04/14/2005 Entry: "Real Ghostbusters Ecto-Plazm!"

We've seen plenty of slimes plenty of times in our journey together, but for those new to the track, let's review: The Masters of the Universe Slime Pit, The Masters of the Universe Slime Pit Instruction Manual, The New Masters of the Universe Slime Pit, The Harry Potter Slime Chamber, Garbage Pail Kids Tacky Snappers, Rubber Body Parts In Slime, Vending Machine Slime, Jabba the Hutt Slime, Ivan Ooze Slime, Mattel's Original Slime, and God, I bet I'm forgetting a few. Me...you...we love our slime. You know it's true, and you know you're excited, because I'm about to dust off what many consider to be the best slime...of all time. Only on the second proofread did I realize that I've been rhyming this whole timing.

Yup, The Real Ghostbusters "Ecto-Plazm," a canister of neon-colored yucky stuff that no kid could be without. The goop finds its roots in the original Ghostbusters flick from `84 -- the term applies to any gloppy gooey stuff that happens to surface when spooks and specters appear. It's what Bill Murray got slimed with. On the beloved cartoon, Ecto-Plazm was present in nearly every episode, even if they didn't bother to keep pointing out what it was every time a scene called for animated happy snot. It's special stuff, and in toy form, Ecto-Plazm was just an absolutely essential ingredient of childhood.

First off, it's not like all those other slimes. Ecto-Plazm was much looser -- almost watery. While this precluded anyone from fondling the stuff without making a mess, it had the best "drip factor" of any toy slime -- here's an example. Unique in more ways than that, Ecto-Plazm had only a lightly offensive odor -- a rare trait in any edition of nontoxic novelty slime. The gunk came in many colors, because honestly, kids went through six cans a month and we were starting to crave variety. The colors afforded us a bit of extra incentive for repeat purchases, but even more so than that, the cans each contained a mystery ghost figure buried deep in the sludge. The figures were tiny, cheap, one-colored pissants, like this guy, a creature of unspeakable cleavage. Nobody cared enough to complain about the lousy figures. We came for slime...if they wanted to throw in a lousy figure, sure, fuck it, we'd take that too.

I don't know when to halt the gushing on this -- I'm sure Ecto-Plazm is the kinda thing you'd have to have been there for to "get." The Real Ghostbusters wasn't the most popular cartoon franchise of its time by any stretch, but it always felt extra special for some reason -- like the friend who doesn't live near you but remains your favorite to hang out with, or something that sounds even more poetic. This intangible magic trickled down to the toy line. We didn't get Ghostbustering junk as often as the other contenders' wares, but man...it always made our day when we did. Today, we salute a very special slime. I hate when I sound so National Geographyffy.

Chestnuts roasted by cravipat @ 04/14/2005 10:18 PM EST

I so dearly miss the smell of that.

Chestnuts roasted by Mike @ 04/14/2005 10:22 PM EST

Yay slime! I still get the occasional container of slime out of the 50 cent machines at the grocery store.

Chestnuts roasted by cmsof @ 04/14/2005 10:33 PM EST

Ecto-Plazm.. the ultimate stocking stuffer! How many carpets were completley ruined by this stuff in the 80's? Excellent.

Chestnuts roasted by Review the World @ 04/14/2005 11:06 PM EST

i remember nickelodeon gak. my parents never bought me any because it would fall in dirt and get ruined.

that stuff was awesome

Chestnuts roasted by modern day pirates @ 04/14/2005 11:09 PM EST

Ok, where did slime come from?

Chestnuts roasted by Carri @ 04/14/2005 11:17 PM EST

I had one of these bins of stuff. They look like they hold so much, but it seems to disappear as you're playing with it.

And while these various slimes share that trademark yummy smell, not a one of them has an accompanying yummy taste.

Just trust me on that one.

Chestnuts roasted by Shelby @ 04/14/2005 11:20 PM EST

Hardcore, Matt. I love Real Ghostbusters. I totally remember this gunk. ha!!!

