3 Random Things: GB 2 Edition

I haven't done one of these for a while, so I figured it was a good time to dust off the "3 Random Things" series.

For those not in the know, I take a photo of 3 random things out of the biggest Ghostbusters collection  that you will ever see and write a little about them.

Neat, huh?

No? Oh well, read anyways.

This edition of 3 Random Things is a special one. This time we are looking at 3 Random Ghostbusters 2 Items!

1: Box of GB2 Trading cards!

While I have unopened packs and a stack of loose cards, nothing is quite as cool as a whole box of them.

A few years ago at a flea market, I ran into a guy with a box of 36 unopened packs of Ghostbusters 2 cards. 

Being the master negotiator that I am, and always looking to save a buck here and there, I scored it for $5 instead of the $6 that he had it marked at.

Where did that extra dollar saved go?

Hell if I know, but it's the small victories that matter most.

2: Vigo Lighter!

While not an officially licensed Ghostbusters item, I have a soft spot for this Vigo lighter.

Mrs. Ghostbuster got me this for my birthday last week.

I do believe she got it off of Etsy. You know, that place where stay at home moms sell home made crafts and junk? Yeah, that one.

While it's nothing more than a Vigo sticker slapped onto a 79 cent lighter, I know that when I'm in a pinch, and scrambling to find a lighter to light my smokes, I'll be in good hands with the home made flaming Carpathian.

3: Ecto 1-A model

While newer version of the Ecto 1-A model have surfaced in recent years, I was able to score a vintage model still sealed.

I'm not a fan of models, so that would explain why pretty much every Ecto model I have remains unopened.

Last time I put one together, it was such a painful process. Literally. I got pissed at something on it and kicked stuff. Kicked it so hard I nearly broke my toe. It was fun trying to walk for the next few weeks.

I vowed never to put another model together ever again.

Another Ghostbusters Cereal Box

 

Yes boys and girls, it's another Ghostbusters cereal box!

I've previously written about one of the handful of boxes in my collection, to which I likened the cereal to the taste of a dead squirrel's rectum.

I think it's pretty accurate, really.

Seeing as it would be far to hard by the standards of any decade to market "Dead Squirrel Ass" cereal, Ralston-Purina had to slap something wildly popular on the box to sell it.

What better way to get children of the 80's hooked on dead squirrel ass than to include marshmallows and slap a Ghostbusters logo on it?

Overnight, Ralston-Purina had a hit on their hands. They knew just how to draw in us 80's kids. There was no way on Earth that we weren't going to beg our parents for it. Who cares if it tasted terrible? It had a freakin' Ghostbusters logo on it for heaven's sake.

In the 80's and 90's, childhood life was all about image, If you had something that somebody else didn't, and somebody deemed it "cool" you were the man, for a day at least.

If you were late to the party, and jumped on the bandwagon last minute (or it took forever for your parents to buy you the thing that made you cool) you were just trying to fit in.

Perhaps you avoided the things that were trendy and marched to your own drum.

No matter what, you weren't you without your favorite breakfast cereal.

in the 80's, breakfast cereals were made for anything and everything. Fly by night cartoons and long running staples of pop culture.

If you could dream it, you could eat it.

Naturally it made perfect sense for there to be a Ghostbusters cereal.

The particular box, while not of the usual Hologram variety, is amazing in it's own way.

Adorned with a giant no-ghost logo on the front, meant to catch the eye of screaming kindergartners everywhere, the cereal offered something more on the box.

While children of today's world only know "Cereal prizes" to be some long ago ancient myth, us 80's kids really had them. We had prizes galore, and some of the best giveaways known to man.

One of those giveaways allowed us normal everyday kids to "Be A Ghostbuster"

Screaming at your mom and dad to spend $1.75 to buy the cereal wasn't enough.

Now you had to be extra volatile and squeeze another $1.50 out of them.

Even by 1980's standards, $1.50 wasn't some huge amount of money that if spent would relegate you to eating peanut butter sandwiches for a week. And for the money being spent, you sure got a nice haul to show for it.

Before I get to what $1.50 got ya, I have to laugh at the picture on the back of the box.

These kids were so excited to get their Ghostbusters package in the mail, that they rushed into the bedroom, pajamas and all, turned off the light, and busted out flashlights to view the contents.

