Wishlist - Ghostbusters Theme

Two theatrical films, two popular animated series, multiple comic book series from at least four different publishers, an original novel, a successful video game (based in part on a script for what was originally to have been the third movie), as well as being the inspiration for countless works of fan fiction, in both prose and video format.  (Including quite a few short stories of my own, way back in the 90s.) 

Ghostbusters!  First a movie, then a multimedia franchise.  Always a cultural phenomenon.  And most recently, a LEGO set. 

The LEGO Ideas Ecto-1 was easily my favorite set of 2014.  Not just because I’m a huge Ghostbusters fan, but because it was a really fun build, and looks great.  It’s one of the few sets I’ve ever built that I plan to leave constructed, on permanent display in my lovely basement home. 

The set was originally a fan-built MOC that came up through the Cuusoo/LEGO Ideas program, which I’m not going to talk about right now.  (Mainly because it’s far later on Thursday than I’d planned to post this, let alone still be writing it.)  But the set was originally intended to be the Ecto-1 AND the firehouse headquarters.  Sadly, all we got was the vehicle. 

This makes me think of a LEGO Ghostbusters firehouse as actual unfinished business instead of merely wishful thinking.  Oh, I know that without there being an upcoming Ghostbusters movie or animated series, the chances of getting more classic Ghostbuster sets are somewhere between slim and none. 

Yes, there’s a new movie scheduled for release in July of next year, but it’s a reboot rather than a continuation, and there’s no guarantee that it’s going to look anything like the original mythos. 

But if I was in control of reality, the classic Ghostbusters would currently be a huge growing concern, and we’d have not just another set, but a whole many-years-long Ghostbusters theme.  And what would that theme look like?  I’m glad you asked…

The Ghostbusters

The Ecto-1 set already came with the four Ghostbusters.  Pete Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore.  But Ghostbusters sets need Ghostbusters minifigs, so just what do we do about that? 

The first step in allocating minifigures to sets is not to include all four of the big guns in any single set.  Instead, give us at most two of them.  Ray and Winston.  Peter and Egon.  Egon and Ray.  Peter and Winston.  Ray and Peter.  Egon and Winston.  And so on. 

The second step is the old standby:  multiple outfits.  We’ve got the original movie uniforms from the Ecto-1.  Those uniforms could have been done better than they were, so let’s say that a more perfected version of the uniforms get another go in some of the early sets.  Then move onto the Ghostbusters II uniforms.  Different color, different ‘no-ghosts’ logo, slightly different style.  I’d love to see the color-coded uniforms from the Real Ghostbusters cartoon as well.  And finally:  Civilian outfits. 

As the theme continues, you could also include some of the other Ghostbusters.  The Rookie from the video game.  Kylie, Eduardo, Garrett, and Roland from the Extreme Ghostbusters cartoon.  There are even a couple of the supporting characters that you could do alternate minifigs of in Ghostbusters uniforms.  Speaking of which…

Supporting Characters

There are at least six supporting characters deserving of their own minifigures.  The first of these is Ghostbusters receptionist Janine Melnitz.  Given that her look changes substantially throughout the series, she could easily get multiple minifigures.  Janine sports different hairdos and glasses in the original film, Ghostbusters II, the first and second halves of The Real Ghostbusters series, and Extreme Ghostbusters.  (Personally, I’d be fine with just the first movie and early Real Ghostbusters versions).  She’s also occasionally worn a Ghostbusters uniform during the animated series. 

Dana Barrett is another must-have supporting player.  First-ever client, Venkman’s love interest, and the target of various ‘big bad’s throughout the storyline. 

Similarly, Louis Tully should get minifigged.  (Spellcheck doesn’t like ‘minifigged’.  Too bad, spellcheck!  I’m keeping it in!)  Possessed by the Keymaster (counterpart to the Gatekeeper entity possessing Dana) in the first movie, and the Ghostbusters’ lawyer and accountant in the second (along with other roles in comics and novel).  He wore the uniform (an old one of Egon’s) in the second movie, and by the time of the videogame had replaced the SPENGLER nametag with TULLY. 

Probably their greatest living adversary, Walter Peck is a constant thorn in the sides of the Ghostbusters.  Working for the Environmental Protection Agency in the first movie, and the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission (PCOC, pronounced “Peacock”) in the video game and comics, Peck is always all up in the Ghostbusters’ business. 

