Fright Features Peter Venkman!

What's not to love about the Fright Features series? Kenner gave us a whole line of figures that prove that the "I ain't afraid of no ghost" line was all a bunch of crap. It seems a little counterproductive to release a set of Ghostbusters who aren't supposed to be afraid of ghosts, yet they are totally afraid.

The Fright Features series, however, was actually a big hit, and one of the most popular in the entire line of toys.

While I have wrote briefly about Egon already, I think today would be a good one to talk about Dr. Peter Venkman. Actually, when is there not a good day to talk about Venkman? I can't think of one.

Each figure, naturally, had their own "Fright Feature" hence the name. Venkman's feature was activated by pushing his left arm in towards his chest as though he were having a massive heart attack and begging you to call 911.

Once you heart attacked the left arm, his jaw would drop, his eyes would bug out, and his hair would lift about 14 inches off of his head, totally foreshadowing the fact that Bill Murray would be bald. 

Okay, really though,  it's a figure based on a cartoon character, so naturally there can be no realism attached to it. Of course his hair is going to fly up high in the air while his face screams, "I just made a boom boom and it's wet." 

Venkman came with the Gruesome Twosome ghost and the Hook Shot, his obvious weapon of choice.

I like to imagine that after Venkman was scared shitless by the Gruesome Twosome ghost, he promptly collected his thoughts (and wiped!) and hooked the little bastard.

Oh, yes, there is a small problem. Kenner didn't pack a ghost trap in with the figure. What do you do with a ghost that you have hooked but can't trap?

Well one option would be to wear it over your shoulders, making a bold fashion statement. Cruise on down to Time's Square and pick up some fine women, or a sailor, or a hooker, whatever tickles your fancy, I guess.

However, wearing ghosts around your neck as a fashion statement can only lead to bad things happening.

They may just latch onto your hands, rendering you totally unable to function or lead a normal life ever again. How can you possibly eat a hot dog with ghosts on your hands?

I guess the moral of this post, if there is one at this point, is to always carry a trap, and NEVER, I repeat NEVER wear a ghost as a fashion accessory, even if it will increase your chances of meeting the woman of your dreams.

See these bad boys in action in the video below!

Weekly Post! Ecto-Charger + GB/TMNT Crossover and Other Junk!

Well, it's that time again huh?

It's a few days later than I normally do this, which is fine because all of about 20 people even read these anyways, but here is a random edition of the weekly post.

I don't really have a set theme this week, or one specific thing to talk about, nor do I really have the energy to put a big thing together, so it is what it is I suppose.

I guess we should start with the big news coming out yesterday. IDW Publishing it setting forth with a four issue Ghostbusters and Teeneage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover.

For children of the 80's, this is as big as it gets. The 2 biggest franchises of the late 80's and early 90's are finally meeting up. Having lived together in the same city for nearly 30 years, one wonders how they have just now discovered each other? Regardless of how long it took for the two teams to finally cross paths, this is indeed big. If anybody at IDW sees this and wants to hook me up with a copy, I'd gladly give you some pub for it. My local comic shop doesn't stock anything other than moldy old super hero crap.

Hey, I almost made a joke. Somebody big seeing this page, that's a good one.

I had a lot of fun putting together the bonus post from the other day which featured a few random Ghostbusters commercials. I'm debating putting up a videos section, but that's probably a long way off at this point,. I do plan on trying to update this page a little more often.

So let's do a toy review huh?

Last week we looked at Kenner's Proton Pack, so naturally it's only fitting that this week we look at the Ecto-Charger aka Kenner's version of the Slime Blower.

For knowing as much random, useless crap as I do about Ghostbusters, I still to this very day have no idea why this toy wasn't just called the Slime Blower. Apparently Kenner found it necessary to change the name. I guess "Slime Blower" sounded too much like a bad nickname for a dirty hooker named Sally that works downtown.

