Ghostbusters: Cryptozoic Micro Figures

Cryptozoic Entertainment finally released their first series of Ghostbusters Micro Figures after a delay (the figures were originally supposed to come out in 2016). The wait was worth it, because the final product turned out really nice -- they're certainly better-produced than the Mattel Ecto-Minis that were released last year to coincide with the new Ghostbusters movie.

The Cryptozoic set consists of 16 different figures, including a nice mix of human and ghost characters. They are sold in single-figure blind bags with 24 packs to a box. The easiest way to get an entire set is to order a box online. I ordered two boxes to split up with another collector, and the assortments ended up being exactly the same in both boxes, including:

3 Slimers
2 of each of the four Ghostbusters
2 Ecto-1 vehicles
2 Stay Puft Marshmallow Men
1 each of all other characters

The figures are about 1.75 to 2 inches tall, painted, and made of a solid, sturdy plastic. The paint jobs are thankfully quite well done -- for the most part very clean. They run about $4 each, so not cheap, but at least the quality is there.

The set features characters from both 1980s Ghostbusters films. My favorites are (of course) the ghost creatures, including the Librarian, Tony and Nunzio Scoleri, the Terror Dog, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and of course, Slimer. I think my absolute top favorite is Nunzio Scoleri -- he's got a killer sculpt and a great color!

All of the figures are produced in solid colors, but I'd love to see translucent variants of the ghosts -- maybe an idea for a future release?

The human (and human-looking) characters are done in an exaggerated, cartoonish style with big heads. That's not usually my thing, but it does work with these figures, and they all look good.

In addition to the ghost and human characters there's also the Ecto-1 car, which is also nicely sculpted and a cool addition.

Here's a closer look at all of the figures:

EGON SPENGLER, PETER VENKMAN, WINSTON ZEDDMORE, RAY STANTZ

STAY PUFT MARSHMALLOW MAN, SLIMER, TONY SCOLERI, TERROR DOG, NUNZIO SCOLERI, LIBRARIAN

JANINE, ECTO-1, KEYMASTER, VIGO THE CARPATHIAN, GOZER, ZUUL

And that's the lot! The packaging says "Series 1," so maybe we'll eventually get another set. I'd definitely love to add more ghosts to the collection.

What do you think of these Cryptozoic figures? Do you plan on picking any up?

Ghostbusters Ecto Minis (2016 & Classic movie figures, Mattel)

So there's a new Ghostbusters film coming out. Which of course means there's new Ghostbusters toys. Which thankfully means there's new ghost mini figures!

I'm a big fan of the mini ghosts from Kenner's '80s-'90s The Real Ghostbusters line -- so much so that I set out to complete a whole set of them -- so naturally these new ghosts piqued my interest. They're called Ecto Minis, they're made by Mattel, and instead of coming packed with normal size action figures, they're sold on their own.

Ecto Minis three-packs

Honestly, after seeing photos online and reading some collectors' thoughts on them, I wasn't sure I wanted to buy them. Of course, that all changed when I actually saw them in the store. Who was I kidding, thinking I'd be able to pass up new Ghostbusters minis?

Let's take a closer look at these new ghostly chunks of plastic. Note that there are several human character Ecto Minis as well, but here we'll focus mainly on the ghosts.


PACKAGING / ASSORTMENTS

Ecto Minis tied to the new 2016 movie are sold a few different ways, with certain figures being available in multiple types of packaging and others being exclusive to one type. These items include:

• Three-packs (unchanging assortments of two ghosts with one human, with all three figures visible in a carded blister)
• Blind bag single packs (ghosts and humans included)
• Slime sets
• Vehicles / playsets

Here are the 2016 movie ghosts that are exclusive to the three-packs:

Rat Ghost (purple), Slimer (w/ hot dogs), Rowan (blue), Gertrude Eldridge

These 2016 movie ghosts are exclusive to the blind bags:

Mannequin Ghost, Rat Ghost (blue)

 And these 2016 movie ghosts can be found in both the three-packs and blind bags:

Bug Ghost, Slimer, Rowan (in trap), Splitting Ghost

There are a few other new movie ghost minis not shown here, like Ms. Slimer (available in a Slime set) and a Subway ghost (available in a Trap playset).

In addition, there are "Classic" Ecto Minis that feature characters from the original '80s film. As far as I know, these are only available in blind bag single packs. The ghosts in this set include clear and solid versions of Slimer and clear and solid versions of a Terror Dog.

