The Kenner Ecto-2 was a favorite vehicle when I was a kid. How could you not love a helicopter that can drive? Ecto 2 has specific ghostbusting equipment for air to ghost maneuvers. Can’t do that on top secret aircraft.
I’ve taken the original 6 page Ecto-2 Instructions, scanned them, and made them into 4 PNG files. I’ve also scanned and included the decal sheet.
The Kenner Ecto-1 has remained my favorite The Real Ghostbusters vehicle. Other adults can understand how I felt. The real Ecto-1, a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance/Hearse was one of the first classic cars I had ever seen. It was in a movie, it was “restored,” (I was 6, I didn’t know how the movie business worked) could take the Ghostbusters and their “real” equipment anywhere, and do just about anything. The original drafts made it seem like Ecto-1 had supernatural powers, similar to another movie car from a few years earlier. Maybe that’s part of the reason Ecto-1 in the The Real Ghostbusters could do anything the story called for. I didn’t really know that at 8, it was one reason I loved Ecto-1.
I’ve taken the original 6 page Ecto-1 Instructions, scanned them, and made them into 4 PNG/JPG files. I’ve also scanned and included the decal sheet.
When I was in my teens I had given many of my opened, played with The Real Ghostbusters (and TMNT) toys to a then friend of the family’s son. This decision came because of bullying and kid(s) at his school stealing his toys. I wasn’t going to stand for that if I could help it. In hardly no time at all I gave him the majority of these toys. Almost immediately he and his family experienced the happiness and other good emotions these toys use to bring me around his age.
The only toy I kept that I couldn’t part with was my Kenner Firehouse. Most likely from a combination of my memories, the series, and the rarity of a plastic firehouse with a containment unit. Instead of bringing the lightly coat of dust firehouse upstairs I left it in my basement, out of harms way for years.
Until one day I came home from a store and saw my complete firehouse sitting/leaning in an open garbage can. You can imagine the opposite of good emotions I had felt even into adulthood. To this day I don’t know who threw it out. You better believe I was quick to retrieve it. Then I did something I would regret for years. Become very conflicted about it and still let it be thrown away. I had intended to still retrieve it, I was too late. I might have felt better long term if I knew for sure some kid had it. Knowing “waste management” at the time in my old neighborhood I’m sure it was….I can’t even think about it.
It would take more then a decade, I would eventually rectify my mistake. When I was heavily into collecting Ghostbusters/The Real Ghostbusters toys during 2011 I came across a recent open fire house through a popular auction site. The seller had acquired a S.M.I.B The Real Ghostbusters HQ and assembled it. Then at some point decided to sell it. I was the fortunate winner and soon enough I once again owned this much loved toy.
The only difference between my original firehouse and my new one is the multiple languages, mostly present on the instructions. My childhood firehouse was just that, the fire house and as I grew up in America during the 1980s generally my toys were in English. During The Real Ghostbusters Ghostbusters Central has gone by a handful of names depending on the script. My once auction fire house is a Fire Station and perhaps translated more as at least 5 languages are represented!
The instructions included with my Fire House/Fire Station are too long for my standard size scanner. I’ve scanned the 2 page instructions in 10 parts to make 10 PNG files. Because the previous owner applied the labels, I couldn’t scan them. I may be able to provide them from another ghosthead. In which case I’ll update the entry and site and provide credit.
Even if there are Kenner Ecto-Headphones instructions out there somewhere I have come up with a workable solution. While creating the potential instruction page I was looking at the back of its box. In the lower hand corner the box has an Assembly area. I cropped an existing photo of the box I took within the last two years.
This photo can serve as a more detailed visual for how to use Ecto-Headphones and assemble it. A scan of two The Real Ghostbusters decals are also included.
After ghost nabbing felt ghosts and sliming issue 1 I was ready to begin work on the next sets of Kenner Instructions and site updates. I knew I was missing a pivotal one and didn’t have two others. Before making the time to write about it here, which I thought would be sooner then now I took to Ectocontainment’s Facebook page.
I’m hoping with as many Kenner instructions as I am and will be providing ghostheads, somebody will have these instructions and can contribute to the Kenner and The Real Ghostbusters fan base. Instructions should be at least in English. If other languages are included that’s certainly all right. Either way if you have these instructions, please leave a comment or email me.
1. Ecto-Goggles/Ecto-Popper
I’ve always known since I bought my Ecto-Goggles/Ecto-Popper off eBay I didn’t have the instructions. I may not have the decals either. In my searches I never find just the instructions. When the goggles/popper come up for auction/sale every now and then the prices are usually a little beyond my budget. I have asked the sellers, whether the item is mint or not, they don’t want to help out or just sell the instructions. Of course when selling the toy as a whole, I understand.
