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09/21/2007: “The Real Ghostbusters” Halloween Special.

I’m not late! I’m not late! It’s still the 21st!

Today’s Countdown entry sheds some light on The Halloween Door, a prime time Halloween special from The Real Ghostbusters. It’s one of those rare cases when a “normal” cartoon got its own big special, and I don’t think this one disappointed anyone. From singing Ghostbusters to dancing devils to a revised opening sequence chock full of pumpkin graphics, it had it all.


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

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Discussion Thread: 198 comments

“”Rocko’s Modern Life” did Halloween? Really? I remember their X-mas one.

For modern cartoons I nominate TMNT (the 2003 series) and SpongeBob. *ducks and covers* No, i’m really going to defend the Spongebob nomination. Yes, it has its “official” Halloween ep but it’s got a bunch of scary ep bonuses, especially with the Flying Dutchman. “Rugrats” has an awesome Halloween ep too.

Ghosted by Poseid @ 09/22/2007 10:55 AM EDT


I seemed to have long repressed the memory of watching this special–until now. The only part I remember was the Bogeyman musical number. It scared the crap right out of my 7-year-old bowels. The ghosts on GB were always unusually frightening. You’ll never see that on Bratz or Computer Monster Fight or whatever the hell kids watch on Saturday mornings now.

Ghosted by Amanda AKA Waltzimus Prime @ 09/22/2007 10:55 AM EDT


KentDoggy: I’m also an Egon fan, but then I’m a nerd of course. People try to convince us that the party animal or the leader is the coolest, but we know the truth, nerds rule. That is why:

Donatello is the best Ninja Turtle
Simon is the best Chipmunk
Thelma could kick Daphne’s butt.
Beast is the coolest X-Men.

The only exception I can think of is Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards. Despite having stretchy body parts/leader/nerd, he will ALWAYS be the least popular member of the F4. Even Herbie the Robot is better than him.

Ghosted by JLAJRC @ 09/22/2007 11:18 AM EDT


My auntie had a whole bunch of Hallowe’en cartoons and movies on a tape. She would play it for us every time we were over around Hallowe’en, and this was my favorite (!!!) thing on that tape (well, aside from all the cool 80’s commercials) But I haven’t seen the Hallowe’en Door, or anything about it, since I was a small child.
You rock!

Ghosted by Cutie_Kitsune @ 09/22/2007 11:48 AM EDT


“it took 2000 years but the Boogeyman is back in town”…..swear that was one of the lyrics. I’m sure it was a desire of the writers for a nice round # with the proper # of syllables for the line but still, that places the Boogeyman in direct contention with Christ. While the epic battle going on in my head is pretty cool (and has a great soundtrack) I’m confused as to why Jesus would condone an annual worship of demons as part of the ‘contract’ to keep him away. Thinking Judas had something to do with it.

Ghosted by guy @ 09/22/2007 12:06 PM EDT


El Loco Gordo, no you were not.
Your link messed up, so here is the direct:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmation%27s_Ghostbusters
The DVDs sound great:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127569/externalreviews

Ghosted by THC @ 09/22/2007 12:35 PM EDT


http://agentdvdonline.com/agentdvd/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=439045
“AGENT DVD: Speaking of ‘Ghost Busters,’ did you have any involvement with the 1984 Bill Murray movie?
SCHEIMER: They had to get the rights from us to do the movie. We made a deal with Columbia to use the name. I didn’t think to secure animation rights. I suggested we could do the animated show, but they wanted to do it on their own. I couldn’t work out a deal. We did our own show, and the audience was confused. The live action show had Larry Storch. Those were funny shows for older audiences. Storch was a little crazy. The kids in the cartoon are the children of the guys in the show. The audience was confused. One man said it was terrible what we’d done. He said we’d taken the only black character in the movie and made him a gorilla!”

http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=5561
“Obviously a deal was worked out, but how did that carry over into the animation side, because for a while there were two competing shows, Filmation’s Ghostbusters and the so-called Real Ghostbusters.

