Ghostbusters 2 Louis Tully/Slimer

If you, like most people, were unable to get the first Ghostbusters Minimate four-pack, then you could pick up some of the characters via the Toys Я Us-exclusive packs. But until now, the four-pack was the only way to get resident sad sack Louis Tully. After being possessed by a Terror Dog alongside his friend Dana Barrett, Louis Tully's world was opened up to the paranormal like he never thought possible. Though still an accountant, Louis isn't afraid to step up and battle ghosts with the best of them. Well, no, he is afraid. Terrified. And he's also not very good at it. But when the real Ghostbusters [ha! --ed.] get trapped inside the Manhatan Museum of Art, Louis decides it's up to him to save the day, so he puts on a spare jumpsuit and runs to the rescue! Until he gets winded a few blocks from the firehouse, and has to take a bus the rest of the way. Hey, what do you want? Proton packs are heavy! We've previously discussed the fact that all the Ghostbuster Minimate torsos are unique, but Louis bucks that trend - of course, it's with a purpose. See, Louis didn't have his own suit, so he wore one of Egon's when he tried to be a hero. Appropriately, this is the same chest cap that the Egon figure had - although in a bit of an error, the nametag on the pocket says "Tully," not "Spengler." Fun detail, though? The logo on his right arm is the modified Ghostbusters 2 symbol. It was the same way in the movie, so good work. Just as the role of Zeddemore was originally written for Eddie Murphy, Louis Tully was meant to be played by John Candy. When Candy backed out, the role was given to another SCTV alum, Rick Moranis. The likeness on this tubular head is very good, though it's undoubtedly assisted by the glasses and the well-duplicated hair. His mouth is accurately lopsided, and he generally has a look of deep worry. There is one error with the likeness, though it was clearly made in service of a better toy overall: in the film, Louis was wearing earmuffs when he had on the uniform; without them, this hair (or this head, if need be) can be used to make a "plain" Louis Tully. Since he reuses a Ghostbuster chest cap, Louis has the usual proton pack, gun and snap-on proton stream. The stream, since we've never adequately described it, is a rippling, twisting cone, cast in translucent orange with blue "veins" snaking their way around the surface. It's not a perfect representation of the beam, but it's about as good as you could hope for on a toy. While Egon had a PKE meter on his belt, Louis just gets a small black radio. One of the least understood ghosts ever encountered by the Ghostbusters team, Slimer seems to have a limitless appetite for any and all forms of food - including an otherworldly green juice often sold in small boxes with straws. Okay, now that's just awesome! We've said before that Slimer is more famous for selling juice than he is for being in Ghostbusters, and the bio paragraph on the back of this set just confirms it. "An otherworldly green juice often sold in small boxes with straws" is a clear reference to Hi-C Ecto Cooler, the '90s beverage of choice for Generation X (at least until they discovered Crystal Pepsi and then Zima). Outstanding! So far, these TRU two-packs are the only way to get Slimer - he hasn't been released in any of the larger sets, and isn't on the schedule for them, either. You want the series' unoffical mascot, it's TRU or nothing. [You're forgetting the Previews exclusive two-pack, with the GitD Slimer. --ed.] The first release was translucent green plastic, while this one is solid. His head and chest - okay, his whole body, basically - is a single, spud-shaped piece, with a large butt, a point on the back of the head, and a few sculpted wrinkles. This piece fits over the head, torso and arms of a standard Minimate body, while a translucent stand keeps him floating, just like the Chef Ghost. The prototype photos of this Slimer made him look terrible, with all kinds of overlapping lines creating a muddy mess. The final figure is better, though the fact that he was designed with a nose is apparently a sticking point among the fandom. I can kind of see their point (no other Minimate has ever had a nose), but still, the addition of the sculpted "body" means this figure is way beyond the norm already. If they wanted a "real" Minimate Slimer, he'd just have a Kingpin/Blob-style chest cap with a normal head. Then the lack of a nose would be fine. It's worth noting that there may be more at work on Slimer's design than you think. Yes, it's entirely possible that this is just the random design Art Asylum came up with, out of the blue. But when you look at the specifics - the shape of his cheeks, the wrinkles on his forehead, the way he's holding his tongue up and to the side - they seem interestingly similar to the Slimer illustration on the Ecto Cooler labels. That, coupled with the veiled reference on the back of the box, makes it clear that this really is meant to be a toy version of the drink mascot more than the movie monster. -- 11/01/09

Tweet