2. Ecto-Headphones
When i bought mine mint in box or so I thought from eBay I thought it was complete. It mostly appeared to be, I’m missing the instructions. It’s possible it didn’t originally have instructions, (some of the toys didn’t) as their is “some assembly required” I’m guessing their were.
3. Stay-Put Marshmallow Man Plush
Like most fans and collectors who buy Kenner’s Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man plush it is far from mint in box. Mine wasn’t too bad, needed to be washed and dried. It was missing the original box, instructions, (if their were any) and advertisement poster. Attempts to buy/win MIB Kenner Stay-Puft plushes have been unsuccessful. Which for my wallet is probably for the best as sellers often ask $300 or more.
4. Slimer (Green Ghost) Puppet
I don’t even know if I’ve ever seen a MIB Kenner Slimer (Green Ghost) puppet on eBay. However, I have seen pictures of the box. I don’t have a clue if it came with any instructions. If anyone knows about it, has more information, and of course the instructions please leave comment or email me.
Without these “early” instructions I went through the majority of my Kenner The Real Ghostbusters toys to see how complete they actually are and if they included the instructions. I may be missing 2 or 3 others. When we get to those updates I can talk about them. Knowing what I have I went ahead and scanned about half the instructions and cleaned them up.
I have had somewhat of a personal and busy week. As my schedule allows I’ll create the new instructions pages, write about them a little, and get them on the site.
From my adulthood memory I don’t originally remember Kenner’s Ghost Nabber, drawn in 1986 as Ghost Detector. The toy version, loosely based on Ghostbusters “ghost sniffer” and original production drawings of The Real Ghostbusters Ghost Detector was only seen or used 3 times throughout the 7 season run. Which probably explains why I didn’t have to own and didn’t own as a child a The Real Ghostbusters Ghost Nabber.
I scanned the Ghost Nabber Instructions cover, two inside pages, and back page to make 4 PNG files. I’ve also scanned and included the decal sheet.
Third in the Kenner instruction series is the Ghost Spooker. I previously owned one in adulthood from eBay. If that Ghost Spooker had been found at a yard sale instead I would have paid a lot less for it. The box was aged and missing most of its contents. The toy wasn’t mint, it did work and still brought back fond memories. For how I like to collect most toys I knew I’d want to buy another. After I found the one I currently own from a popular auction site I was able to sell the previous one.
I’ve had my second Ghost Spooker in adulthood for more then a year. I carefully opened the box and took out its instructions this weekend to share with Kenner and The Real Ghostbusters fans.
The Ghost Spooker Instructions are three PNG files. Pages two and three from the instructions were scanned as one file. I’ve also scanned the decal sheet.
Next in the Kenner instruction series is the Ghost Trap. When I originally won it sealed, mint in box from a popular auction site I knew I’d eventually open it. I just didn’t know when. That time would come about a year later when I felt the time was right. I took un-boxing pictures which were on the previous version of Ectocontainment. They’ll be moved to the current version of the site in a future update.
A bit surprising until today I didn’t even know I had the trap instructions. I’m pretty sure the original US version included a paper version. My auction trap is multi-national and multi-lingual. Which means Kenner included the Ghost Trap Instructions on the back of an updated version of The Real Ghostbusters poster (in multiple languages) that would be included with the toy line. i scanned the back of the poster in three sections to make 3 png files and I’ve also scanned the decal sheet.
If anyone can confirm the US version did have a paper instruction like the proton pack please let us know in the comments. If you live outside the US or did in the 80s and can confirm Kenner printed the instructions on the back of the RGB poster, please let us know in the comments also.
Normally I’m one of those toy collectors who would rather have sealed/mint in box or mint on card toys which I don’t open and enjoy in adulthood by display. There are exceptions depending on circumstances or if it was one of my favorite toys. Kenner’s Proton Pack with P.K.E Meter is one of those toys. When I won my Kenner proton pack from a popular internet auction site it had been open in years past. It included the instructions and that gave me the idea that if I’m brave enough to open my sealed The Real Ghostbusters toys I’ll scan them to share with Kenner and the Ghostbusters community. To the best of my knowledge I haven’t or rarely seen these instructions on-line at all or for free.
My original pack instructions were pretty aged. I’ve cleaned them up and tried to make them look as new as possible. Their are still imperfections. To correct the aged imperfections it may take a graphics tablet which I don’t have.
Kenner’s Proton Pack Instructions are 6 png files. A separate file includes the proton pack decals. Their isn’t a RGB ID card because although it was suppose to be included, through an oversight or because it had gone missing Kenner’s original wasn’t in the open box. A reason why I prefer to buy mint in box toys.
Ecto-Containment 
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