The Mariner or Captain Culpepper Clyne is a character from The Haunted Mansion.
History
Background
The Mariner is one of the ghosts haunting the Haunted Mansion. As his moniker might imply, in-life he was a sailor at some point in the 19th or early 20th century whose ship crashed near a rocky shore. He is portrayed as being covered in sea-life and kelp and is identified in the mansion as being a part of a lineup called, "The Sinister 11". The nature of this group is unknown but it included the likes of the Ghost Host, Medusa, Count Dracula, Jack the Ripper, the Witch of Walpurgis, Ms. April December, a seer, an ogre-like man (in older drafts Grigori Rasputin), an arsonist (in older drafts a werewolf), and a grim couple.
In the Magic Kingdom's mansion (set in upstate New York) he is identified as being one Captain Culpepper Clyne and is inferred to have a connection to the backstory of the estate. His story here is elaborated on that he was a sea-captain who was allergic to dirt and while having braved the ocean's wrath he died in a bathtub. He was buried outside of the Haunted Mansion in an above-ground crypt which was filled with brine which pickled his corpse. His epitaph read:
"Here floats Captain Culpepper Clyne
Allergic to dirt so he's pickled in brine
He braved the sea and all her wrath
But drowned on land while taking a bath"
There is some contrivance regarding how the mariner is portrayed as having been victim of a sea-wreck but died in a bath-tub. The most likely solution to this is that he survived the wreckage (, "Braved the sea and all her wrath") but was covered in sea-life and needed to wash it off in a bath where he drowned.
Development History
The Mariner was adapted from imagineer Ken Anderson's unused sea-captain character Captain Gore who was created to interconnect the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion attractions. The character would later be redesigned for the final Haunted Mansion attraction by Marc Davis although wouldn't be properly integrated.
The character was later given a portrait in the Haunted Mansion of Walt Disney World, originally appearing on the ride itself in a corridor sequence where 11 paintings stared at guests. This would later be removed for the more classic changing portraits and the sinister 11 portraits which were not included in the scene were subsequently relocated throughout the attraction. The Mariner portrait was moved to the load-area on the opposite wall from the doom buggies.
In 2011, a crypt revolving around the Mariner character was worked into an interactive queue at Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion. This crypt identifying him as Culpepper Clyne and giving him a backstory different to that inferred from his portrait. The staging of his statue's legs in the crypt's tub and manner of death seemed to be inspired by a tableau made for the Haunted Mansion by Anderson which portrayed a skeleton in a bathtub. The name Culpepper Clyne would go on to be used in merchandise and paraphernalia referring to the mariner character.
Appearances
Walt Disney World
In the exterior queue of the Haunted Mansion, the mariner's crypt can be found. The crypt is cracked with water leaking from it and is decorated with aged copper statues of red-eyed fish and a sculpture of the captain falling into the bathtub. Guests passing by can hear a voice from within singing, "Drunken Sailor" and occasionally sneezing causing bubbles and water to erupt from the top of the crypt.
A portrait of the Mariner appears in the load-area of Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion. Originally it was located in a portrait-corridor on the ride itself where it had glowing eyes but it was later moved to the load area. It shows the mariner in-front of a shipwreck as he holds a spear and is covered in debris from the ocean.
Tokyo Disneyland
In Tokyo Disneyland, the mariner's portrait appears as it originally did in Walt Disney World, being in a portrait corridor reserved for, "The Sinister 11". He appears at the end of the hallway, overtop of guests glaring down as they enter the library.
Other Appearances
Epic Mickey
A Wasteland version of the Mariner appears in a portrait in Epic Mickey's Lonesome Manor. Here he is characterized as resembling Captain Gore from Ken Anderson concept artwork.
Haunted Mansion (2023)
The Mariner makes an appearance in the film as the ghost that continues to haunt Ben Matthias after he visits the mansion (similar to the Hitchhiking Ghosts). He is understandably obsessed with everything nautical, or ocean related and when in the presence of a TV will change it to Deadliest Catch. He also prefers to be referred to as "Captain" and when he walks, leaves behind wet footprints. He antagonizes Ben by creating an ocean in his bathroom and appearing as a tidal wave to force him back to the mansion. When it is revealed that all the ghosts live in fear of Alistair Crump, the Hatbox Ghost, he begins to properly aid Ben and his friends, on the condition that he takes him to see the ocean. Following Crump's defeat, Ben and Travis take the Mariner to an ocean where he proceeds to steal a boat to enjoy his time.
Trivia
- Marc Davis' artwork recycled the face of the Ghost Host character although this wouldn't be prevalent in the final portrait.
- Davis recycled his design for the Mariner when developing a Treasure Island themed attraction where the design would have been used for the ghost of Captain Flint. This would have been odd considering Flint was a 17th-18th century pirate and the Mariner's slicker wouldn't have been invented until the 19th century.
Gallery