Chestnuts roasted by Don't Touch, Willy @ 04/14/2005 11:39 PM EST

I was a big Ghostbusters fan, but I hated this stuff. I once tried pouring it down the vents of the firehouse on to a Ray figure as suggested by the box. The crap never came off! I liked the figures though, but only because it added to my collection of those awesome little ghost figures that came with the toys.

Chestnuts roasted by RewolfJ @ 04/14/2005 11:52 PM EST

yeah, my parents had the "on the porch only" rule for this stuff. RGB's rock hard. i have every ep on vhs!

Chestnuts roasted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 04/15/2005 12:13 AM EST

Ectoplazm is still the ultimate slime; Matt is right. Though Gak one-upped it several times over by glowing in the dark, changing colors, growing hair and generating electricity....Ectoplazm was FIRST. (Okay, maybe "Mattel Slime" was first, but I'm not counting it since I wasn't alive for it.)

I had a friend back then who almost drank a cup of the stuff. Does anyone here know someone who actually did that?

Chestnuts roasted by Mars @ 04/15/2005 02:27 AM EST

My cousin still has some of that stuff in his closet because he never throws anything away. I wonder if his is still good?

Chestnuts roasted by pikachulover @ 04/15/2005 03:02 AM EST

^^Mars, I never knew someone who drank slime, but my friend once snorted a package of Fun Dip... you know, the stuff with the little white candy stick? It was the blue-green color changing kind. Afterwards, he ran outside sneezing up blue and green and coughing all over. Quite a while ago, but we still laugh about it today

Chestnuts roasted by Chilipeppers @ 04/15/2005 03:49 AM EST

I remember the slime got real nasty and crusty when it got older. Can't beat the smell of the stuff though!

Chestnuts roasted by d-roc @ 04/15/2005 05:29 AM EST

Let's not forget that you could make farting noises with Gak, and you didn't even need to use the container to do it. You could just fold it over itself and it'd make this wet fart noise. Awesome.

Chestnuts roasted by Jen @ 04/15/2005 06:22 AM EST

I seem to remember a TMNT ooze. Anyone care to confirm or deny?

Chestnuts roasted by marchant @ 04/15/2005 07:11 AM EST

Chilipeppers-> On a similar note, because there was a shortage of Pixy-Stix, once in junior high I razored up some Smarties (when you could still carry Exacto knives in school) and snorted them. Didn't have the patience to get it cocain fine, so the chunks hurt a little, but I proved it could be done!

My drug habit never extended on beyond that, but the buzz was killer (aka. I can now easily get sinus infections.)

Chestnuts roasted by Mad Cow @ 04/15/2005 07:59 AM EST

I snorted fun dip too, lol at a christan camp(It was my idea!!), all the campers and I sat around and took a mirror made some fun dip lines and took a big snort...all I remember is the burning!!!
In College I took Early Childhood Education and were learned how to make Gak stuff, Ill see if I can find it and post it here. Man learning to make stuff like that was so much fun!

Chestnuts roasted by IHAQ @ 04/15/2005 08:37 AM EST

I cant find it yet, but being on the net I found something else I made in College(its sorta the same thing) and it was really cool...

Goop
For 1 child:
1/2 cup corn starch
1/4 cup water
small bowl, tin pie plate, etc.
cookie sheet or pizza pan
more water
Food coloring (if desired)

Add the water to the corn starch in a small bowl, tin pie plate, etc. Mix it together using your hands. If you need to add more water, add just a couple of drops (especially after playing with it for awhile).

Chestnuts roasted by IHAQ @ 04/15/2005 08:55 AM EST

Ok, I got this from a site that said its home made silly putty, but I made myself before and its more like ooze, if you go easy on the borax it will be more oozy...

