Continuing to capitalize on the fact that it’s easier to get adults to buy toys than try to pull kids away from screens, Hasbro’s tapping into late ‘80s nostalgia with new releases of Kenner’s classic The Real Ghostbusters toys, including the iconic Ecto-1 and the terrifying toilet ghost.
Spinning off from the 1984 comedy classic, The Real Ghostbusters was an animated series that ran from 1986 to 1990, which back then was pretty much forever. “The Real” was added after a dispute with Filmation, which owned the Ghostbusters name and produced its own animated series around the same time, simply called Ghostbusters. The Real Ghostbusters is the show with all the movie clout, following the further adventures of Venkman, Stantz, Zeddemore, Spengler, and the gang. Man, this is a lot of exposition for a post about toys.
The Real Ghostbusters toy line was a delightful combination of cool tech and gross ghosts. Hasbro’s Kenner reissues, which go up for preorder exclusively at Walmart on March 15, represent the best the line had to offer. Take the $50 Ecto-1, for example. It’s so bulbous and cartoony. It’s got a tailgate that opens and closes, a roof-mounted swivel seat, and a ghost claw for grappling with the restless dead. Has a hearse ever been this fun? Yes, but this one is kid-friendly.
Not quite as kid-friendly is Fearsome Flush, a toilet that’s sure to set your child’s potty-training back a decade. One moment it’s a normal toilet. The next, it’s got a tongue and teeth and I don’t need to point out where those will likely end up going.
Compared to that toilet terror, Bug-Eye is pretty tame. He’s either scary, or scary while also holding a giant eyeball attached to a string.
Both $15 ghosts and the Ecto-1 go up for preorder on March 15 at Walmart.com, with toys arriving in stores in April, where they will be bought up by employees and put on eBay for double or triple the price. Ain’t nostalgia grand?