Let’s Go, Ghostbusters! | Riding Memory Lane in an Ecto-1

This post is going to be about Ghostbusters! With the 30th anniversary behind us and the new movie out now, I figured I’d dedicate a post to my original four idols. My heroes in beige, who cursed and drank and smoked on screen. Man, those were different times! I’ll also get into the LEGO Ghostbusters Ecto-1 set which I recently built a couple of days ago with the kids. But for now, let me paint a picture for you…

The year was 1991. I was a child of the 80’s, living in the Bronx, a short train ride from Manhattan. At the time, it definitely wasn’t the clean, bustling tourist trap it is today. Right now, you can go to Times Square and the surrounding streets to enjoy hundreds of world famous stores, theaters, restaurants, and landmarks. But back then? Wooooooo, back then those very streets were chock full of drug dealers, prostitutes, and porn theaters for blocks and blocks on end. I remember when 42nd street wasn’t such a great place and was the butt of “your mama” insults in school. But I digress.

Ghostbusters had already been out for about 7 years, but I was just then discovering it. I don’t remember the exact details but I’m sure I was way into The Real Ghostbusters first, before the movies. Not to be confused with Filmation’s Ghostbusters, which was the original cartoon featuring a ghost busting gorilla, though both were released in 1986. Filmation’s used to be based off a real life show in the 70’s but I never touched that. I used to watch the cartoon though! But I was way more attached to The Real Ghostbusters, probably because they followed the movie version more and had a longer run on TV. For a kid growing up in New York City, it was like a drug. Four witty and funny guys running around your town, busting ghosts, showing no fear in the face of fear itself, c’mon! What do kids have now? Exactly.

If you’re like me and you were a fan, then you know about all the toys. The tons and tons and tons of toys! Dear, sweet baby Slimer, the toys were amazing. I could sit here and probably dedicate an entire post to all the Ghostbusters toys I had. I just did a google search and I swear, every single picture I saw was like a trip down memory lane. The Proton Packs, the traps, PKE Meter, these were all the best. Then the action figures, the firehouse, the numerous ghosts, Ecto-1. Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. If I could go back in time, I’d need a whole other time machine just to fit all the toys I’d come back with.

I remember quite vividly dressing up in my super thin and itchy jumpsuit that some kids only wore during Halloween. Nope, my parents got their money’s worth out of this bad boy. I strapped on my proton pack and carried around my trap and meter and patrolled the hallways of my apartment building. I did this on a daily basis, guys. No, there was nothing wrong with me, it was perfectly normal. I coupled the look with my ability to recite lines from the movies word for word. Both Ghostbusters I and II were and still are programmed in my mind. I remember walking into a dark hallway, strutting confidently, and proclaiming “alright boys.. It’s Dr. Venkman!” Ahhhh, good freaking memories. Those were some awesome times to be a kid, lemme tell ya. Another memory is waking up on my own, as a kid, and dressing up in the nicest clothes I had. I remember it too! It was like a black and white sweater, dress pants, I looked preppy. But I wore it just for the sole purpose of going out with my parents to the corner video store to rent Ghostbusters II on VHS. Why did I get all dressed up? Because of the courthouse scene! I wanted to be all dressed up and put on my proton pack just like they were all dressed up with theirs. OMG I must have been so adorable, what happened to me?! The amount of times we rented Ghostbusters II on VHS too, yikes. Anyway, best freaking toys ever. I wish I still had my blue plastic ghost busting equipment. But hey! There are some toy proton packs in stores right now for the new movie. I’ve come insanely close to buying 2 for the kids.

I also used to have The Real Ghostbusters bed sheets. You know the ones! It was so easy to find a picture of them, I can only assume everyone had the same ones. Well, I had this fascination with drawing the Ghostbusters catching a ghost. So much so, that I remember getting in a good amount of trouble for drawing the Ghostbusters firing on the ghosts on the bed sheet. I even added traps and everything. I was an artist!

Along with the toys there was also the awesomeness that was Ecto Cooler. Or shall I say IS Ecto Cooler because hot damn, it’s on shelves right now!

Also right now, there’s several comics you could pick up featuring Ghostbusters! I only recently got into reading comics in general, but I have to admit, a really awesome series titled Ghostbusters made it pretty easy to get into. Written by Erik Burnham with art by Dan Schoening, the series ran from 2011-2012 and it was an absolute pleasure to read through. Pure and utter joy is found in those pages and it’s something every fan should pick up. The characters come to life in both the writing and the art, and you could hear the personalities of each Ghostbuster in your head as clear as day. With references to other mediums like 2009’s Ghostbusters: The Video Game, where they briefly mention “the rookie”, who you played as in the game, and your encounter with the Marshmallow Man (which was an AWESOME game btw). And they also gave a pretty sweet head nod to Filmation’s Ghostbusters that I couldn’t help but smile at.