Do-It-Yourself "Goofy Putty"
(Recipe by Steven Spangler)

Ingredients:

- Elmer's White Glue (Do NOT substitute)
- 1 tablespoon of Borax (or substitute liquid starch)
- Food colouring
- 1 cup of water
- Empty plastic soda bottle, with cap
- Zipper-lock bag (quart size)

Make the borax water:
Borax is a type of powdered soap that is available in many grocery stores. Add 1 tablespoon of Borax powder to 1 cup of water. Stir until most of the powder dissolves. Store the borax water in a jar or bottle, and label it "Borax & Water Mixture". You can keep it to make more batches ... one cup of borax water will make many batches of putty.

Prepare the glue:
Measure 1 tablespoon of Elmer's Glue into a zipper-lock bag. Add 1 teaspoon of plain water to the bag and mix. The additional water makes the glue flow better. Add a drop of food colouring to make it look nicer.

Make the putty:
Add just 1 tablespoon of borax water to the bag of watered-down glue. Seal the bag, and squeeze it between your fingers for 2 minutes, in order to thoroughly mix the liquids. The liquids will start to form a putty-like substance. When this has happened, remove the putty from the bag and continue to squeeze it.

Chestnuts roasted by IHAQ @ 04/15/2005 09:02 AM EST

Marchant -- Yes, "Retromutagen Ooze." Awesome stuff. I've written about it before. Came with little glow-in-the-dark baby turtle figurines. Was actually one of the first TMNT items I ever had.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 04/15/2005 09:16 AM EST

While on the subject of TMNT-brand goop, let's not fail to mention the obligatory slime torture-device that was included in the original line of toys. It was shaped like a toilet, and the slime was "flushed" out the bottom and dripped upon a poor, immobilized hero. I don't recall TMNT ooze having the "crusting" problem that plagued the Ghostbusters brand. Perhaps I'm wrong. Speaking of the Real Ghostbusters, anybody remember the episode in which the team infiltrates a haunted house and Peter becomes possessed by a ghost? His eyes glowed red and his voice got all freaky. Scared the piss out of me...

Chestnuts roasted by The Yeti @ 04/15/2005 10:43 AM EST

I am Vigo!

Chestnuts roasted by Not Ray @ 04/15/2005 11:14 AM EST

Is Steven any relation to Egon? Is it me, or does Slimer have a Carol Channing 'do in that picture? Back off, I'm an X-E poster! If I may, let me be the first to welcome the Destructor. He'll be showing up any time now.

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 04/15/2005 11:44 AM EST

I remember this as a kid. My parents telling me not to put it down the vents like the other poster said. Me just saying fuck it, or the 3-5 year old version of it and pouring this goop all over it and having fun. Then not able to get it off. Still aren't able to get the damned thing off and its been probably 17 years. Actually not that I honestly tried recently to scrape it off...

Chestnuts roasted by R @ 04/15/2005 12:36 PM EST

The Real Ghostbusters was my childhood. This is the reason why I love this website - sure, I loved Star Wars, TMNT, MOTU, and ReBoot, and had quite a few toys of all those franchises (maybe not in the case of ReBoot), but none still remain so completely awesome as The Real Ghostbusters.
I had about 20 cans of this stuff, though that doesn't really count the cans I got with some special slime-based figures. Putting the stickers on the toys was always one of my favorite things to do with any new toy, but the firehouse remained un-stickered for the very reason that I could play with it outside with the slime. I bought two of each of the main action figure characters so that I could have one that I slimed and washed, and one that was pristine. I took apart the firehouse all the time to wash it, but it was all worth it just so I could make action figure movies w/slime effects.

Chestnuts roasted by MadMax1001 @ 04/15/2005 12:40 PM EST

Dude, Matt, that was such a flashback it hurt. I had many of those tins, all about half-full of course. I also had the Horde Slime Pit, and that instruction manual was probably my favorite book for at least 2 years. I loved the drawing of the kid chasing the slime, I distinctly remember really getting a kick out of that.

Chestnuts roasted by Bryan @ 04/15/2005 01:38 PM EST

Matt's article including TMNT Mutagen:

http://www.x-entertainment.com/updates/entries/archives/00000440.html

Chestnuts roasted by HarryLerman @ 04/15/2005 01:47 PM EST

Hey, Egon. Here's your mucus.