I think next month when I get my electric bill, Ill do the same thing.

All about reliving the excitement of a better time.

If you've made it this far, you were a spoiled little shit.

Not only did you get your parents to spend $1.75 on a box of dead squirrel anus flavored cereal (with marshmallows!) but you also convinced them that they loved you enough to send an additional $1.50 for a pile of crap you would likely lose within a week.

God, you had it good, didn't you?

For $1.50 plus the proof of purchase from the box, you would receive:

an 11x14" Ghostbusters poster

1 Glow-in-the-dark door sign

1 glow-in-the-dark light switch cover

2 sheets of Ghostbusters stickers

A Ghostbusters button

and an official Ghostbusters Membership Certificate

Man, Ralston-Purina was really making up for the poop flavored cereal weren't they?

I actually think I have a couple of the things that were given away on the box.

I'll have to do some digging in the Mr. Ghostbuster Headquarters, but when I find them, I'm going to lay them out on the bed and shine a flashlight on them.

Don't bother me.

Ghostbusters / TMNT Crossover Issue 1 Review

It FINALLY happened.

After living in the same city together for about three decades, the Ghostbusters and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have finally met.

I was given a copy of Issue 1 of the cross over by a friend of mine for my birthday.

He is pretty much just as crazy about TMNT as I am about Ghostbusters.

I'll admit, I haven't kept up on the TMNT in recent years. I know enough to get by, but overall I only really collect, or care about, the vintage series. Never got into the 2002 cartoon. The Nick cartoon has it's funny moments, but I only really watch that for my 3 year old Nephew.

While I won't go into a ton of detail over this issue, since I know there will be many who have yet to read it, I will give it a brief run down, showcasing some of the bigger things, to give those who have yet to read a general idea of what to expect.

The story starts off with an ancient demon warrior from the past being sent into present time by Krang.

In present day New York, Donatello is working on a teleportation device with some professor dude I've never heard of. Again, I don't keep up with modern day TMNT.

When Donatello suggests that the Turtles, April, and Casey Jones test it out by going to the lair to surprise Splinter, and coming right back, they all hesitate, but eventually decide to do so.

As the Turtles were preparing to teleport, a fly gets in the way and the professor slaps the wrong switch.

Long and short of it, the Turtles get sent to where they were due to go, but in a different New York City.

Meanwhile, the Ghostbusters battle the Bug Eye Ghost.

Yes, I nearly lost it when I saw this. How freakin' sweet is it that in 2014 the Ghostbusters can be alive and well, battling real versions of toys that came out in the 80's?

The boys finish up and get called to a class 7 bust.

The Turtles land in a church in New York where a wedding is taking place. 

Soon after, our demon from the start of the story, the class 7, shows up to raise some hell, and possesses Casey Jones.

That's when the boys in grey walk in and discover not only the class 7, but also the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or as Venkman calls them, "Kung Fu Martians"

This is where issue numero uno ends.

I really enjoyed it. 

The only thing I would have liked better would be for the Turtles to already be in the New York that the Ghostbusters exist in.

Maybe have it be 1980 something and they see a news report from April O'neil on the tv and people talking about the Turtles. They go to investigate and figure out the whole mess with the Foot Clan and Shredder, maybe a few ghosts along the way, I dunno.

Anyways, I'd love to get my hands on issue 2 when it comes out. I'll probably have to order it since the only Comic Book store in town doesn't typically carry these.

Trust me, it's on my to do list.

In the meantime, do yourselves a favor and pick up issue 1.

2012 Hotwheels Kroger Exclusive Ecto-1

Back in 2012 Kroger decided to partner with Hotwheels to release store exclusive Ecto-1 cars.

For somebody who lives in the middle of the country, these things  don't pop up. We have no Kroger grocery store here.

Luckily, I have a wife, and I have a birthday!

I'm pretty certain she did indeed order this for my birthday a few years ago. 

We'll say she did. Either way, it wasn't just handed over to me. I don't get those perks like other Ghostbuster sites do. It seems douchebags always get the free stuff.

While I'm a big fan of the Ecto-1, the rest of the Kroger exclusives, at least to me, seem boring.

I guess I could make one exception for the Batmobile. It's pretty ass on it's own, but when fitted with a Halloween design, it gets a little bit neater.

