#49 REAL GHOSBUSTERS – H2 GHOST, BUG EYE GHOST and BAD-TO-THE-BONE GHOST (1987)

These three ghosts are copyrighted in 1984. The first two are very similar to the Marshmallow Man and the Green Ghost: they are made of the same plastic and are approximately the same size. It seems as if Kenner would have produced all of them very quickly to be part of the Ghostbusters first wave. Unlike the two ghosts in the previous review, these one never appeared in the movie or the TV series, they were invented by Kenner.

This last point (invented characters) is what most toy collectors dislike from these figures, some people even exclude them from their collections. If you don’t care about this fact, and you look closely, you’ll find three great action figures.

H2 Ghost is made of the same plastic, in which most baby toys are made. The ghost feature is that it has two parts, that can be played together or separately. Additionally, both figures have holes in the eyes or the nose, and can be used to play in the bath. Water from inside their bodies can be shot by pushing the bodies of the ghosts. This was for sure an amazing feature for children… if their parents allowed them to take the ghost to the bath.

Bug Eye Ghost has an enormous eye in the forehead, that can be launched as a projectile by pushing hard and fast the body of the ghost. I’ve read many stories of owners who hit themselves with that eye when playing… and it hurts! The eye is tied with a thread to the body, to reduce danger and to avoid it getting lost.

And finally, the Bad-to-the-bone Ghost is somehow a little different from its 4 back card colleagues, because it is made of hard plastic, very similar to the one employed in the following waves to create ghosts, monsters and even some heroes. It is also copyrighted in 1984, and it feature is that it can trap up to two figures (one with the ribs, one with the strange “feet”, and additionally, opens its mouth and its eyes pop. This last feature would be used in the second wave in the heroes, although in a more subtle way, see #21.

UPDATE: Although they do not appear in the film or the cartoons, they do appear in the comics, for example in german Bastei comicbooks. In the image below, for example we find Marshmallow Man, Full Speed Ahead Ghost, H2 Ghost, Bug Eye Ghost and Bad-to-the-Bone Ghost.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: H2 GHOST, BUG EYE GHOST and BAD-TO-THE-BONE GHOST
• Toy Line: The Real Ghostbusters (Wave 1)
• Year: 1986
• Company: Kenner (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: Around 11 cm all three