It was weird. We did the live series in 1975, and the animated series was in the 80s. What happened was, we made a deal with Columbia to give them the rights to do the picture, and we got $500,000 for the use, and I made a dumb move. Oh, and we got 1% of the profit from the pictures. It was amazing. I think they spent something like $65 million, and they grossed something like $150 million, and they never had any profits. That’s when I was exposed to the Hollywood accounting practices. (They weren’t practices — they were well practiced.) And I didn’t make a deal with them that excluded the animation. I never thought of it.

Years after the live picture was released, Columbia decided to do an animated feature. And it was a very nice guy running Columbia, Herman Rush, who had turned out earlier in my history had been an agent for us. So I called Herman and suggested to him, ‘Why not do something together. We’ve got rights, you’ve got rights.’ And our parent company then, Westinghouse, said, ‘Oh, we don’t need them.’ And I said, ‘Bad idea. I think we need them. Because they’ll have one, we’ll have one, and nobody will know what’s going on.’ And as it turned out, that’s essentially what happened.

I think there was a whole generation out there that was only familiar with the feature film, and saw the Filmation cartoon as some sort of copy.

You know, the sadness was, we had the gorilla as part of our original show. They put a black man in the team, and I got a phone call from a nice man — I can’t remember where it was — and he was horrified that we had taken the Columbia picture and turned the African-American into an ape. And I tried to explain, ‘No, you don’t understand, that was in our original picture.’ It was sad. I couldn’t convince that guy that we hadn’t somehow done something terrible.”

Ghosted by THC @ 09/22/2007 12:41 PM EDT


I totally had the toy version of Bogeyman. At least I think it was. I distinctly remember a ghost figure that had three guy stacked one on top of the other, and the top head was exactly like that.

Man, Ghostbusters was a great toy line.

Ghosted by Anonymous @ 09/22/2007 12:43 PM EDT


guy:

1. And Malchizedek spake, saying 2. “And does the wise man not name the Philistine neighbor 3. and the Cherithite brother 4. if he come bearing fun-sized Snickers? 5. Verily, I say to you, spurn not the wicked 6. if delicious chocolates be in the offing 7. even down to the angels of the Pit. 8. For seriously, a Snickers would really hitteth mine spot right now. 9. Who I gotta prophesy to get some nougat up ins?”

Ghosted by Jedoc @ 09/22/2007 1:01 PM EDT


The best RGB episode was when Stay Puft battled a giant Murray the Mantis at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Ghosted by KJX @ 09/22/2007 1:44 PM EDT


Oh, and by the way, the song in the Halloween special is definitely “Bugaloo’s Back in Town”.

Ghosted by KJS @ 09/22/2007 1:47 PM EDT


King of the Hill has one of the bestest Hallowe’en episodes. Hank fighting the good fight for the sake of the kids.

And yes, Boogaloo is back in town.

Ghosted by kingklash @ 09/22/2007 2:20 PM EDT


The “Real” in RGB was added only as a “fuck you” to Filmation.
’s what I’ve always heard.

Ghosted by Somethin' Funny @ 09/22/2007 2:39 PM EDT


We DEFINITELY need more episodes of halloween-based TV covered in the countdown, this was an AWESOME article :) .

Ghosted by DocDragon @ 09/22/2007 2:50 PM EDT


Oddly, you posted this on Bill Murrays birthday. irony?

Ghosted by Dan @ 09/22/2007 3:31 PM EDT


This is awesome. I discovered that you had posted this article just minutes before leaving for a long Catholic wedding, so I had to promise myself that it would be my reward for sitting through it.

Ghosted by Jessica Marie @ 09/22/2007 4:00 PM EDT


I used Lost in Translation on this quote: “To be or not to be, that is the question.” and added Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. Here’s what I got…

“To determine end or because it is not, he is one requests.”

Ghosted by Andrew @ 09/22/2007 4:20 PM EDT


Looks like they were trying to “go generic” with brand names like in Return of the Killer Tomatoes–note the billboards in Times Square for “Sany” or “Caste” (written in a font similar to Coors). No Magnetbox or Sorny though.

Ghosted by Andrew @ 09/22/2007 4:33 PM EDT


My fiance just made me beer bong a can of Jones Gruesome Grape out of a skull beer bong. Did you know that if you spill Gruesome Grape all over your arms and the kitchen floor it looks gray not purple? hahaha

I don’t think I remember this episode of RBG. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered seeing it. I was a pretty big RBG fan until I had a nightmare that Venkman had been bitten by some ghost snake-thing and Egon and I put him in the back of the Ghostbusters hearse where he died. It was a really realistic dream and I think I gave up watching the show after that because I was afraid it was an episode I had seen psychically. Don’t ask; I was a strange child.