Ilyssa Selwyn, Sumerian culture and Gozerian mythology expert.  Also, another of Venkman’s love interests.  She first appeared in the video game, and then made her way into the comics.  Descendent of evil architect (now ghost) Ivo Shandor. 

And finally, it just wouldn’t be a Ghostbusters LEGO universe without the mayor of New York.  Doesn’t even really matter which mayor.  Lenny Clotch from the first two movies, or Jock Mulligan from the video game. 

Some of the more minor characters could show up as minifigs, too – but I’ll mention some of those when I start talking about sets. 

Ghosts and Monsters

Even more important than the supporting cast, are the ghosts. 

Some of the ghosts in question could be standard minifigures.  Others composed mainly of specialized parts from new molds.  Still others could be traditionally brick-built. 

Slimer is a must.  As is Mr. Stay-Puft (either a Hulk-sized bigfig, or a much larger brickbuilt marshmallow giant). 

Minifigures of the big bads from the storyline are also must-haves.  Gozer the Gozerian, Vigo the Carpathian, the Ghost of Ivo Shandor, and others. 

The Terror Dogs from the first film would be great additions to the series.  (Especially if their heads were removable, and there was space inside for Dana and Louis minifigures.) 

Other ghosts from the films – like the librarian, the taxi driver, the Scolari brothers, and the jogger ghost – would be nice to see.  As well as new ghosts from the imagination of LEGO’s minifigure designers. 

And while ghosts from the two animated series tended to be villain-of-the-episode types, there were a few of them that came back in later episodes, most notably Samhain, the Boogieman, and the Grundel.  All of these would be welcome additions in my book. 

Set Ideas

The Ghostbusters’ firehouse headquarters is one of the more obvious sets.  But to do it justice, I’m thinking it needs to go big and modular.  With three floors (office and garage on first, living areas and small lab on second, and R&D labs on third) there is plenty of details there to bring into existence through brick. 

And while the modular sets aren’t very conducive to including basements, another fairly necessary set is the containment unit.  The unit itself, some ghost traps, a ghost, and Winston and either Ray or Egon.  Showing Winston how to empty a trap into the grid, or just sitting around talking about the Twinkie. 

The Gozerian temple atop Dana Barrett’s apartment building would make a great set.  Gozer, terror dogs/Dana and Louis, and some Ghostbusters.  Funky architecture, and some explosive play features. 

The museum from the second movie would also make a good set.  Vigo the Carpathian, Dana (with little Oscar), Venkman, and a possessed Ray Stantz.  Plus the paintings (printed tiles, please, not stickers) of the painting of Vigo AND the original painting underneath Vigo’s on the canvas. 

The library would make a nice set, where the pre-Ghostbuster Ghostbusters encountered their first ever ghost.  (It could include Alice, the traumatized librarian who initially stumbled onto it.)  As would the Sedgewick Hotel Ballroom, where the team captures their first ghost.  (A Sedgewick Ballroom set would probably be the one time that I’d break to maximum-of-two Ghostbusters rule, having Stantz, Spengler, and a slimed-Venkman all present, along with Slimer and the hotel manager. 

“The Franchise Rights Alone…”

Ghostbusters as a potential franchise was referenced throughout the series, and apparently happened following the events of the video game.  (Not to mention inspiring countless fan films based on the “(Fill-in-the-blank-with-city-name) Ghostbusters”. 

And what better way to incorporate the inherent creativity of LEGO with the licensed product that is Ghostbusters than by having franchise sets.  These would basically be parts and accessories packs with logos and signage to place on whatever structure you build for YOUR Ghostbusters to headquarter in, and whatever vehicle becomes YOUR team’s Ectomobile. 

Minifigure accessories like proton packs, PKE and giga-meters, slime-blowers, and an upside-down colander that fits on a head-stud.  Army builder packs of ghosts. 

And ‘generic’ Ghostbuster minifigures.  Pick your own head and hairpiece to put on uniformed minifigures with nametags representing some of your more common names, like Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Snethen, and so on.  (Hey, I said it, I’m sticking to it.  Snethen can be the fat Ghostbuster, with huge visible belly outline in his uniform.)