The Unconventional Guide to Ghostbusters Gifts and Collectibles

In 1984, it seemed like Ghostbusters was everywhere in one form or another. I remember hearing the song constantly on the radio, seeing movie trailers on TV, and everyone asking each other the burning question:

Who ya gonna call?

I was such a dorky kid, I was clueless.

My sister asked me the hip new question while she was driving me around in her Thunderbird one day.

My response?

Umm...Momma?

As I said earlier, Slimer scared the heck out of my seven year old self. He was green and gooey, and, well, a creepy looking blob.

After watching the movie for the, I don't know, fifth or sixth time, Slimer gradually started to grow on me. As more time went by, the cuter he became.

Too bad the same wasn't true for some of my boyfriends.

But I digress.

Slimer really wasn't supposed to become as popular as he did. In the original movie, he didn't even have a name.

The poor guy was only known as a "focused, non-terminal repeating phantasm or a Class 5 full roaming vapor." 

But Slimer didn't let that get him down.

The ghostly version of a trash compactor, Slimer ate, burped, and gassed his way into the hearts of America and eventually got a starring role in the cartoon, "The Real Ghostbusters."

The Stay Puft Marshmallow man was one of my favorite scenes from the entire movie. He looked so soft and cuddly and innocent, I just wanted to squeeze him and take him home with me.

Up until the guys ticked him off with their proton streams that is.

Then I was like, Daddy, take me home.

If there ever was a character that made a perfect pillow pet, it's the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

In this non-evil form, he's everything you'd think Mr. Stay Puft would be: soft, huggy, and comforting.

Even if your kids haven't seen the movie yet, their fluffy marshmallow man will soon become their favorite toy.

And if we're being honest here, I'm sure the big kids reading this will want their own fluffy marshmallow man, so buy two so you don't have to share.

Looking back, all of the Ghostbusters men were kinda cute in a geeky kind of way. But in 1984, I had a major crush on Ray.

I thought he was so cute and funny, I just knew we'd make the perfect couple if he'd just meet me.

That's not to say I didn't like the other guys. They were just as awesome in their own weird way.

Why couldn't they have had cute plush toys like these when I was a kid? Ray would have been my constant companion.

I guess we just weren't meant to be.

But these officially licensed plush toys can be enjoyed by the youngest to the oldest Ghostbusters fans. They're washable, super soft, contain no small or removable parts, so they're even safe for babies.

When I was seven, if I wanted to play with Ghostbusters toys, I had to bum action figures off of my boy cousins.

It's hard to believe that toys I once played with are now considered antiques. I wish I would have swiped some of my cousins' army of action figures, because now original Ghostbusters toys are sought-after collector's items.

Ghostbusters was a low budget movie from the '80's that unexpectedly became a cult classic. It's fresh and entertaining, even 30 years later.

Whether you're more, um, mature like me, or you've only recently seen it, Ghostbusters is a movie you can watch over and over again and never get tired of.

Here's to 30 more years of Ghostbusting fun!