McDonald’s The Real Ghostbusters Promotion

During The Real Ghostbusters first full year in 1987 McDonald’s and Columbia Pictures came together with a theme, to sell your parents a cheeseburger (or McNugget) happy meal, and naturally include a The Real Ghostbusters toy.

The theme for the multiple Happy Meal boxes had to do with going back to school. Each meal box had fun and educational, (my 9 year old self wouldn’t have quite thought of them in that way) activities included on them.

The four theme related “places” are:

• Headquarters
• Library
• Museum
• Schoolhouse

Each The Real Ghostbusters meal box included one of the following toys. Really, The Real Ghostbusters stationary set.

1. A Mr. Stay-Puft pencil sharpener.
2. “Containment Chamber.” A clear pouch with a ghost design.
3. The Real Ghostbusters pencil with Slimer/Fire House topper.
4. A Mr. Stay-Puft note pad and “no ghost” logo eraser.
5. A Mr. Stay-Puft note pad and The Real Ghostbusters 6″ ruler.

I remember going to McDonald’s during The Real Ghostbusters promotion. I had some, probably not all of the meal boxes with accompanying items. Words in this blog post understate what a big deal this was after Ghostbusters, in the early years of The Real Ghostbusters, and with Ghostbusters II off in the distance.

Today I don’t have a single physical box or included toy. What I and now we all have thanks to David Boozer who runs The Ghostbusters Vault are high resolution scans for each small arched box.

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This wouldn’t be the last time McDonalds and Columbia Pictures got together for a The Real Ghostbusters promotion. For some reason in 1992 after The Real Ghostbusters had ended its run 😥 it was decided to have Happy Meals…in paper bags. What gives Ronald? The toys, not so much this bag had a bike accessory theme.

I sorta remember this promotion. From when I was 9 in 1987, this would have been a different time in my life. I probably would have been too old anyway for items which could have turned my Specialized bike into an Ecto bike.

1. A Slimer horn.
2. An Egon Spengler spinner.
3. P.K.E water bottle.
4. ECTO-1 bike siren.

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Non US commercial.

Sources:

• Columbia Pictures (Sony Pictures)
• McDonalds
• David Boozer
• Ghostbusters Wiki
• Mark Krugman (1987 Promotional Commercial)
• Slyster59 (1992 Promotional Commercial)