Filmation's Ghostbusters (AKA The Version With The Gorilla)

Everyone is familiar with the Ghostbusters.  You know, the cartoon with the Gorilla that wears pants.  Say what?!

Filmation's 1986 animated Ghostbusters TV series was the cause of confusion and frustration for many children in the 1980s.  It was actually NOT a rip-off of the 1984 Bill Murray film with Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.  Filmation created a live action Ghost Busters show way back in 1975 (and yes, it had a gorilla character, too!).

The live action 1975 Ghost Busters TV show starred Forrest Tucker as Jake Kong and Larry Storch as Eddie Spencer.  Tracy the Gorilla was played by Bob Burns.

The 1986 Filmation Ghostbusters cartoon focused on the sons of the original Ghost Busters.

The Ghostbusters voice cast included some legendary cartoon actors.  Jake Kong Jr. was voiced by Pat Fraley (Disney's "TaleSpin").  Eddie Spencer Jr. was voiced by Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime in "Transformers").  Tracy the Gorilla was voiced by Filmation producer Lou Scheimer.  Belfry the Bat was voiced by Susan Blu (she's provided character voices and been a voice director on many, many cartoons).

The Ghostbusters have their own flying machine called the Ghost Buggy.  It is sort of like a haunted version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The Ghostbusters are assisted by Futura, the Ghostbustress of the Future (Susan Blu).  The have to fight off ghouls like Scared Stiff (Pat Fraley) and Haunter (Peter Cullen).

The main villain the Ghostbusters have to fight is Prime Evil (Alan Oppenheimer).  He fits in well with other Filmation villains like Skeletor.

This comic book was packaged with action figures based off the show.  I actually noticed the toys before I knew about the cartoon.

Prime Evil also has help from ghoulish Mysteria (Linda Gary), a Werewolf named Fangster (Alan Oppenheimer), and two-faced Fib Face (Lou Scheimer).

Brat-A-Rat (Peter Cullen) is Prime Evil's cackling, flying rat creature sidekick.

I like how theatrical and dramatic Prime Evil acts.

Prime Evil is foiled again!  He would have gotten away with it if it had not been for those meddling kids and their Gorilla.

The Ghostbusters and their enemies have all sorts of gadgets, houses and accessories to translate into toys.

Oooh!  Look at the Ghost Command Haunted House and the Ghost Buggy!  I never had these.  I bet they are worth a lot now.

Check out the Tracy the Gorilla figure with his Feces Flinging Action Arm!

This is a nice gender-neutral set of toys, with flowing hair on Futura , as well as TV reporter Jessica Wray (Susan Blu) and villain Mysteria.

Prime Evil and his pals want to haunt your house.

Brat-A-Rat was sold with Belfry, which were the only two Ghostbusters action figures that I had.

Belfry (and the Ghostbusters comic book) has survived in my Halloween decorations for decades.  I lost Brat-A-Rat many years ago.

Belfry wrapped up each episode of Ghostbusters, similar to Loo-Kee's role on Filmation's "She-Ra."

"She-Ra" featured a villain sidekick character named Imp who looks a bit similar to Belfry.  Visit Loo-Kee Here! It's She-Ra and He-Man! to explore the world of the Masters of the Universe.

For more fun with Gorillas and Ghostbusters, check out King Kong, Christmas Ape.

My 1980s Monster Plantation Model

At some point in the 1980s, I made my own Monster Plantation ride.

I started with a great battery-operated Water Coaster toy.  This used real water, and it was great fun watching the little people race through the tiny water flume and up the lift hill over and over again.  The rafts would actually splash water out of the track sometimes.

I made cut-outs of the monsters using the Monster Plantation Postcard book illustrations as a guide.  I drew the monsters on pieces of plywood, then my Dad cut them out for me, and I painted them.  You can see the high-tech hot glue and wood triangles used to stand the monsters up.

I included the Boat Eater character from the ride for the "finale."  There was a great picture of him in an issue of the National Geographic World magazine that I used as a reference.

Also part of this model is a PVC figure of Fuzzball, a little alien creature from the 1986 Michael Jackson 3-D film, "Captain EO."  This movie was shown at Disneyland, Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris.  "Captain EO" recently returned to Disneyland, and is expected to return to the other Disney parks in the near future.

Snarf from the Thundercats animated TV series can also be found here (twice!).  These are Snarf "strawholders" from a Thundercats Burger King Kids Meal from 1986.  I was thrilled to get these.

The pink, bat-like plastic figurine seen here is a character named Belfry from the 1986 Filmation animated TV series, Ghostbusters (not to be confused with the famous Bill Murray movie from 1984).  Filmation based this cartoon off of their own live-action TV series from 1975.  I thought Belfry looked similar to Mizzy Scarlett's pet, Tatty-too, from the Monster Plantation ride.

Audrey 2 the plant from The Little Shop of Horrors is also here.  This toy had been filled with candy (just open Audrey 2's mouth!).  Feed me!!!

I painted the ride track and the Boat Eater with glow-in-the-dark paint so I could run the ride at night.

The Water Coaster bit the dust many, many years ago and wound up in the trash.  I miss it.

I still have my wooden monsters, though.