers' official names, those being Phineas, Ezra, and Gus.
Professor Phineas Queeg was a discredited chemist turned snake-oil peddler who was committed to the New Salem Insane Asylum after having sold a "miracle elixir" which caused the voice of the one who drank it to raise an octave. Phineas wound up escaping with Ezra and Gus and they hitchhiked away together. The professor died from lead poisoning after he cut his lip on one of his elixir bottles.
The Ghost Gallery's backstory for Ezra the skeletal hitchhiker is considered inappropriate and features mature implications that gives his character perverted characteristics, and the story features misogynistic weight-shaming. In the backstory, Ezra Dobbins was a disgusting criminal who enjoyed stalking overweight women, breaking into their homes and watching them as they changed. After having been arrested for breaking into the boudoir of the mayor's ample daughter was sent to the New Salem Insane Asylum because the judge and jury believed he must be insane due to his interest in overweight women. Ezra wound up dying while peeping on the "Fat Lady" of a circus when she accidentally sat on him.
Gus Gracey was a genetic dwarf from Ohio who, as a child, killed his family pets and attempted to murder his siblings on several occasions. His parents ultimately had him institutionalized in the New Salem Insane Asylum but he eventually grew up and wound up hunting down his parents and subsequently murdered them. Gus then shipped himself inside of a crate to his cousin George Gracey's mansion in an effort to kill him, only to be imprisoned in one of the mansion's secret rooms. When the mansion was inherited by George's son Master Gracey, Gracey had his clairvoyant Madame Leota place a curse on Gus to imprison him on the mansion's grounds. Gus wound up dying while trying to throw his ball and chain at a cat sitting by a well, resulting in Gus' iron ball falling down the well, killing him.
====The SLG Haunted Mansion comics====
They appear in the main story as well as all of the bonus and side stories. They never say anything but attempt to hitchhike. They succeed at one point but scare the cab driver, killing him, and wind up back at the mansion with the cab driver joining them as a new resident. Each ghost got a side-story telling of their lives before they came to the Mansion.
Gus was a Shepard who only wanted to get some sleep but everywhere he went had bad luck until he was arrested in Port Royal until he died and found his way to the mansion. He soon wants to leave since the other ghosts parties keep him awake and join Ezra and Phineas.
Ezra Gasser was a prankster since childhood that ran a successful practical joke business when he got older. Seeking out new jokes to help his business, he discovered Chinese finger traps from a mysterious salesman but found himself unable to free himself. He laughed himself to death and was then invited to the Mansion. However, his pranks made the other ghosts angry, resulting in him joining Phineas and Gus.
Phineas Q. Hackenbush was a snake-oil salesman that was chased by an angry mob given snake tongues by his "miracle cure" product off a cliff. After being invited to the Mansion, he kept his business going, but when Madame Leota reminded everyone that they were already dead, and he was chased out, joining Gus and Ezra.
====The Marvel Haunted Mansion comics====
The Hitchhiking Ghosts are also featured, in a more minor role, in the five-issue Disney Kingdoms tale. They take part in the various parties thrown by the ghosts and are also briefly turned into monsters by the Captain. At the end of the story, they can be seen waving goodbye to Danny Crowe, the protagonist.
===Video games===
====The Haunted Mansion (video game)====
All three make a cameo in the Graveyard level of the game after the area has been cleared. In a reference to the ride, Zeke encounters all three in the crypt area of the Graveyard. When interacted with, each of them offer to keep Zeke company during his journey. Ezra, Phineas and Gus are all voiced by Bill Farmer.
====Kinect: Disneyland Adventures====
The Hitchhiking Ghosts are the main enemies for the Haunted Mansion levels of this video-game, being summoned by Madame Leota to fight the player. They also appear in cut-scenes, first warning the player not to enter the mansion and later trying to hitchhike with them as they leave.
====Disney Crossy Road====
All three of the ghosts are playable characters in Disney Crossy Road where they are named Ezra Beane, Prof. Phineas Plump, and Gus. While playing as the Doom Buggy, they will appear as NPCs who attempts to hitchhike a ride with the player.
====Disney Magic Kingdoms====
As part of the mobile game's Halloween update for 2021, the three Hitchhiking Ghosts were added as unlockable characters, along with the Hatbox Ghost. The names used for the three Hitchhiking Ghosts are Ezra, Gus, and Phineas.
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*In Walt Disney World, Phineas and Ezra have hidden details in their luggage. Ezra has a brief-case which is covered in travel-stickers for Florida, Hong Kong, and 13 Anaheim (referencing different Disney Parks). Phineas has an open travel case containing a candelabra, urn, bust of Charles Dickens, and portrait of Cousin Maude from the Dread Family busts in the ride's queue.
*In the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise is a bottle labelled, "Prof. Plump's Miracle Tonic for Everlasting Life", seemingly referencing the traveller ghost's frequently used name Professor Phineas Plump and background as a snake-oil salesman from merchandise and the Ghost Gallery.
*The Tokyo Disneyland version of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue features three Audio-Animatronic droids (one being a former RX-24 from the original Star Tours) positioned near the end of the queue in a manner similar to the Hitchhiking Ghosts.
*Phineas the traveler has been misidentified in merchandise on two separate occasions. One piece of merchandise identified him as Brother Dave from the family-plot while another one identified him as Phineas Pock, a name frequently used in the mansion (most notably for the singing bust Phineas P. Pock).
*In Phantom Manor their niche was filled in by the Phantom and later Mélanie Ravenswood in a 2018 refurbishment. There is a ticket-seller in Phantom Canyon who shares the, "Leering Head" mould which Ezra has, resulting in the character being nicknamed Ezra as-well.
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