Ghosted by Special K @ 09/22/2007 4:55 PM EDT


Hey Matt,

I’m with Messiah on this one. Though the “special opening” was cool, the true GB Halloween Episode was in its prime days with “When Halloween was Forever”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo_HdXgVn60

Runes from 7th century Ireland are brought into the city and Samhein is released who causes time to freeze, eternal night, and halloween to go on forever.

It was so good, they brought Samhain back for a sequel episode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVjiEFW5kfo

In that one he takes over GB headquarters and makes an evil castle of ghosts out of it.

Epic. Do a review on those!

Ghosted by Danny Man @ 09/22/2007 5:50 PM EDT


Dr. Crowley, Aleister Crowley (Famous occultist, supposedly sold his soul to the devil, Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mr. Crowley”), oh, I get it!

Ghosted by AccidentalMartyr @ 09/22/2007 6:00 PM EDT


All I have to say is that, to this day, I cannot sleep with my closet doors open thanks to the Bogeyman in the Ghostbusters. Scared the bejesus out of me.

Ghosted by DarkSideofBrightness @ 09/22/2007 7:03 PM EDT


I’m posting from the woods. A article

Ghosted by Bill @ 09/22/2007 7:11 PM EDT


A+ article. I miss toliets.

Ghosted by Bill @ 09/22/2007 7:24 PM EDT


I’ve been visiting this site for so long, I think it’s about time I posted for once!!!

I agree with others that The RGB had long peaked by the time of this Halloween offering. The first season’s classic “When Halloween Was Forever” is a much better showcase for the series.

For some reason, when that was shown in the UK, I didn’t record it on video, but recorded the audio on cassette. I must’ve listened to that thing like, a hundred times, I knew everyword. I think the tape snapped eventually. (For the record, while the first two seasons or so were repeated ad nauseum in UK-wise, I don’t think we got as far down the series as the episode reviewed here).

There are only a couple of “best of” (ie random) episode compliations on DVD at present, but a couple of TV sites have unofficial, for-private-viewing-only off-air DVD collections if you search around a bit.

Ghosted by Jay Firestorm @ 09/22/2007 7:25 PM EDT


Dontello is indeed the coolest turtle, but Venkman is indeed the best Ghostbuster.

I even like the Garfield movies o_O

Ghosted by Knegative @ 09/22/2007 7:32 PM EDT


I’m with Matt, Venkman seemed so cool as a kid, but nowadays, Egon is the man.

I’ll still take Teela as my bride, though! =)

Ghosted by Jay Firestorm @ 09/22/2007 7:36 PM EDT


I have to be honest, I haven’t picked it up once since getting stumped on the guy you have to beat after the Elite Four. I’ve gotta raise another Pokemon at least 30-35 levels before I’ll beat him, and I haven’t been inclined to go through the trouble yet.

You mean Cynthia? She’s a gurrrl :P I’m still in Solaceon. I’ve been there for weeks, breeding and training. I really must move on. I am currently rocking Manaphy, Combusken, Roselia, Houndoom, and my newly acquired Plusle. Mew is my HM Slave. Yay!

Ghosted by Knegative @ 09/22/2007 8:25 PM EDT


By the way… Why is Egon a blond? WTF?

Ghosted by Bill @ 09/22/2007 8:27 PM EDT


I just had the best idea, a cross over for TMNT and Ghostbusters where Egon and Donatello work together… holy crap the brains!

Ghosted by Danny Man @ 09/22/2007 8:34 PM EDT


Throw in Wheeljack and Perceptor and you’ve got a winner, Danny Man!

Ghosted by Knegative @ 09/22/2007 8:38 PM EDT


Wow, I was wondering today whether or not you had reviewed this episode before in past Halloween countdowns, and imagine my surprise checking X-E after getting home from work to see that you’ve reviewed it!
Great summary of the story, I watched this episode at my grandmother’s house all the time when I was little, and it’s awesome that you included it in the countdown!

