Stay Puft Marshmallow Man facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man
The film franchise's Mr. Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, as he appeared being a mascot of Stay Puft Quality Marshmallows, produced by the Parallax Corporation in 2012 and a licensed food product of the Ghostbusters franchise.
First appearance	Ghostbusters (1984)
Last appearance	Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Created by	Dan Aykroyd (original concept) Bill Bryan (design)
Portrayed by	Bill Bryan (suit actor)
Voiced by	John Stocker Frank Welker Ira Heiden Sarah Natochenny Shelby Young

The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, also known as Mr. Stay-Puft, is a famous fictional character from the Ghostbusters movies and shows. He often appears as a huge, slow-moving, and spooky monster. He first showed up in the 1984 movie Ghostbusters. You could see him as a logo on a marshmallow bag and on an advertisement. Later, he became the giant, physical form of an ancient god named Gozer. Since then, he has been in many other Ghostbusters stories, including the cartoon series The Real Ghostbusters, comic books, a stage show, and several video games.

What Does Stay-Puft Look Like?
How Stay-Puft Was Created
- Movie Special Effects
Stay-Puft in Games and Shows
Stay-Puft Merchandise
See also

What Does Stay-Puft Look Like?

The Stay-Puft Marshmallows Corporation's logo, appeared in the films Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Stay-Puft is a very large, white figure that looks like a human. He is made of many marshmallows stuck together. He wears a white sailor cap with a red ribbon and a blue hatband. Around his neck, he has a blue sailor's collar and a red neckerchief.

In the first Ghostbusters movie, after you see his image on ads, he appears as one of two forms of Gozer. Gozer is a powerful god that the Ghostbusters defeat when Stay-Puft is destroyed. In the movie, Stay-Puft is about 112.5 feet (34.3 meters) tall. In the video game Ghostbusters: The Video Game, he is called a Class 7 Outsider Avatar, which means he is a very powerful ghostly being.

Even though he starts out mean and destructive, he later becomes friends with Slimer and the Ghostbusters in the cartoon series The Real Ghostbusters. He even helps them solve problems sometimes!

How Stay-Puft Was Created

Dan Aykroyd, one of the creators of Ghostbusters, first thought of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. He wanted a character that looked "harmless and puffy and cute" but could turn "black and become evil" under the right conditions. In Aykroyd's early ideas for the movie, there were many giant monsters. But after working with co-writer Harold Ramis and director Ivan Reitman, they decided to keep only Stay-Puft as the main giant monster.

The look of Stay-Puft was partly inspired by a security guard named Peter O'Boyle. He worked at Columbia Pictures where Reitman was filming another movie. Stay-Puft's design also mixed ideas from other famous mascots. These included the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Michelin Man.

Gozer The Gozerian, manifests as a gargantuan iteration of the fictional corporate mascot, The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, as its Destructor Form and on a rampage across New York City in Ghostbusters (1984).

In the movie, Stay-Puft only appears for a short time. He is "conjured up" by the ancient god Gozer. Gozer asks the Ghostbusters to "Choose the form of The Destructor." This means whatever they think of will be the form Gozer takes to destroy the world. Ray Stantz, one of the Ghostbusters, accidentally thinks of the Stay-Puft marshmallow mascot. He explains that it "just popped in there" and he "tried to think of the most harmless thing." He thought Mr. Stay-Puft was "something that could never possibly destroy us."

Moments later, a giant Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man starts walking towards the building. The Ghostbusters shoot at him with their proton packs, setting him on fire. But they can't stop him. Then they get an idea: they shoot at the portal where Gozer appeared, crossing the streams from all four of their proton packs. This causes a huge explosion that destroys the portal and Stay-Puft. He melts into marshmallow cream that rains down on the building and the street below.

You can also briefly see Stay-Puft in an advertisement on a building. This happens when the Ghostbusters' headquarters roof explodes. A bag of Stay-Puft marshmallows is also visible in Dana's apartment.

Movie Special Effects

To create Stay-Puft in the movie, they used small models and special film techniques. A person named Billy Bryan wore a latex suit for the character. The suit had two layers: an outer layer that could catch fire and an inner layer that was fire-proof. Some small mistakes can be seen in the movie's Stay-Puft scenes. For example, he sometimes has a bow tie and sometimes doesn't. In other scenes, he seems to pass through a church instead of crushing it.

The face of Stay-Puft was controlled by a puppeteer named Terri Hardin. She used remote controls while lying under the miniature street set. This allowed her to control his face as Billy Bryan walked in the suit.

Stay-Puft in Games and Shows

Stay-Puft has appeared in many Ghostbusters games and shows over the years.