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 04/15/2005 02:51 PM EST

I bought the Hotwheels Slimecano playset and got a big tub of Lava slime with rocks in it. I haven't opened it because for the most part, I hate slime. I also have Harry Potter Slime and He-Man slime. Slime surplus even. Mattel slime is so watery and thus, not fun.

Chestnuts roasted by Kennef @ 04/15/2005 04:19 PM EST

Looks like my Ghostbusters book from the last blog has found a home! I should have waited a day to post about it.

Chestnuts roasted by trajeal @ 04/15/2005 04:41 PM EST

Hey Matt, right now on e-bay there is a WWE VCR Board Game from the late 80s (Hogan/Andre on the box front). Less than $10...about 3 hours left. Sounds like a golden X-E find.

Chestnuts roasted by Y2JB78 @ 04/15/2005 04:57 PM EST

Here's the link if you want it:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1180&item=5184324636&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Chestnuts roasted by Y2JB78 @ 04/15/2005 04:58 PM EST

One big memory I have of slime was getting a game called Wipe Out for christmas (I had asked for Knock-Out) It was a game with this huge board where you have to have surfers climb to the bottom (or was it the top?) before they were wiped out by a wave of slime.

When I finally played it with 2 friends, we went crazy with it and tossed it to each other, and some of it got stuck on the carpet, especially on a spot on my stairs. That stain where the slime once was stayed there for years until we got new carpeting.

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 04/15/2005 05:36 PM EST

Interview with Kevin Munroe (New TMNT Movie Director)

Chestnuts roasted by ME @ 04/15/2005 05:41 PM EST

I too went on a Fun-Dip bender as a kid. Me and a friend were at the beach, must've been 14 or so, and snorted a bunch of it. Man we went sugar crazy! We were also eating those things like they were...well candy. That stuff (the eating it I mean, we didn't snort THAT much) kept us up for like 36 hours. The crash was HARSH though. Probably slept for about the same amount of time afterwards.

Chestnuts roasted by jhnnywalkr @ 04/15/2005 05:48 PM EST

"Real Ghostbusters" was one of the only cartoons I remember watching on ABC in the late 80s. My sister liked it more than I did, but I thought Slimer was funny and Egon was cute (even if I couldn't figure out how or why he'd suddenly gone blonde). I don't remember the slime at all. My mother wasn't crazy about us bringing home the vending machine variety and completely forbid the types sold in canisters for toys (same reason we never had the MOTU Slime Pit).

Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 04/15/2005 08:38 PM EST

N..n...new TMNT movie???? TMNT movies are awesome! I have the first and third on tape. Aww, man.
TMNT was still popular in many a early year of my childhood(90-95). On that, I ask of you all, does anyone remember the Turtles that transformed into cars? I had Leo.

Chestnuts roasted by Tom No Like @ 04/15/2005 09:33 PM EST

My childhood was Real Ghostbusters, Transformers and Doctor Who. I had a load of the ectoplasm, but managed to save it from getting to the carpet, but yeah, it stained my poof RGB figures something terrible.

Loved the Family Guy article, Matt! I'm so happy I'm going to be on holiday in America when the new Family Guy premiere is!

Chestnuts roasted by Zev @ 04/15/2005 09:36 PM EST

Mrs. Jenius's Aveeno shaving cream smells like ecto-plazm.

Chestnuts roasted by Max Jenius @ 04/15/2005 10:26 PM EST

I loved the Real Ghostbusters. In fact, I can honestly say I've never seen an episode of the original He-Man, Transformers, and only caught GI Joe in reruns on USA Network, but I watched every episode of Ghostbusters.(with the excpetion of GI Joe, I'm surprised that cartoon network never showed them) I also remember the slime, but not the monsters inside them or the different colors. I also had the pink color.

