What would a Real Ghostbusters toy line be without ghosts to bust? The Ghostbusters movie featured two iconic ghosts for the Ghostbusters to bust: Stay Puft and Slimer, who was known as the Green Ghost throughout the toyline's run. Eventually Kenner released three other ghosts in its second wave, which I have come to call the Classic Ghosts line: Bug-Eye Ghost, H2Ghost, and Bad to the Bones.
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The Green Ghost
The Green Ghost, more commonly known as Slimer, was the only of the first wave ghosts to come with accessories. A villain in the movie and the promotion pilot, Slimer became the ghost pet of the Real Ghostbusters. He eventually gained his own spots in the television show and became a symbol of the franchise. Because the design of the toys reflected the series' pilot, this version of Slimer is not the cute and cuddly sidekick of the Real Ghostbusters.
The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man was the form of the Destructor in the 1984 hit classic movie. While he towers over the heroes in the movie and cartoon, Kenner's version is only slightly taller than the tallest Ghostbuster, Egon. If Stay Puft had been made to scale, he would have been nearly 70" (5' 10") tall! Stay Puft also has very limited range in motion: his arms and head rotate. For such an iconic villain in the franchise, this toy does very little justice to the character.
Bug-Eye Ghost
Very few of the ghosts featured in Kenner's toyline were also featured on the show. Bug-Eye Ghost, however, did make a cameo in the episode "The Halloween Door." See if you can spot him. Bug-Eye gets its name due to its ability to pop its out eye to use as a projectile against the Real Ghostbusters. Bug-Eye was made of a softer plastic. A child could karate chop Bug-Eye's back, causing his eye to pop out. Unfortunately this material hardens over time, leaving few Bug-Eye figures able to perform as intended.
H2Ghost
H2 Ghost is really two ghosts in one. Both ghosts have the ability to suck in water and then squirt it out in an effort to stop the Real Ghostbusters in their ghost chasing pursuits. The top half of H2 Ghost squirts water out of its nostrils and the bottom half squirts water out of its eye. These ghosts were made of a soft, rubbery material and were ideally suited for bath time fun.
Bad-to-the-Bone Ghost
Bad-to-the-Bone is probably the most nefarious of the classic ghosts. He can trap the Real Ghostbusters in his rib cage. This action causes his eyes to bug out and his jaw to drop. Because of his nearly complete white body, he is prone to yellowing if not properly stored. The tabs on his back used for opening his rib cage are also prone to breaking.
Kroger Stay Puft
The Kroger Stay Puft is one of the rarest toys in the entire Kenner Real Ghostbusters line. It gets its name from the fascinating artwork on the back of the card which advertises Kroger brand marshmallows. The origins of the Kroger Stay Puft are shrouded in mystery. Some people claim you could buy him at select Kroger stores in the Cincinnati area, where Kroger and Kenner were headquartered. Others say the Kroger Stay Puft was a gift from Kenner executives to select Kroger employees. There are even rumors that these rare figures were given away as prizes for lucky winners at Kroger stores.
In July 2011, an empty bag of marshmallows was listed on eBay and sold. This bag is special, though, because it was a bag of Kroger marshmallows that advertised the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. For only $7.99, you could buy a Stay-Puft of your own! Could this be how one originally acquired such a coveted Kenner toy? Unfortunately the images I was able to find on the bag are too small to read the text on the bag. Unfortunately I do not own this bag nor have I seen another pop up. Judge for yourself. |
Classic Ghosts Packaging
These 5 ghosts were the first of many to come. Being the first, however, meant that the packaging saw a few changes before Kenner finally settled on the yellow text variant. Slimer and Stay Puft were released alongside the Classic Heroes and saw three different versions of the cards they were packed on. The other 3 ghosts saw 2 versions.
Printing 1: The text on the front of the package is white. The back of the card featured prototypes of the first four humans as well as Stay Puft, Slimer, and the GhostZapper. The only figures to see this printing were the 4 humans and Stay Puft and Slimer.
Printing 2: The text on the front of the package is still white. The back of the card provided instructions on what the action figures were capable of as well as the rest of the figures in the current wave. More ghosts were added as well as the Ecto-1 vehicle. All of the classic humans and classic ghosts saw this printing.
Printing 3: These cards are essentially the same as the second printing, except the text on the front of the card changed from white to yellow. This is the general format that Kenner stuck with throughout the vast majority of the series.
Printing 1: The text on the front of the package is white. The back of the card featured prototypes of the first four humans as well as Stay Puft, Slimer, and the GhostZapper. The only figures to see this printing were the 4 humans and Stay Puft and Slimer.
Printing 2: The text on the front of the package is still white. The back of the card provided instructions on what the action figures were capable of as well as the rest of the figures in the current wave. More ghosts were added as well as the Ecto-1 vehicle. All of the classic humans and classic ghosts saw this printing.
Printing 3: These cards are essentially the same as the second printing, except the text on the front of the card changed from white to yellow. This is the general format that Kenner stuck with throughout the vast majority of the series.