Anyways, the toy, much like the Proton Pack, is basically a big chunk of hollow plastic. Believe me, there is a major downgrade to this toy. The biggest of them being the straps.

The Proton Pack had straps that were already in place, whereas the Ecto-Charger has straps that hook over a little peg at the bottom, which would always find a way to come off right in the middle of sliming something.

There is one pretty decent upgrade though.

The gun itself is a nice upgrade to the neutrona wand on the Proton Pack.

The gun has a fold out handle and a button you push to make a giant bright pink dildo shoot out. It's almost as if this was made to be some kind of secret sex toy. Admit it, you're thinking about it now. Better call Sally the Slime Blower.

Nothing fancy to this toy, no major bells and whistles, but it was a decent toy to add to your Ghostbusting arsenal.

When I got my Ecto-Charger, I was on the verge of turning 5. I'm actually pretty sure that was my birthday present that year. I really have no idea. There may have even been a Simpsons cake involved.

How about something a little random?

I love VHS tapes. I mean, seriously, I own nearly 30 copies of Ghostbusters on VHS. No, I'm not kidding, even though I wish I was, but look at the ad. Way back in the late 80's, a copy of Ghostbusters on VHS would run you about $20. Freakin' nuts eh?

I have posted before about how I came to own my first copy of the movie. Maybe I'll tell the story again some day for those who don't scroll through this entire blog. Just maybe.

Let's end the post with a fun video.

Without a doubt, one of the most popular Real Ghostbusters episodes, "Citizen Ghost" 

Coming up next week? Ghostbusters Cereal boxes! Neat!

See you next time

Kenner's Real Ghostbusters Proton Pack -- Weekly Post 7-7-14

Ah, the Proton Pack.

Kenner had all of us children of the 80's in mind when they decided to build us our very own unlicensed nuclear accelerators didn't they?

I can remember my fourth birthday creeping up fast, and all I wanted, more than anything else in the world, was a Proton Pack. I did indeed get one for my birthday. It was without a doubt the best birthday I have ever had. No milestone of chronological advancement has ever lived up to the four year mark, and none likely ever will.

The Proton Pack itself is, to my 28 year old self, a little unimpressive. I have tried to put myself back into my four year old state of mind, telling myself that I own the greatest thing ever in the whole wide world, but I just happen to own something cool. Yeah, cool. Not the greatest thing known to man. Just.....cool.

Where I think Kenner went wrong was the fact that they just molded us a big, hollow chunk of blue plastic. Yeah, nothing special now, huh?

I think that even with 1980's toy making technology, they could have very easily given us a pack with a couple of lights, or maybe a few sounds.

I do get where this wouldn't exactly work. For a small child, a pack filled with electrical components and battery packs could be too heavy,but what about the gun?

The wand is rather impressive, I must admit.

 Pretty detailed for just being a chunk of plastic. The only things that I wish were different would be buttons that function, even if they don't make noise, just moveable buttons. I have no idea why I want them, but I do. And maybe replace the orange button that gives us that weird grinding siren noise with something more electronic.

The only other real gripe I have with the pack is that the hose almost never stayed connected to the pack, as it was nothing more than a cheap yellow hose that slid on to a tab at the bottom.

No, I know you are thinking that I've done nothing but bitch and complain about the toy, but there are actually things to love about it.

Despite it's flaws, this was actually one of the ultimate toys for a child to own in the 80's.

 You weren't a badass until you roamed your neighborhood (or bedroom in my case since I never had friends) busting ghosts. I always preferred to use it without the long foam piece shoved inside of the neutrona wand. I guess I just had a good imagination or something.

I also love the fact that the toy also came with a PKE meter and No-Ghost logo arm band. The PKE meter being the better thing out of the two since after I hit about age 6, the thing didn't fit around my arm anymore, and wearing it around my wrist just looked stupid.

For a child in the 80's, it didn't get much better than this. The moment you strapped this bad boy on, you felt like a legit Ghostbuster, and really, that's all most of us ever wanted.