Category: Toys

Kenner Monsters: Dracula

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monsters

In 1989 the creative freedom Kenner exerted pretty much brought a line of figures that had little to nothing to do with The Real Ghostbusters. They’re not hero figures nor are they even ghost figures. They’re literally Monsters. Kenner in no certain terms made sure we knew what our parents were buying. Classic, perhaps vintage horror characters based on either literature, film, or both.

I feel like I would remember if I had any of the six monsters in childhood. I was around 12 then and the days of my parents buying me figures were waining. In adulthood I’m trying to use logic to understand why Kenner produced these in The Real Ghostbusters line. Maybe with the license some highly respected Kenner employee wanted to make them. I can imagine children having there The Real Ghostbusters hero figures battle one or more of the Monsters. What could the end result be? You can’t really use the Proton Packs and they can’t be contained.

The fun in each of these monster figures are their actions, what they can do to scareand frighten say Fright Features The Real Ghostbusters.

With this Ectocontainment™ Feature I’ll be taking a look at each Monster, beginning with The Dracula Monster.

Ectocontainment Spotlight: Mini Traps

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minitraps

In 1988 with the larger first series ghost figures and larger Gooper Ghosts already on the market Kenner created and sold smaller Mini ghosts. Which are different, separate, and more affordable ghost figure sets. At $4.99 USD, (1980s dollars, nice) even your allowance money made these obtainable toys.

Out of the three mini ghost toys I can remember having Mini Traps.™ Before I owned them again as a collector I vaguely remembered what they look liked, not really their purpose. I grew up in suburbia, grocery stores in practically every direction within a mile of me. If we had to set traps, it was to catch irritating bugs or on a rare occasion a mouse. Usually because of neighborhood construction. So I wouldn’t have totally understood how clever Kenner employees came up with mini traps. Cincinnati, Ohio must be close enough to the woods that perhaps there were traps made from iron to trap animals who can cause the outbreak or want to eat us. I’m not judging Kenner employees, they did what they had to, to survive on Kenner St.

Ectocontainment Spotlight: Mini Shooter

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minishooter

In 1988 with the larger first series ghost figures and larger Gooper Ghosts already on the market Kenner created and sold smaller Mini ghosts. Which are different, separate, and more affordable ghost figure sets. At $4.99 USD, (1980s dollars, nice) even your allowance money made these obtainable toys.

Boo-Zooka™ is a cocoon shaped wormy ghost who was sitting around one day with his smaller ghost buddies, known as Boo-Lets.™ The orange and blue Boo-Lets look up (literally and figuratively) to Boo-Zooka. They want to be like it and listen closely to what it has to say. Boo-Zooka had this idea to start a band. The orange Boo-Let was nervous to ask, but it asked Boo-Zooka, what will we call our band? Boo-Zooka proclaimed “Boo-Zooka with Boo-Lets” Both Boo-Lets were so glad to have their names in the band name, they didn’t question that none of them could play instruments or had any money. Boo-Zooka knows best.

Ectocontainment Spotlight: Mini Goopers

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minigoopers

In 1988 with the larger first series ghost figures and larger Gooper Ghosts already on the market Kenner created and sold smaller Mini ghosts. Which are different, separate, and more affordable ghost figure sets. At $4.99 USD, (1980s dollars, nice) even your allowance money made these obtainable toys.

Kenner’s Ecto-Plazm toys had already reached a crescendo when they created and sold their large Gooper Ghosts. Their’s only so many individual cans of Ecto-Plazm your parents are willing to put up with. In childhood I never had anywhere near as many cans of toy slime as I do in adult hood. I owned more cans of Play-Doh. You know, the less messy play time. They came up with three smaller ghost toys, The Mini Gooper Ghosts,™ Mini Shooter,™ and Mini Traps.™ They could have all come with Ecto-Plazm, but then Mini Goopers wouldn’t be as special.

Sold Out Matty Collector Figures Shipped To Big Lots

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biglotslogo

Most ghostheads know by now that US retail chain, Big Lots! has and is selling “left over” Mattel/Matty Collector stock. This inventory is original and second run Ghostbusters and MOTUC items which Mattel over produced and later sold as part of a cyber deal last year. Regardless whether these items actually sold out during the sale or Mattel decided to end the sale after that day or week, at some point the inventory went to the few Mattel stores in the country. Then later was sold to Big Lots! where they’ve been and are showing up this summer.

A reason this is important to ghostheads is because Big Lots! have been receiving the once expensive Ghostbusters II 12” inch 2 packs. Up to today, ghostheads have been finding the Egon/Ray set. Depending on the inventory a particular store is getting, other once sold out 6” figures are being found. Like slime Peter Venkman, Vigo, Vince Clortho, and even rare Retro-Action Citizen Ghost Peter Venkman.

Many stores have received this inventory, it’s possible a location hasn’t yet and maybe, just maybe your nearby store will receive more inventory. Up until yesterday, their was a link on Big Lots! web site which informed customers if a particular location received this weekly deal. Best to call a store or check your nearby locations.

After last month and more financial obligations this month I was finally able to visit the Toms River, NJ Big Lots! Unfortunately at the time the Toms River location didn’t have any of the 12″ Ghostbusters II sets. I spoke to a cashier who told me when a shipment had come in, someone bought 3 of them. Hopefully it was a ghosthead and ghostheads will own them without a markup. She didn’t think they would be getting in any more as MOTUC had starting coming in. In fact that shipment was put on the shelves yesterday.

The only and I mean the only Mattel Ghostbusters item for sale was a Retro-Action Peter (without mailer) from Citizen Ghost. I didn’t buy it as I already own all the Retro-Action The Real Ghostbusters figures. I thought of getting it to sell, honestly I have other things I should be selling and thought like back in the day, maybe a parent might buy the figure for a kid. I like to be hopeful.

“I thought it was going to be He-Man.”

Big Lots! had 6 MOTUC figures, which included some 2 pack sets and two of the same 12″ inch figure.

“I don’t want to grow up…”

Like others (which had nothing to do with Ghostbusters) I also went to Toys ‘R US in Toms River and was a bit surprised to see 7 Matty Collector Retro Action Janine/Samhain 2 pack sets. They’re sorta on clearance for about $30.

I’m trying to find a ghosthead or family member who if they have or do find a 12” Ghostbusters II Egon/Ray set and would be willing to sell one to let me know. I’m definitely interested in buying one, I may have to wait until September to purchase. In the meantime I may go back to Big Lots! this week.