I've never been a Hot Wheels collector. 

 There seem to be too many people out there that go bat shit crazy over Hotwheels stuff. So much to the point of knowing when certain stores get their shipments in and raiding everything before the casual buyers can get to it, taking out everything that they believe is worth money, and selling it online.

Some people ruin everything, don't they?

 

I think it's safe to say that this ain't your daddy's Ecto-1.

Being an exclusive to Kroger, Hotwheels of course had to fit the vehicle with an exclusive Halloween theme. 

Makes sense, right?

The hood of the black car, with green tinted windows and a slime stripe on the side, is adorned with our pal, Slimer.

It's almost as if Slimer possessed the Ecto-1 making it his own or something. I can't quite put my finger on it, but glorious is too weak of a word for it.

Instead of the much loved Ghostbusters logo on the doors, there is a plain and simple jack-o-lantern with the Hotwheels logo on it.

This is where I have some mixed feeling about the car.

I think they really should have kept the no-ghost logo somehow. In fact, there isn't one to be seen anywhere, and casual passers by would have no idea that it was the Ecto-1 unless they actually picked it up and very closely examined it.

Shit, I didn't even pay enough attention to the fact that Slimer was on the hood until about 8 months after I received it.

All in all, I do like the exclusive car. I guess it's just one of those things where Ghostbusters products seems to be better identified with the No-Ghost logo. I think it just goes hand in hand at this point, being that it is indeed one of the most recognizable logos of all time.

If you haven't checked it out yet, head over to Facebook and like "Mr. Ghostbuster" for all kinds of fun, including a contest that is going on right now!

Neca Stay Puft Head-Knocker

For those who weren't aware, I did cancel the Halloween Countdown mainly due to lack of time. We'll try again on a smaller scale next year.

But see, the thing about it is, Ghostbusters fits the Halloween theme any time, any day, so it doesn't necessarily need to be part of a special month-long countdown.

Regardless, I was able to score a Neca Stay Puft Head Knocker tonight.

Let's talk about that, it's more fun anyways.

The box, while very neat, bugs me just slightly. On one panel on the back, there is a shot of Stay Puft walking along and we see 2 screens. One has a photo of a Terror Dog. Good enough, right? The other has a photo of Louis Tully, which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't a photo from GB2.

Yeah, I'm picky.

Sadly, this is the only piece I own from the Neca line.

When they were released, it seems like any store in town that could possibly carry them, didn't.

Don't think that I don't regret it all these years later, especially since most of that line has skyrocketed in price over recent years.

This thing is IMPRESSIVE to say the very least.

Standing about 7 inches tall (I may be a little off, oh well) it weighs at least 900 pounds. No idea how heavy he really is, but even just heavy is a gross understatement.

The moment I set him upright, he wouldn't stop wobbling. It's like an obese marshmallow man suddenly got the urge to do the Harlem Shake. It was a sight to see for sure.

Stay Puft is pretty highly detailed, from his angry face to the cloth ribbon on top of his sailor hat.

Neca wasn't messing around when they turned Mr. Stay Puft into a bobblehead.

To add even further to his detail, and overall amazing appearance, Neca included some crushed vehicles and road at the base on the toy.

While safe to say it's not the rarest collectible in the Ghostbusters universe, it is pretty damn cool. If you ever have your chance to get your hands on one, no matter what, buy it, display it, and love it.

Day 7: Mini-Shooter

Well, my mediocre Halloween Countdown continues.

Mediocre because each post gets a whole 30 views.

Exciting times.

Today, we check out The Real Ghostbusters Mini-Shooter ghost.

The concept of the Mini-Shooter toys wasn't too bad. Basically, it was a pink, globbish looking ghost that came with 2 smaller ghosts.

The whole idea was that you would take a Ghostbuster figure, and set him up to be the unsuspecting target.

You would then place one of the smaller ghosts inside the mouth of the pink dude.

Once  placed inside, you would take your fist, smash the shit out of pink dude, and the smaller ghost would fly, like a spectral bullet, towards our hero.

The concept was good, though it rarely if ever worked.

I think this, among a few other toys in the series, were a bit of a let down and not very well thought out.

