The Real Ghostbusters, the continuing adventures of the team of paranormal investigators, became a staple for many growing up in the 80s. It’s not hard to see why it was so popular. It stayed true to the movie which spawned it and allowed the characters to grow in ways the films didn’t.
In celebration of the new Ghostbusters film, it’s time to take a look back and pick the best episodes to come out of the animated series. These are the 10 best episodes of the The Real Ghostbusters.
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10. Attack of the B-Movie Monsters
A late entry into the series as it was in the last season of the show but it still a lot of fun to watch. The team travels to Japan and finds the most popular one among them is Slimer. They also discover chemicals which are causing monsters from movies to come alive. Not only did this episode feature the team fighting against giant monsters (one of which was an obvious reference to Godzilla), but they were also supplied with the Ecto Ichi, a car which could become a hovercraft.
9. Night Game
After Winston sees something weird at a baseball game, he investigates and finds the stadium is an ancient battleground for the forces of good and evil. Teaming up with the forces of good, Winston conveniences the ghosts to hold a baseball game instead of fighting. As the game comes down to the wire with Winston at bat, the remaining trio are about to capture the ghost pitcher and stop the game, but are stopped by Egon who realizes that the side of good loses if they interfere. It’s an episode which showed that the team had to use more than just their proton packs if they wanted to save the day, and that sometimes you just have to work with the hand you’re dealt.
8. Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
The Sandman, a ghost with the power to put people to sleep wants to bring peace to the world. Unfortunately this peace comes at the cost of everyone sleeping for 500 years. Just as it seems he will win, the Sandman is defeated when Janine is put under his spell and her dream of being a Ghostbuster materializes. It allows her to strap on a proton pack and stop the Sandman’s scheme. This would be the first episode features Janine helping to trap ghosts but it would not be the last. When times got tough, the receptionist wouldn’t hesitate to jump into battle alongside the guys. Janine Melnitz, proving without a doubt that women can be Ghostbusters too.
7. The Collect Call of Cathulhu
No, it isn’t a typo; you are reading it right. There was an episode which featured the team fighting against Cthulu. When the Necronomicon, a powerful spellbook, is stolen by a Cult they use it to summon the sleeping god. It was then up to the team to find a way to put him back to bed or risk the world falling into madness. This episode was enjoyable enough as a kid watching the team fight a giant beast but now, knowing the history behind Cthulu and what he represents, it makes the episode even more enjoyable.
6. Knock, Knock
The doomsday door, a door holding back a large amount of ghost energy is discovered, opened, and causes the entire subway area to become something out of a nightmare. Though the team is able to stop it and return things to normal, the door is still there at the end of the episode and still saying “Do Not Open Until Doomsday” over and over again. Despite the fact the day was won, the brutal reminder of the fragility human race and the inevitable future of ghosts ruling the land was a lot to take in. It was kind of morbid in a way which made it more memorable.
5. Xmas Marks the Spot
After driving through time (just go with it), the team went back to 19th Century England and accidentally captures the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future as they were visiting Ebenezer Scrooge. When they return home they find no one has the joy of Christmas anymore because of it. They realize they have no choice but to head into the containment unit to get the ghosts back while at the same time fulfilling their duty and teaching Scrooge the meaning of Christmas. Holiday episodes can often be a so full of sweetness and cheer that they often rely on it actually being Christmas to be enjoyed. But this is rare one which can be entertaining at any time of the year.
4. When Halloween Was Forever
One of the most memorable aspects of this show was the different creatures they introduced. Some of which became major players in the Ghostbusters mythology. In this episode, the team encounters Samhaim, the spirit of Halloween. He casts the entire city into unending night in an effort to make Halloween last forever. On top of his devastating powers, he also has an entire army of followers waiting to do his bidding. Though he would be defeated, he would return again and be one of the few ghosts to do so. This helped to cement him in the community as being a force to reckoned with and one which should be feared if he decided to show his face again.
3. The Revenge of Murray the Mantis
One of the best things about this cartoon was the return of a certain villain who had totally reformed and was ready to fight on the side of justice. His name was The Staypuft Marshmallow Man. In his initial return, Staypuft had to come back out and fight against a group of spirits which took the form of a giant cartoon mantis balloon they had been inhabiting. It was the first appearance of the big guy in the series, but not his last as he was often called upon to help out the team later in the series.
2. The Boogieman Cometh
One of the most fearful characters ever introduced to the series was the Boogieman. His disturbing appearance with an enlarged head, disfigured teeth, and goat legs was bad enough, but he also spoke with the most raspy and unnerving voice ever recorded. He was revealed in this episode to be the reason why Egon had gone into paranormal investigation in the first place, making it his life’s work to study creatures like the Boogieman in an effort to protect others. He is also such a threat that the team often has to rely on experimental and prototype equipment just to take him down. He really is the creature of nightmares, and his first appearance was one of the best episodes of the series.
1. Drool, The Dog Faced Goblin
What are the best episodes of nostalgic cartoons? It can be argued they are the ones which told a deeper story and had emotional resonance in them. Episodes like “The Golden Lagoon” from Transformers which tried to look at the effects of war is remembered fondly by fans because of the emotional impact it had. This is why “Drool, The Dog Faced Goblin” is number one.
When investigating a carnival, the team meets Drool, a goblin who is using his shapeshifting to entertain the crowd. They leave when the owner insists Drool is friendly, but are plagued on their way home by the work of what could only be a shapeshifter. Just as they return and are about to capture Drool (thinking he caused everything), a phantom they had hunted previously appears, starts wreaking havoc, and they realize it was all his doing. In an effort to save his friends, Drool sacrifices himself, gets caught in a trap with the phantom, and is unable to be separated and return to the carnival. The episode ends with the carnival owner insisting Drool just wanted friends, the team feeling guilty for accusing him, and the image of the dangling ghost trap containing a good ghost who didn’t deserve his fate. It punches you in the gut, really teaches a great lesson about not jumping to conclusions, and makes you feel bad for poor Drool. This is why this episode easily took the number one slot on the list.
What are some of your favorite episodes of The Real Ghostbusters? Were there some which didn’t make the list? Post your comments below and let us know which episodes you enjoyed most.