One of my earliest Ghostbusters memories was Christmas when I wanted the Ghostbusters Trap because I thought I could catch ghosts. But they were out. So I got the proton pack with a note from Santa Claus saying this. I was the happiest kid in the world. I also had the various figures and monsters plus the Ghostbusters projector that shot showed ghosts on walls and made noise.

Caught a couple of episodes of the updated version a couple years ago. Wasn't impressed.

Chestnuts roasted by JLAJRC @ 04/15/2005 11:43 PM EST

BTW, I got the WWF VCR Game. It sucks just like any other VCR game. Although I've been loving the DVD games (Scene It and Trivial Pursuit DVD ROCK)

Chestnuts roasted by JLAJRC @ 04/15/2005 11:45 PM EST

Tom No Like, I indeed have ALL of those TMNT figures. The hardest one to transform was Shredder into a drill, and my favorite one was Splinter turning into the Turtle Van.

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 04/16/2005 01:43 AM EST

On the subject of both TMNT and toy franchise slimes, i totally remember the TMNT Retromutagen Ooze, the very stuff that made the TMNT what they were. While this stuff may not have actually been able to turn you into some cool mutant or whatever (that'd be so awesome), the stuff DID come with a a little turtle figurine. However, this was no ordinary figurine, unlike what came in the GB stuff. Oh no. This was a GLOW-IN-THE-DARK TURTLE FIGURINE. SWEET MOTHER OF FUCKER JESUS HOLY AND SHIT!!!! You get slime AND a glow in the dark toy! The best of both worlds!

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 04/16/2005 03:36 AM EST

Now that I think of it, I wonder if they've done something similar witht he new line of TMNT toys. Let's see!

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 04/16/2005 03:37 AM EST

Whoa- Just last night I was talking with friends about The Real Ghostbusters cartoon, and how I had THE TRAP- one of the best toys ever. Loved the slime as well.....love all slime, really. Never had any TMNT Ooze, although I wish I did- that's like straight outta the movie, yo!

Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 04/16/2005 07:08 AM EST

Lest not forget the many-a-turtle who died in TMNT "mutagen" slime (as reported on the nightly news when I was 8). This is really a tragic situation because every kid that owns a turtle has one because they are reclusive over-achieving orphan/ single-child who can’t make human friends, and oh do they want a human friend! If only Shelly could talk and run and play! Solution: $5 container of mutagen that even came with a kick-ass glow-in-the-dark turtle already inside- an example of the awesome genetic effects to come! Result: a dead turtle and a kid who killed the only friend he ever had…... who can never love again. And good for him! TURTLES ARE THE BEST!

Chestnuts roasted by Ponsonby Britt @ 04/16/2005 08:37 AM EST

slime sucks

Chestnuts roasted by gfdgfdgf @ 04/16/2005 10:20 AM EST

Ponsonby Britt?
But that trick never works!
Presto!

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash needs to get another hat @ 04/16/2005 03:04 PM EST

You know why I think Filmation's Ghostbusters sucked? No slime.

Chestnuts roasted by Overlord @ 04/16/2005 05:50 PM EST

Oooooh! I had got one of those Ivan Ooze knuckle bastards for christmas when I was a wee lad.

Chestnuts roasted by ben-sevenfold @ 04/17/2005 08:36 AM EST

Hey! I've seen slime like that in a episode of the Real Ghostbusters series!

Chestnuts roasted by Yelinna @ 04/17/2005 08:31 PM EST

Just got through skimming through "Turmoil in the Toybox". Wow, that dude really had it in for He-Man. If you get you a chance, give it a quick read through Matt. The funny thing is that he mentions Photog!

Chestnuts roasted by Joe in OH @ 04/17/2005 09:20 PM EST

I saw Airheads Slime candy at Wal-Mart today. Slime Candy. Matt, review...batch.

Chestnuts roasted by Kennef @ 04/18/2005 09:57 AM EST

Thanks, Norbert!

