The Ecto-Plazms: An Honest Review

Hasbro recently released a new collectible in its Real Ghostbusters line, aiming to continue where Kenner left off in 1991. This time, it reimagines the famous cans of Ecto-Plasm, but without any slime. 

The lack of Ecto-Plasm in the cans labeled Ecto-Plazms has been a sticking point across the entire Ghostbusters fandom. Instead, we get a mix of six ghosts and Ghostbusters in mini collectible form, in several different colors. Clearly inspired by the little plastic ghosts that came buried in the slime in the 80s. 

Strangely, even though these seem to follow the blind box trend, you can only buy them in full-box orders.  So you get one box of 12 cans with 6 mini-figures in each can. It isn’t a random assortment; each box gets you one full set of each color. So, with one purchase, you’re guaranteed the entire set without any luck needed. 

I have a couple of thoughts on this approach, but first I want to talk about what the toys are like and the positives before I dive into the issues and oddities. 

Ghostbusters in My Pocket

First off, these things are cool. I liked them from the moment I saw them; even with the disappointment of not having any slime in the cans, I wanted a little set of these figures. When they arrived, that opinion didn't change; I opened the first can and was pretty happy with the level of detail and the selection included. 

Each character is easy to recognize; you will not need to squint and guess whether the character is Egon or Ray, and you'll have no trouble identifying the included ghosts. There are, of course, Egon, Ray, Peter, and Winston, but Janine is also included in uniform and wearing a proton pack. Surprisingly, each character has a slightly different body sculpt; it isn’t just a different head on the same generic body. Janine even has sweater melons, which was hilarious to me only because it seems so unnecessary at this size to be that specific; the glasses and hair made it pretty clear who it was. Even the proton packs have a lot of detail, including a trap hanging off the side. 

The included ghosts are great sculpts and make me really want these characters as actual Kenner-style toys. An oddity of the Kenner line is that none of the ghosts came directly from the show, except Slimer and Stay-Puft. In this set you have Boogeyman, Sandman, Samhain, Granny Gross, Fearsome Flush, Bug Eye Ghost, and, of course, Slimer. Granny, Bug-Eye, and the Toilet being directly inspired by matching Kenner line ghosts. I know Mondo is currently giving us Boogey, Sandman, and Samhain, but I don’t want to pay $200 to get them. I want $20 Kenner-style baddies that fit my current collection. Boogey is the standout in this lineup; that face is menacing. 

You get them all in pink, blue, orange, green, purple, and glow-in-the-dark. The glowing ones are the clear winner here; I would have been fine with just that set. But I do like the other colors; the green seems very fitting. 

Everyone compared these to Monsters in My Pocket, which I did at first too. I loved the few I had as a kid, which is probably why I gravitated toward these. But once I got them, it is clear the real inspiration here is Army Men: the way they are sculpted, the type of plastic, and the figures' stances. Once I set them up and faced the Ghostbusters toward the ghosts, yeah, it felt like playing with little green army men again. 

This entire collection comes in plastic cans meant to mimic the original Ecto-Plasm tubs, and in a box meant to look like a store display box. Even though I imagine most people will open these and display at least one set of figures, it's a nice display piece overall. The printing is nice, and the recreation of the originals, though altered for this specific line, is spot on; Harry Moore keeps killing it with these designs. 

Okay, but there are some negatives. 

Let’s address the elephant in the room: the loud voices in the fandom are right; this is a dumb way to package these figures. Buying an entire box set to get several sets of the same figures in multiple colors is a bit ridiculous. I would have much rather bought a bigger can of one color set; I still would have grabbed more than one. Since there is no slime included, keeping these in small cans was unnecessary. On top of that, they aren’t even the same kind of cans as the original Ecto-Plasm, and it makes the label look small and a bit silly. 

My biggest complaint about the packaging is the lids, though. My original intention was to buy a set and open them, display one color, and let my kid have fun with the others when he wanted to. I organized them by color and closed them up. But as I took them out more than once, I realized this wouldn't work. The lids are stiff and seal tightly, likely because they are the same as Play-Doh cans. They'll probably start to break eventually because of it. Also, the labels on top of the lid are just paper labels, so as I popped them open, they immediately began to crinkle and will eventually rip. None of that would matter if these were a cheap toy in a dollar store, but this set is $90! Even though that makes each little figure $1.25 without counting the display box and plastic can, it still feels a bit on the premium side for them to be that cheap on the labels and not think through how the cans open.

 These should have been in larger cans in a single-color set; think Monkey’s in a Barrel size, and you will not change my mind there. I wish I didn't feel like the best storage method is sandwich baggies while keeping the cans empty. 

Most people think these were going to be in stores like 5 Below and Wal-Mart and sold as blind boxes, but Hasbro ended up not thinking they would sell. After seeing the packaging in person and the lack of true collector-style care, I agree. If they were truly meant to be this way from the start, I imagine there would have been more figures rather than 72 repeating characters. We probably got lucky to get these as a set, but it's still a bummer. 

Lastly, the poses could be better. Samhain and Egon are the only two characters actually emoting. Janine, Ray, Peter, and Winston are essentially in the same pose, and none of them is pointing the proton thrower outward like they are firing at a ghost. You’re not going to display these in any action scene. Not necessarily a big thing, but it would have been a nice touch. 

I’m not going to knock that there isn’t any slime; it is a bummer, but I get their decision to make these collector figures and not include something that dries out or spoils. These were intended as a different product with a nostalgia slant, and that is okay. 

If I had to nitpick a bit, Egon’s pose of holding the thrower up creates a silly problem: all of mine have a heavy curve. Seems ripe for breaking. The only face sculpt that isn’t the best is Ray, who looks like a face carved in mashed potatoes. It also would've been nice to swap out at least one of the toy-line ghosts for another one pulled from the show. Dig deep into that catalog of major villains; there isn’t enough love for the Sleaze, if you ask me.  

Conclusion

These are great for serious collectors, but I’m not sure I’d suggest them to most people. I will love having them on my shelf and letting my kid play with a set or two whenever they want, but they absolutely should have been packaged differently, and they should be cheaper. These are Army Men, not true mini collectibles, and that pricing really kills their appeal.

Hasbro had a fun idea here, but the execution is not what it should be. If you’re on the fence, skip it or keep an eye on eBay for people selling them in individual sets; I’m sure it will happen. If you’re as big of a dork as I am for these things, grab them; they are cute and fun!