The idea of taking your fist and smashing something is fun, no doubt, but when the item being launched flies a whole 4 centimeters and plops to the ground, it always turns out to be one of those things that looked better on paper.

Then again, I'm not 4 anymore. Maybe that's the trick.

Or maybe I'm not smashing hard enough.

Or am I smashing too hard?

Anyways, yeah. The mini shooter is a pretty cool looking toy, just wish it functioned better.

Sorry I didn't put a whole lot of effort or time in this today. I'm getting burnt out and just don't care at the moment. 

30 views will never get me to care enough about anything long term.

See you tomorrow.

Day 6: Highway Haunter!

If there is one thing I love about Ghostbusters, it's that there was never one main bad guy.

He-Man had Skeletor, The Ninja Turtles had Shredder, and Luke Skywalker had Darth Vader.

Without one definite enemy, it left the Ghostbusters world wide open to come up with creative ways to find an antagonist of any kind.

That is what I enjoy about the Highway Haunter.

It's technically a vehicle, but ghostly enough to make the countdown.

When I was younger, I had friends who liked to refer to the Highway Haunter as, "Janine's car" being that she did indeed drive a pink Bug in the Real Ghostbusters cartoon series.

I suppose it is a safe assumption to label Highway Haunter as such. I mean, sure, the color is different, but it's still a Bug emblazoned with the Ghostbusters logo, right?

What other purpose would it have?

I truly cannot imagine a simple, plain, VW Bug, without any type of ghost tracking and catching technology inside, being used for anything officially by the Ghostbusters.

It MUST be Janine's vehicle, right?

Remember, though, Janine didn't always have the best of luck when it came to the boys in grey using her vehicle, which brings me to my next point.

It's HAUNTED!

When you push a little tab on top of the seats, this big ugly dude pops up.

Looks like Murray the Mantis got into the engine block and infused himself with all kinds of wonderful mechanical parts.

Being as the Ghostbusters typically showed plenty of recklessness with Janine's vehicle, one does wonder, how exactly would you extract a ghost from the transmission without destroying the entire engine?

Janine, it looks like Egon owes you a new ride.

Day 5: X-Cop

X-Cop was one bad mofo.

Part of my favorite set of ghosts, the Haunted Humans series, X-Cop appeared to be your typical New York City Police Officer, but you can't judge a book by looking at it's cover.

Trust me, you can't. I though Moby Dick might have been some kind of awesome urban porno.

Shit was about a whale.

As with the rest of the Haunted Humans, a normal looking, everyday blue collar worker has totally lost his shit and become possessed and is ready to unleash hell on New York.

Actually, kind of sounds like most of the homeless people there, huh?

To achieve the, ":I have lost my shit and want to kill you" effect, one simply lifts X-Cop's helmet up to reveal a ghastly skeleton underneath, as well as long, bony arms and legs that extend out.

This really is one of the best figures in the Haunted Humans line.

This line is totally something that Kenner did right all the way around.

 A lot of thought, time and effort was really put into it to ensure that it was worthwhile.

I like to think X-Cop simply was a shooting victim while on duty who decided to come back from the other side to find his killer and terrorize the shit out of him.

Makes sense.

Bonus for X-Cop is that he makes a very convincing substitute for the T-1000. Now you're going to try that huh?

No?

Oh well, I at least tried to be fun.

Day 4: Terrible Teeth!

  

Boy, Terrible Teeth sure makes meth heads seem clean cut, huh?

One of the larger, more gruesome ghosts from the Kenner line, Terrible Teeth is just what the name implies, a horrible, ugly ghoul with sharp, pointy, gappy teeth.

While I was never much of a fan of the actual ghosts in the line, Terrible Teeth was actually pretty cool looking.

Yes, I know, I suck for not loving the ghosts. I mean, I was down with the Haunted Humans series, but really, was always more of a fan of the heroes in any toy line as opposed to bad guys.

I was a strange child.

I like to think of Terrible Teeth, in all of his urine yellow glory, as a people hungry spook with an appetite for destruction.

The whole concept of Terrible Teeth was that once one of our beloved Ghostbusters got trapped inside of his jaws, there was little chance for a successful escape.

Using his tail, Terrible Teeth would munch on any human unlucky enough to be caught in his jaws of death, surely spilling out blood and bodily fluid all over the place.