Terror Dog (clear version), Slimer (solid version)

So far I've only seen Ecto Minis at Wal-Mart. I'm not sure where else they might be available.


SCULPTING / SIZE / MATERIAL

New Ghostbusters Ecto Minis taking on some ghosts

Ecto Minis are about 1.5 inches tall, give or take a bit depending on the figure. That's actually a bit smaller than I thought they'd be after seeing photos online, which is a good thing as it actually enhances their appeal.

The sculpting is nicely done, on both the ghosts and human figures. Some figures are better than others, but they all have something interesting about them. A really fun feature is that all of the clear ghosts have little glow-in-the-dark skeletons inside them, which gives them a cooler look, even when the lights are on and they're not glowing.

I think my favorite sculpts are the two female ghosts -- the Mannequin Ghost and Gertrude Eldridge (which some have also called the Library Ghost, but I'm not sure if there's a difference between the two) -- because they are the most unusual-looking. It's also nice to finally have some good Slimer mini figures, something that the vintage Real Ghostbusters line failed to deliver.

Unfortunately, the skeleton feature comes with a trade-off. The ghost figures are made of a light hard plastic, and are very hollow inside except for their skeletons. This gives them a bit of a cheap feel, and a look that brings attention to the fact that they're made of two halves put together. I'd much prefer for them to be made of a nice hard rubber / soft plastic that wasn't hollow, although I'm not sure if it would have been possible to mold the skeletons in them that way.


OVERALL THOUGHTS

Ecto Minis are really fun, and I'm glad to have them. If you're a Ghostbusters collector or a fan of mini figures (particularly vintage Ghostbusters minis), you'll almost certainly be able to find something to love about them. The hollow, lightweight hard plastic leaves something to be desired, but once I finally saw these figures in person it wasn't a deal-breaker. They're also pretty pricey -- around $3 per single figure blind bag and $10 per three-pack (why do the three-packs cost more per figure than the blind bags?) -- but I guess that's par for the course these days.

They're also cool to display alongside the old Kenner ghosts. Here's a comparison shot of old with new:

What do you think? Have you picked up any Ecto Minis or do you plan to collect them?

The Real Ghostbusters: new companion ghosts guide!

I don't know about you, but my favorite part about Kenner's The Real Ghostbusters toys as a kid was the little companion ghosts that were included as accessories with many of the figures. Most of the sculpts for these little ghosts had fun, nicely done sculpts, and there was just something so cool about having little weirdo creatures included for the heroes to fight. Also, they were monochromatic, and some of them made of clear plastic, which are always pluses around here.

I did a post on these guys a while back, but I just recently managed to finish my collection with all of the sculpts (group shot above!). That means I've also been able to finish a project that's been about a year in the making--a guide / checklist for all of The Real Ghostbusters companion ghosts! In addition to photos of them all, this guide includes names, series, year, and which figures or vehicles each came with. If you're interested in this line, hopefully you'll find it helpful.

You can view and download the guide HERE.

Ghostbusters companion ghost figures

What: Arguably the coolest thing about Kenner's line of line of The Real Ghostbusters toys from the mid-1980s through the early-1990s came in the form of some of the accessories released to accompany the main action figures. Included in these accessories were a number of small plastic ghost mini figures that came packaged with certain Ghost-busting heroes and larger ghost figures. Much like with with Playmates' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sidekicks companion figures, there were enough mini figures put out as part of the Ghostbusters line to allow for a sizable collection of the little ghosts.

Wrapper Ghost

Being interested in this kind of stuff pretty much since I was old enough to look down the toy aisle at the store, I can remember wanting to get Ghostbusters figures just to get these ghosts way back when they first came out, and I still think they're awesome. Many of the companion ghosts have truly fun and imaginative sculpts, and almost all of them are appropriately translucent or transparent. The pack of ghosts also sports a variety of different colors, adding to the appeal of collecting them. Some of my personal favorites include the "Wrapper Ghost," a demented-looking purple ghost with a long, curling tail, the bulky yellow "Gulper Ghost," and the "Soar Throat Ghost," a bizarre little magenta guy with bug-eyes and a long neck.

Soar Throat Ghost

In addition to all of the ghosts pictured above, there were a few others released that I don't yet have in my collection. To get more info on the companion ghosts and find out which ghosts came with which action figures, check out the comprehensive Ghostbusters toy wiki.

When: 1986-1991.

Where: Throughout the U.S. (and wherever else Kenner's Ghostbusters line might have been sold), at toy stores and department stores.

Who: Kenner