Despite Ghostbusters' origins being very much aimed at adults, it's remained a mainstay in toy aisles and cartoons for decades. The latest Ghostbusters push started a few years ago tying in with the Paul Feige-helmed reboot and included partnerships with Playmobil, LEGO, and more. Since then, Ghostbusters has been a constant on the toy aisle, appealing to nostalgic collectors and new fans alike.
More recently, Ghostbusters has hit toy shelves with two major prongs: the adult collector aimed Plasma Series and a more generalized all-ages wave simply under the Ghostbusters banner. Both waves are getting some line refreshes in anticipation of Ghostbusters: Afterlife's release, including the particularly spooky Fright Feature ghosts for the all-ages line, which Hasbro provided to CBR for an early look. The figures may not look like much on their own, but they're instantly familiar to classic Real Ghostbusters fans.
Fright Feature is really just a throwback to the classic Kenner line, where each ghost was less an action figure and more a static model with some kind of play gimmick. For the 2021 Fright Feature wave, we got our hands on the two mainstays of the franchise, Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, as well as Afterlife's new mascot ghost, Muncher.
It's hard to say the figures maintain any sense of scale, given Stay-Puft is the same size as the Ghostbusters while Slimer towers next to them, but they are roughly 4-5" in height. While each figure is reminiscent of the ghost their designs are based on, there's a bit of artistic license taken to make them better fit the aesthetics of the all-ages line. Overall, that approach works. They're really interesting designs that stand out on a shelf and are immediately evocative of the classic characters you know and love.
Fright Feature does create some pretty memorable moments for your Ghostbusters toys to encounter, too. Squeeze together Stay Puft's legs, and he splits at the torso, spinning around as he grows even taller. There's even some dripping marshmallow detailing hidden beneath the waist cut in softer plastic to create a gooey effect. Slimer is just static on a stand in a fairly non-descript pose, but pressing the buttons on his back causes him to pop up and completely unhinge his jaw, revealing a rib cage and a massive tongue ready to consume anything in sight. The stand makes a lot more sense once you use this play feature -- there's a lot of power behind Slimer's play gimmick, and he flew around the table whenever we trigger it.
Muncher might be the least impressive of the bunch, but it's got the most memorable Fright Feature. In fact, it's got two of them. There's a mound of garbage he's holding in his mouth, but pushing the arm back allows you to simulate him catching it. There's also a translucent belly molded out of soft rubber with a stop sign and a fire hydrant barely visible through it. Pressing the two buttons on the back makes the stop sign and fire hydrant move to create a pulsating effect.
Equal parts throwback and new gimmick, the Fright Feature ghosts are honestly a lot of fun. Sure they're not aimed at collectors, but as a toy aimed at a four and up age range, they get the job done. The simplistic designs appeal to younger kids, and the clunky, dynamic Fright Feature themselves are sure to be endlessly entertaining. If you've got a kid who already has the incredibly stylized original Ghostbusters, or you're just looking to pick up a few spooky ghosts that will stand out on your shelf, you can't go wrong with this trio.
Ghostbusters Fright Feature Slimer, Muncher, and Stay Puft Marshmallow Man are available now for an MSRP of $10.99. CBR was provided with this product for review purposes.
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