Ghostbusters (1986 TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ghostbusters |
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Title card
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| Created by | Marc Richards |
| Based on | The Ghost Busters |
| Developed by | Robby London, Barry O'Brien |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Lou Scheimer |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Filmation |
| Distributor | Tribune Entertainment NBCUniversal Television Distribution (current, on behalf of DreamWorks Classics) |
| Release | |
| Original network | First-run syndication |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 8 – December 5, 1986 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Ghost Busters |
Ghostbusters (also known as Filmation's Ghostbusters) is an animated TV show from 1986. It was made by Filmation and is a sequel to their 1975 live-action show, The Ghost Busters.
It's important not to mix this show up with the famous 1984 Ghostbusters movie or its cartoon, The Real Ghostbusters. That movie came out first, and the creators had to get permission from Filmation to use the "Ghostbusters" name.
Because the movie was so popular, Filmation decided to bring back their own Ghostbusters characters. This animated series aired from September to December 1986, with 65 episodes. Even though the show was just called Ghostbusters, home video versions added "Filmation's" to the title to avoid confusion. You might have seen reruns of the show on channels like CBN Cable, The Family Channel, Qubo, or the Retro Television Network.
Contents
What is Ghostbusters About?
The story follows Jake Kong Jr. and Eddie Spencer Jr., who are the sons of the original Ghost Busters from the old live-action show. Their friend, Tracy the Gorilla, also worked with their dads.
Their secret base, called Ghost Command, is in a spooky mansion. It's surrounded by tall buildings, like the old World Trade Center in New York City. They get help from some cool sidekicks:
- Ansabone: A talking skull phone.
- Skelevision: A talking skeleton TV.
- Belfry: A pink talking bat.
- Ghost Buggy Jr.: Their talking car.
Sometimes, they also get help from Futura, a Ghostbuster who can travel through time, and Jessica Wray, a local TV reporter.
These heroes work together to stop the evil ghost wizard, Prime Evil, and his gang of spooky helpers. Prime Evil's base, called the Hauntquarters, is in "The Fifth Dimension." It looks like the Palace of Westminster in London, complete with a Big Ben-like clock tower. In most episodes, Prime Evil uses his magic to open a wormhole. This lets his henchmen come to Earth and try to help him take over the world.
Famous monsters like Dracula and the Headless Horseman even appeared on the show!
Like many Filmation cartoons from the 1980s, each episode ends with a lesson. Skelevision often shares this lesson, sometimes with Belfry or one of the Ghostbusters. While The Real Ghostbusters had the famous line "Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!", Filmation's Ghostbusters had its own catchphrase: "Let's go, Ghostbusters!"
Awesome Ghostbusters Toys
Schaper Toys made many toys based on the series. The action figures looked just like the cartoon characters! Each figure came with a small comic book that told a short version of the first five episodes.
The toy line included:
- Heroes: Jake, Eddie, Tracy, Belfry, Futura, Jessica.
- Villains: Brat-A-Rat, Prime Evil, Haunter, Scared Stiff, Mysteria, Fib Face, and Fangster.
Some figures had special accessories:
- Jake came with a backpack and a Dematerializer.
- Eddie had a backpack and a Specter Snare.
- Tracy had a backpack and Ghost Gummer.
- Belfry and Brat-A-Rat were packed together.
- Prime Evil had a removable cape.
There were also cool vehicles and play sets:
- Ghost Buggy Jr.
- Futura's Time Hopper
- Prime Evil's Bone Troller
- The Scare Scooter
- The Ghost Command play set.
The show's tagline was "So much fun, it's spooky!"
Meet the Heroes
- Jake Kong Jr. is the leader, just like his dad. He's great at coming up with plans to catch ghosts. His nose twitches when ghosts are near! He's voiced by Pat Fraley.
- Eddie Spencer Jr. is Jake's partner. He gets scared easily and can be a bit clumsy, but he always means well. He's voiced by Peter Cullen.
- Tracy the Gorilla is super smart! He invents all the cool ghost-busting gadgets and can even build new ones quickly. He's also very strong. Unlike the live-action show, he wears a fedora, backpack, and shorts. He's voiced by Lou Scheimer.
- Belfry is a pink bat who can make a powerful "Belfry Blast" sound. He sometimes joins the Ghostbusters on missions. He's voiced by Susan Blu.
- Futura is a purple-skinned Ghostbuster from the future. She has a flying scooter called Time Hopper and can predict the future. She also seems to like Jake! She's voiced by Susan Blu.
- Jessica Wray is a TV news reporter. She often reports on the Ghostbusters' adventures and sometimes goes with them. She's voiced by Susan Blu.
- Madam Why is a fortune-telling Roma woman who helps the Ghostbusters sometimes. She's voiced by Linda Gary.
- Ghost Buggy Jr. (G.B.) is the Ghostbusters' talking car with a Southern accent. He can change into different types of vehicles and even travel through time! He's voiced by Pat Fraley.
- Corky is Jessica's young nephew who sometimes helps out. He's voiced by Erika Scheimer.
- Ansabone is the talking skull telephone at Ghost Command. He often gives funny, sarcastic messages. He's voiced by Lou Scheimer.
- Skelevision is the talking skeleton TV at Ghost Command. He shows the Ghostbusters what problems they need to solve and often shares the episode's lesson. He's voiced by Lou Scheimer.