If you’re interested, it looks like there’s 2 insanely sweet hardcover books you could pick up that will give you the entire run of the series I’m talking about. Ghostbusters: Total Containment along with Ghostbusters: Mass Hysteria. I have them digitally but man, oh man, these have to find their way to my shelf one day. Yes, it’s definitely an awesome time to be a fan of Ghostbusters right now.

Speaking of which, just to get it out there, I’ve always been all for the new movie. Yeah, it’s different and seems nothing like anything anyone was envisioning a new Ghostbusters was going to be like. But I cannot wait to watch it and see what it’s all about. Just like there was hate and fear for The Force Awakens being bad and ruining Star Wars, I was still excited for that as well from day 1, and we all know how that ended up. *lights another candle on his Force Awakens shrine*

But seriously, these are new times. A new generation. We had our shot with awesome movies and memorable characters to look up to. If a movie we loved as kids is getting rebooted or remade, then embrace it! Let a whole new generation fall in love with what we loved as kids. That’s all we want right? Our kids to be just as geeky and nerdy as we were growing up. If it’s not good, then hey, we still have our classic originals we could fall back on. No need for rage and death threats. Be freaking happy your precious franchise is in the light again.

Honestly, I was never a Star Wars kid. I didn’t get into Star Wars until I was well into my 20’s and my mother in-law got me the original trilogy on DVD. I had already watched episode I, but it was basically all new to me. I was never the kid dressing in robes, wishing he was training to be a Jedi. ….I may be that adult…. But I was never that kid. I was the kid who wished he was a Ghostbuster. And you know what? Jedi’s are awesome, lightsabers are freaking cool as hell, and the Force is all-powerful (and handy for getting stuff done while sitting on the couch). But I wouldn’t trade my memories with my proton pack for anything. Being a Ghostbuster was my dream and it’s instilled in my DNA. When celebrities die, I don’t usually linger on it. But when I heard about Harold Ramis, it freaking hurt bad. I felt my 6 year old self crying inside of me. Him, along with Aykroyd and Murray, they were my childhood. They sculpted who I am. And I’m happy they did.

Anyway, here we are today. There’s plenty of toys and such you could get into if you like that sort of thing. We just went toy hunting this weekend looking for a Marshmallow Man for the kids but he was pretty hard to find! Got lucky, but hopefully it’s restocked soon for others to enjoy. And of course, you know LEGO is an awesome way to enjoy all your favorite things. The kids love them so I lucked out and get to put them together more often than not. But when they released the Ecto-1 a few years ago, I went absolutely bonkers. They also just released the new Ecto-1 that goes with the current movie (I’m hoping I could pick that up soon) as well as the huge and amazing Firehouse set that came out around the 30th anniversary (I WISH I could pick it up 🙁 Dumb $350 price tag).

LEGO Ghostbusters Ecto-1

But the Ecto-1 was purchased when it came out. It was a Father’s Day gift, actually, and I was head over heels. But, I didn’t want to go and rush through it. So I put together the minifigures, and then put the rest away (that’s why you see some pictures were taken in our old house and others in our new house). Waiting for a rainy day to sit and enjoy putting it together. The kids get a lot of LEGO sets to build, but I don’t get too many to pick as my own, so I wanted to savor it. And I did.. for a few years. Haha. I just recently put it together because the hype for the movie was just too much.

The minifigures are freaking adorable. The jumpsuits, proton packs, everything is so spot on and LEGOized, I love it.

All together, it’s a really awesome set! I think it’s still going for $50. And if you’re a fan and love LEGO, then yeah, it’s really a no brainer. I absolutely love the detail on the roof of the car with the sirens and sensors and whatnot.

Lots of detail is to be enjoyed here and it was great to sit and put it all together piece by piece. It’s a huge reason why I love LEGO sets and building them with the kids.

The way it all comes together and you see it forming into this awesome build satisfies me in the simplest ways.

Again, if you’re looking for it for yourself or as a gift for a Ghostbusters lover, then get on it! I can’t wait to get into the new set just to have it next to the old one.

So I guess this is where I leave you. I know, I know, I had fun too, going down memory lane. This is probably going to be one of my more favorite posts that I’ve written here. Just thinking back and recalling my love for this franchise has me all fuzzy inside, I love it.

So please, if you’re a fan of Ghostbusters and have some awesome memory or think I missed something that you love about the guys in the jumpsuits, do not hesitate to comment below. I can’t wait to hear and talk about it!

Also, I know my mother and my older sister read this from time to time. If there’s anything embarrassing or memorable that I missed, go ahead and put it in the comments below. I can’t say I’ll admit to everything, but it’ll be fun to read.

I hope you enjoyed the new movie if you get out to watch it! I can’t wait to get my butt in a seat, I know that.

Until next post!