I don't feel well today so this isn't going to be very long. I don't care. I'm sure nobody even reads this anyways and that I can say whatever I want and I'll be the only one to ever see it.

Titty Sprinkles.

Did you catch yours truly on the Not So Cool Kids podcast the other night? If not, check out the video below! I called in to talk about Ghostbusters and other fun stuff. It lasted about an hour and a half. Thanks to Brian Titus for having me on!

Day 3: Bad to the Bone

Man, I LOVE Halloween season!

It's the perfect opportunity to review these AWESOME ghosts from the various GB toy lines.

First we had Mail Fraud, and yesterday was The Hunchback monster. Today, we have none other than the Bad to the Bone ghost!!!!!

While not part of a specific series of ghosts in the Kenner toy line, the BTTB ghost came out along with the first wave of Kenner Ghostbusters toys.

He doesn't quite look like your typical skeleton, more like the skeleton of a ghost. A really dorky ghost.

Hey, let's be honest, I don't know many ghosts who have buck teeth inside of their E.T. shapes skulls.

You know what? Come to think of it, the damn thing does very closely resemble E.T.

Maybe I'm just really tired while writing this, but I'll be damned, I swear.....

Anyways, the concept of the BTTB ghost is simple, yet very freakin' awesome!

A pair of tabs on the back of the figure allow for his rib cage to open up, while he waits for the perfect opportunity to pounce on his Ghostbuster prey.

Once he latches on to the prey, said prey becomes trapped inside of a skeletal prison, where he is not likely to escape with any type of ease.

Seriously, I freakin' love this toy.

I never had one as a kid and didn't own one until a couple of years ago when I spotted it, along with a few other GB items at a garage sale.

I haven't come across another since, so, surprisingly, this is the only one I have, but it takes up a very special place in my collection.

Day 4 tomorrow. No idea what I'm going to feature yet, so I suppose we'll both be surprised. Or not.

And damn it, it looks like E.T.'s skeleton.

Day 2: The Hunchback Monster!!

Yes, the Mr., Ghostbuster Halloween countdown rolls on.

Day number 2 of "31 Ghosts in 31 Days!!!"

Today, we take a look at the Hunchback from Kenner's Real Ghostbusters Monsters series.

Short story about my history with this figure, when I was about 4 years old, my mom got the idea in her head that she knew how to cook.

The most important thing you should know about my mother's cooking is that one of two things is going to get burned, either the food, or her.

Having suffered through many partially black dinners, it was a welcome relief to eat something not so charred, but it came at a price. Mom burnt the living hell out of her arm. Pretty sure she still has a scar from it somewhere under all of the wrinkles.

Well, that night my dad, on his way home from work, stopped to get her some band aids and such. It was a decent burn.

I was already in bed fast asleep when he returned home for the night, so I knew nothing was coming my way until I woke up the next morning.

As I sat in the living room, trying to shake the sleep off, I noticed our friend, the Hunchback monster on the coffee table.

I asked if that was for me. I didn't know. Maybe dad felt really bad that mom didn't know how to cook and bought her a Ghostbusters toy to make her feel better. It could happen, right?????

Nope. It was for me. Of course it was.

The moral? If mom gets burnt or hurt in any way, I get a Ghostbusters toy.

The Hunchback monster is gruesome indeed.

 An ugly, wart covered monstrosity who was long ago banished to a bell tower to hide from society, he awaits the perfect time to haunt the normal civilians of Notre Dame. 

And he's probably a virgin. 

When you squeeze the figure's legs, he breaks free from his shackles, tilting his ugly, disfigured head back to let out a loud scream.

I mean, he could be good looking if you had enough booze in you, right?

The Monster series were indeed to perfect set of toys to be used nearly 30 years later in this count down. Kenner did a remarkable job to bring these famous monsters to life in the Ghostbusters universe.

While not as neat as the Haunted Humans line, they are still very cool to own.

The main difference between these and the Haunted Humans, is you know exactly what you are getting. With the Hunchback, you know you are getting a pissed off disfigures man hell bent on revenge, whereas with yesterday's Mail Fraud figure, what he appears to be on the surface is a far cry from what he will become when possessed. 

Either way, this series is a win in my book.

The countdown rolls on tomorrow for Day 3!