Ghosted by Megan @ 09/22/2007 8:49 PM EDT


RGB, there a show I vaguely remember. Thus, I do not remember seeing this special. Although, most of the episodes I remembers had the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in it. Speaking, of Pokemon, currently my team of Torterra (male), Lucario (female), Luxray (female), Azelf, and Dialga are at level 100, but I decided to take a break from Pokemon and start playing Sonic Rush Adventure. It seems of events pokemon (eg. Darkrai) are impossible to get.

Ghosted by Kowl @ 09/22/2007 8:51 PM EDT


I’m not sure on this, but wasn’t there an episode that explained why Egon looked so different..?

Dammit. Now I can’t remember for sure. Maybe I just got drunk and hopeful.

Ghosted by LemonWitch @ 09/22/2007 10:35 PM EDT


They need to release this whole series on DVD. This episode sounds great, I love “Boss” ghosts!

Happy SNT!

Ghosted by Joker @ 09/22/2007 10:49 PM EDT


and I just had a thought…

How is StatePuff not Gozer?

Ghosted by Joker @ 09/22/2007 10:51 PM EDT


Joker: Hmmm. StayPuft = Gozer. I guess that is right. Did the cartoon completely dance around this fact? I used to watch this show pretty religiously back in the day and don’t recall Gozer ever being mentioned. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen however.

BTW, was I the only perverted 8-year-old that was trying to see the “naughty bits” on the actress who was playing Gozer? Sure she had a bad haircut, her teeth weren’t exactly appealing, and her eyes were nothing to write home about… but she was very, errr, shapely.

Sadly I don’t think there was anything to see. Still, as a young lad the search for a nip slip was half of the fun.

So… now that all of that is out there… HAPPY SNT ALL!

Ghosted by Magic Toy @ 09/22/2007 11:06 PM EDT


I need a good SNT tonight….

Ghosted by Shuanfu @ 09/22/2007 11:49 PM EDT


Me too! Happy SNT!

Ghosted by Bill @ 09/23/2007 12:00 AM EDT


Fresh Prince has the Halloween episode on Nick at Nite.

Ghosted by Bill @ 09/23/2007 12:14 AM EDT


Bill- i just watched it! THE HEX!!! OMGGG!!

Ghosted by Andrew @ 09/23/2007 12:35 AM EDT


I don’t care what people say…Hilary is the hottest girl of the early ninties.
Andrew, the fact you knew the episode makes you cool in my book.

Ghosted by Bill @ 09/23/2007 12:39 AM EDT


haha.. thanks Bill!!! – HOW IS EVERYONE TONIGHT? HAPPY SNT!

Ghosted by Andrew @ 09/23/2007 12:43 AM EDT


WTF! No SNT? come on! So, I hate the new lemon drop dead soda. I got MASSIVE heartburn after like 2 sips. My hands were full at Target today, by the time i got to the halloween aisle, so i stuck all my purchases in a halloween candy bucket and walked around and shopped that way.

I feel bad tho, bc i didnt buy the bucket itself, i just emptied it and left it at the counter…

Ghosted by mandy_vampire princess_Reeves @ 09/23/2007 12:44 AM EDT


So, is this SNT, or is another countdown entry coming before the end of the night?

Ghosted by Cameron T. @ 09/23/2007 12:47 AM EDT


Just took out Maylene and I’m heading for Wake. That will be nice, since his badge will finally let me train Combusken some more and get my beloved Blaziken *sigh*

Ghosted by Knegative @ 09/23/2007 12:51 AM EDT


Mandy: I don’t like the Drop Dead Soda but I love the can. i have a picture of it if you click my name.

Ghosted by Bill @ 09/23/2007 12:52 AM EDT


Candy Corn is back!!! I am so going to Target.

Ghosted by Knegative @ 09/23/2007 12:55 AM EDT


I love reading Kneg’s comments, because as a non-gamer, it totally fucks me up.

Ghosted by Bill @ 09/23/2007 12:57 AM EDT


I had the explaination all typed out, Bill. Then I realized that I don’t want to deprive you of the joy of not knowing :P

Ghosted by Knegative @ 09/23/2007 1:09 AM EDT


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