- Skelevator is the bony elevator at Ghost Command. It helps the Ghostbusters change into their uniforms. He's voiced by Erika Scheimer.
- Shock Clock is the talking cuckoo clock at Ghost Command. He's voiced by Erika Scheimer.
- Merlin is the famous wizard who has fought Prime Evil before. He's voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.
- Fuddy is Merlin's apprentice. Jake can try to call him for help with a magic spell. He's voiced by Lou Scheimer.
- Jake Kong Sr. and Eddie Spenser Sr. are the original Ghostbusters and the fathers of Jake and Eddie Jr. They sometimes appear in the show. They are voiced by Pat Fraley and Peter Cullen.
Meet the Villains
- Prime Evil: The main bad guy! He's a powerful wizard who looks like a robot with a human skull. He can shoot energy bolts from his fingers. He often calls the Ghostbusters funny names like "Ghost Blisters" or "Ghost Buzzards." He's voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.
Prime Evil's Ghost Minions
- Brat-A-Rat: A flying rat-like creature with a long nose. He's Prime Evil's right-hand man and loves to tell on others. He's voiced by Peter Cullen.
- Scared Stiff: A robot skeleton who gets scared very easily and often falls apart. He's voiced by Pat Fraley.
- Fangster: A werewolf from the future who wears high-top shoes. He's voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.
- The Haunter: A hunter with an English accent who loves to hunt ghosts. He often calls Prime Evil "old boy." He's voiced by Peter Cullen.
- Mysteria: The "Mistress of Mists." She looks like Morticia from The Addams Family and controls mist. She's very vain. She's voiced by Linda Gary.
- Sir Trance-A-Lot: A skeleton knight who rides a skeletal horse named Frightmare. He uses a lance that can make people fall asleep. He's voiced by Lou Scheimer.
- Apparitia: A powerful sorceress who can create all kinds of ghostly illusions. She's voiced by Linda Gary.
- Captain Long John Scarechrome: A pirate ghost with a hook and a peg leg, and an Australian-sounding accent. He's voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.
- Airhead: An overweight mummy ghost who isn't very smart and makes bad jokes. He's voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.
- Floatzart: A small ghost with music-themed powers, based on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He's voiced by Peter Cullen.
- Fib Face: A two-faced villain who can't tell the truth. He's voiced by Lou Scheimer.
- Big Evil: Prime Evil's powerful rival with four arms. He's so strong that Prime Evil once had to team up with the Ghostbusters to defeat him! He's voiced by Peter Cullen.
Cool Ghostbusting Gear
The Ghostbusters use many cool tools to catch ghosts!
- The Dematerializer: This is their main weapon. It shoots a beam that sends ghosts away to a place called limbo. However, it doesn't work on super strong ghosts like Prime Evil, or on vampires.
- The Ghost Gummer: This gun shoots sticky pink goo to hold enemies in place.
- The Spectre Snare: It shoots a coiled rope to trap ghosts.
- The Bubble Blaster: This fires soap-like bubbles that can trap a ghost inside a giant bubble.
- The Dematerializer Net: An energy net stretched across the Ghost Buggy that banishes ghosts when they touch it.
- The Ghost Packs: These are the backpacks Jake and Eddie wear. They hold many gadgets and can even act as jet packs! Tracy wears a bigger version.
- The Transformation Chamber: This is a special elevator at Ghostbusters HQ. Jake and Eddie use it to quickly change into their uniforms and get their Ghost Packs. They yell "Let's go, Ghostbusters!" and then go through a fun, acrobatic process to get ready.
- The Fright Freezer: A weapon on the side of Ghost Buggy Jr. that can freeze ghosts instantly.
- The Micro Dematerializer: A smaller, flashlight-sized version of the Dematerializer.
- The Ecto-Strobe: A device that flashes light to find ghost activity or temporarily stun ghosts.
- The Ghost Gobbler: A handheld weapon that fires an energy beam to trap ghosts. It can even shrink them down!
Episodes
The Filmation's Ghostbusters series had a total of 65 episodes. Each episode showed Jake, Eddie, and Tracy battling Prime Evil and his ghostly gang. They traveled through time, faced ancient monsters, and solved spooky mysteries.
Some notable episodes include:
- I'll Be a Son of a Ghostbuster: The first episode where the Ghostbusters meet Futura and learn about their fathers' past.
- Mummy Dearest: Prime Evil sends a mummy to cause trouble for oil workers.
- The Ransom of Eddie Spencer: Prime Evil kidnaps Eddie, but Eddie's clumsiness makes Prime Evil regret it!
- Going Ape: Prime Evil's cousin tries to frame the Ghostbusters by cloning Tracy.
- Inside Out: The Ghostbusters travel to the center of the Earth to fight Prime Evil.
- The Bad Old Days: Prime Evil's machine turns back time to an era when monsters roamed the Earth.
- Like Father, Like Son: A villain turns Jake's great-grandfather into a werewolf, which starts to affect Jake's family.
Comic Book Adventures
First Comics released a comic book series based on the show in 1987. It was planned to have six issues, but only four were published in the U.S. Later, all six issues (including the unreleased ones) were published in Germany. In the United Kingdom, some issues were reprinted in a hardcover book called Filmation's Ghostbusters Annual 1987.
Images for kids
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Title card for the show.
See also
In Spanish: Los cazafantasmas (serie de televisión) para niños