Video Games

In the 1984 Ghostbusters video game, small ghosts gather to form the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. He can destroy buildings. If enough ghosts enter the "Zuul Building," Stay-Puft blocks the entrance.
In the 1990 Ghostbusters game for the Sega Genesis, Stay-Puft appears as a boss. He punches buildings and uses special powers like breathing fire. He even shoots laser bolts from his eyes!
The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is a boss in all versions of the 2009 game Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
In Lego Dimensions, Stay-Puft is a playable character. He comes with a terror dog as his vehicle. He also appears as a boss in some levels.
He is featured in the 2016 Ghostbusters pinball game by Stern Pinball.
In the game Yo-kai Watch Blasters, the final boss is a giant, evil character based on Stay-Puft. However, its design was changed outside of Japan and Korea to avoid legal issues.

Stage Shows

In the Ghostbusters Spooktacular stage show at Universal Studios, Florida, the Ghostbusters destroy Stay-Puft directly. This is different from the movie where they close the portal.

After the First Movie

Outside of appearances in the television series, Stay-Puft (seen here menacing the Ghostbusters and Slimer) appeared in numerous issues of the various Ghostbusters comicbook series as well. From The Real Ghostbusters #138. Published by Marvel UK.

The cartoon series The Real Ghostbusters brought Stay-Puft back. In one episode, a ghostly Sandman creates a new Stay-Puft from a dream. In another episode, Stay-Puft is a special guest at a ghost convention. He is accidentally freed from the Ghostbusters' ghost storage unit in another episode but is later caught again.

In the episode "The Revenge of Murray the Mantis," Stay-Puft is released to help fight a giant mantis that is too strong for the Ghostbusters. Slimer helps control Stay-Puft. After they defeat the mantis, Stay-Puft floats behind the Ghostbusters in a parade. He helps them again in "Sticky Business" when the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Company wants to use him in a TV commercial.

An episode explains that Egon, one of the Ghostbusters, made a friendly version of Stay-Puft. He did this by taking a sample of marshmallow goo and giving it a positive charge. This friendly Stay-Puft helps the Ghostbusters when they need him. When a policeman asks about his changed personality, Peter, another Ghostbuster, says Stay-Puft is "all better now."

The 2009 video game Ghostbusters: The Video Game brings back Stay-Puft. He attacks Times Square in New York City. Stay-Puft can create smaller "Marshmallow Minis" to help him. The Ghostbusters fight him, and he falls and explodes, covering Times Square in marshmallow. Later, the characters realize that Gozer took the form of Stay-Puft again because it can only have one "destructor form" for each dimension. This means Ray's choice wasn't so bad after all, as Stay-Puft is slow and lacks bones, making Gozer easier to defeat in that form.

In the 2016 movie Ghostbusters, which is a different story, Stay-Puft appears briefly as a possessed Thanksgiving parade balloon. It pins down some of the Ghostbusters before they are saved.

A Mini-Puft, as appeared in the film Ghostbusters: Afterlife, created by Brynn Metheney.

In the 2021 movie Ghostbusters: Afterlife, tiny versions of Stay-Puft appear. They are called "Mini-Pufts." These Mini-Pufts are Gozer's mischievous helpers. They look funny, cute, and harmless because they are only 3.5 inches tall. But inside, the Mini-Pufts are chaotic and can cause a lot of damage when they work together as a swarm. They are like Gozer's little soldiers. These Mini-Pufts are similar to the "Marshmallow Minis" from the video game.

Stay-Puft Merchandise

You can find Stay-Puft on many different products, including:

Toys from the original 1986 Kenner line.
McDonald's Happy Meal toys.
Special monster model kits.
In 2009, Diamond Select Toys released a 2-inch mini-figure and an 11-inch vinyl bank of Stay-Puft.
In 2010, real Stay-Puft Quality brand gourmet marshmallows were released as official Ghostbusters products.
Mattel released a large, 20-inch tall Stay-Puft collectible toy in 2011.
In 2011, Rubie's Costume Co. made an inflatable Stay-Puft Halloween costume.
Diamond Select Toys released a light-up statue of Stay-Puft in 2011.
Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is a playable character in Lego Dimensions.
Funko has released several POP! Vinyl figures of Stay-Puft.
In 2016, Build-A-Bear Workshop released a stuffed Stay-Puft toy.
Around 2017, Playmobil created a Stay-Puft action figure.
In 2017, Bandai created an S.H. Figuarts action figure.
In 2021, Campfire Marshmallows released marshmallows with the Stay-Puft brand.
The Welsh brewery Tiny Rebel brews a marshmallow stout beer called Stay Puft.
IKON released a limited edition poly-stone statue of the character in 2020.