Chestnuts roasted by Tom No Like @ 04/18/2005 10:53 AM EST

So the other day, the Daily Oklahoman had a front-page article on the Pope's funeral. The headline was quoting the crowd, as they called for sainthood for John Paul George Ringo. "SANTO! SANTO! SANTO!" So since then, it's been in the back of my mind, "He was buried in a luchador mask?"

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 04/18/2005 11:56 AM EST

Holy shit...I was watching my shitty Korean satellite dish this morning, when what comes on but "The Flintsone Kids" along with "Captain CAAAAAAAAVEMAN.....And SON!" I couldn't believe it! I thought some people at XE might know what I'm talking about, since no one over here did.

Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 04/18/2005 01:02 PM EST

Yeah, I know what you're talkin' aboot. Ironically, it was your namesake and the success of said show that propted quite a few copycats in the following years. Hanna-Barbera was the worst offender of the "Let's turn our beloved icons into children/babies and they'll go on whimsical adventures using their fertile imaginations" crowd. Not only Flintstone Kids (ugh), but Tom and Jerry Kids (double ugh). Roseanne Barr Arnold Joyner Kersee Davis Jr. S. Preston, Esq. had Lil' Rosy(blorgh), not to mention Rugrats was the same idea, but with poop jokes. At least Tiny Toons had the concept of new characters based on the old archetypes instead of giving us preteen Bugs and
Daffy. Baby Loony Tunes? Not so much. Yes, I'm 35, why do you ask?

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 04/18/2005 01:52 PM EST

I just remembered. When I was around 13 I won tickets to the DC premiere of Ghostbusters II. OK, bad movie, but along with the tickets I got the soundtrack and, best of all, a cup of actual Ghostbusters movie slime. It was the exact same stuff they used in the movie. Kind of purplish and translucent. When we came out of the theater, there was a guy standing outside behind a folding table with, I shit you not, a bucket of slime and styrofoam cups and he was ladling the slime into the cups, throwing a plastic top on them, and handing them out. Not a clean process at all. I could never think of anything to actually DO with such an amazing prize. I didn't want to waste it, so I put it in my freezer. I would check on it every once in a while and was happy to note that when it thawed, it returned to its original slimy texture. It eventually changed color to a light blue and sort of cloudy. It stayed for years until one day my Mom threw it out. Or I assume she did, I can think of nothing else that might have happened to it and one day it was just gone.

The end.

Chestnuts roasted by jhnnywalkr @ 04/18/2005 03:59 PM EST

You summoned me King? Choose the form of your destruction.

Chestnuts roasted by Gozer @ 04/18/2005 04:53 PM EST

kinglash, Muppet Babies was indeed the only good show from that genre, and I know, I've seen them all.

Tiny Toons don't count either cause they're new characters ^_~

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 04/18/2005 07:34 PM EST

Death by Snu-snu!

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 04/19/2005 11:37 AM EST

Ah King, you only decided on the method not the form. therefore you shall die by snu-snu, no doubt about that. But snu-snu with who? Hmmmm, I'm thinking Bea Arthur. Mwa ha ha ha. The destructor has spoken.

Chestnuts roasted by Gozer @ 04/19/2005 08:43 PM EST

Let me say, I have the exact same color canister of that stuff on my shelf right now. I got a nose ghost. Its been sitting there for about 15 years, and since has lost all ability to ooze properly, beginning to gel up like jello. It still has the smell though. That amazing smell. I had a green ghost that was hollow on the inside, who you could bust open like an easter egg and fill with slime. Anyone else have him?

Chestnuts roasted by Oh Man @ 04/21/2005 01:46 AM EST

I had the priveledge of owning the He-man slime, Ghostbusters Ecto-plazm, Ninja Turtles Ooze, AND Gak. Good times. I remember the He-man slime would harden and totally ruin the action figures you poured it on. My brother had a He-man whose head and arms could no longer move, but seriously, who didn't own at least three original He-mans?

Chestnuts roasted by Dan @ 04/24/2005 04:52 PM EST