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10 Best Ghostbusters Toys (2022 Edition)

Aside from its memorable theme song and hilarious cast of characters, the Ghostbusters series makes for an excellent set of toys.

If your young one has recently started to show an interest in the Ghostbusters, there’s never been a better time to start using Ghostbusters toys. But how do you know which toys are the right ones to purchase?

In this article, we’ll review a handful of the best Ghostbuster toys on the market so that you will know what to get your child when they want to start busting ghosts on their time.

2022 Ghostbusters Toy Reviews

Mattel Ghostbusters Electronic Proton Pack Projector

The iconic Ghostbuster proton pack makes for an excellent toy because it lets your child create ghost busting stories for themselves. They can pretend to zap ghosts and then catch them with the trap.

Likewise, the proton pack gives your child a chance to make calls about when to cross the streams, when to take a scientific sample, and when to fall back to the station to regroup.

This toy is the best for playing in groups. Your child’s friends don’t necessarily need to have a proton pack for themselves to enjoy the playtime.

Best of all, this toy doubles as a costume. Your child can play with it during the year, then wear it as part of their outfit for Halloween. You’ll appreciate the multi-functional use of this toy, and your child will love the detail and ability to project a ghost on the wall using the built-in light.

PLAYMOBIL® Ghostbusters Ecto-1

With this PLAYMOBIL set, you will get a couple of mini-action figures, and the excellent Ecto-1 vehicle that the series is notorious for.

Your child will be able to re-enact all of the busting episodes which they love without having to worry about extensive assembly or missing pieces. Best of all, the entire set is compatible with all other Ghostbusters toys so you can add to your collection very easily.

Like other PLAYMOBIL toys, this Ghostbusters toy will require a modest amount of assembly. There aren’t very many variations of assembly, so it is relatively straightforward. This does, unfortunately, limit the set’s creative play potential.

Nonetheless, this set is a great starter pack for Ghostbusters. It can also easily add to a collection.

Mattel Ghostbusters ECTO-1 Vehicle and Slimer Figure

The legendary ECTO-1 makes another appearance in this toy with a slightly slimmer aesthetic.

This toy is made of high quality materials and will be with your child for a long time. You will also get a special Slimer ghost figure which can sit inside of the vehicle and provide a bit of light.

The play potential for this toy is limited only by your child’s imagination. Like other Ghostbusters toys, this toy is great to use in conjunction with others. You should be able to set up any kind of Ghostbusters-themed play without any problems.

You will probably need at least a couple of other Ghostbusters toys to go with this ECTO-1, however. The Slimer that comes with the car is decent, but it isn’t enough to make the toy shine when alone.

Purchase a few action figures of the human Ghostbusters, and your child will be ready for a great time.

Ghostbusters BOOMco. Sidearm Proton Blaster

While the proton blaster sidearm may not have had extensive coverage in the Ghostbusters films, your child will still love to play with it. The toy fires plastic darts which should be relatively innocuous if they are fired without malice.

Likewise, your child will find that the cool form factor and advanced look of the blaster make it enjoyable to use.

Your child will certainly need friends to horse around with and fight ghosts alongside when they use this toy, however. If you give this to your child alone, you may find that darts end up in all sorts of places that they do not belong.

The build quality of this toy is fairly good, but with enough abuse, the charging handle or firing mechanism might break.

Nonetheless, for casual ghostbusting, this toy is hard to beat. It is a great companion to a proton pack.

Mattel DRT51 Ghostbusters Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Balloon Ghost Figure, 6-Inch

As one of the most iconic villains of the Ghostbusters series, the Stay Puft man is both cheerful and intimidating. It will take your child and their friends some serious ghostbusting to get rid of this haunt.

The figure itself is thankfully only six inches high. This may make it a bit small for some ghostbusting applications, but your child should not mind very much.

The figure lights up when powered, which makes it extra spooky. For a child with a bunch of smaller Ghostbuster toys, this can be an alternative to the active play which the series largely favors.

This means that you can bring the gift of a Ghostbusters toy to someone who might not ordinarily enjoy playing with it. Remember, this character is a villain. Your child will need to have at least a few of the hero Ghostbusters on call before they can get the most out of playing with the toy.

Hot Wheels, Classic Ghostbusters Ecto-1 and Ecto-1A Die-Cast Vehicle 2-Pack

With these two Hot Wheels classic cars, your children can respond to paranormal incidents in your home with speed and vigor. Each of the two cars is great for puttering around the living room.

Both of the cars are high quality, but with aggressive play it’s no surprise that the paint can become chipped or scratched. Keep the young Ghostbusters in check and there won’t be any trouble.

Rubie’s Ghostbusters Child’s Costume

With this classic Ghostbusters’ costume and inflatable backpack, your young Ghostbuster will be ready to confront ghosts and other specters with style.

While you’ll still need to supply the right props like communications gear and utility belt items, many children will find the basic outfit to be more than enough fun in one package.

Ghostbusters Story Pack – LEGO Dimensions

The alternative dimension storyline of Ghostbusters is a new addition, but most children will take to the setting immediately, especially if they have seen the most recent Ghostbusters films or TV shows.

There are 261 pieces to assemble in this LEGO set, which means it’s very approachable for most children, even if they aren’t usually skilled at assembling LEGOs.

The only caveat with this pack is that it won’t offer much of a challenge for experienced LEGO builders.

So, while they might enjoy the Ghostbusters aspect of the experience, they probably will want a more complex LEGO set for when they want to buckle down and create something impressive.

Ghostbusters Little Golden Book

When you think of toys, you might not always think about books, but they are some of the first things kids play with. Books can be a part of your child’s nighttime routine at any age, and they help to bring new life to imaginative role playing or pretend play as well. The Ghostbusters Little Golden Book is no exception to these facts.

The book has vivid depictions of some of your favorite movie scenes, and includes the reboot version of the original Ghostbusters tale.

Little Golden Books design their stories for kids who are learning to read, which means it’s more than a toy, it’s also a tool. The book will bring parents a sense of nostalgia and kids a sense of wonder as they learn all about the crew that “ain’t afraid of no ghosts.”

LEGO Ghostbusters 75827 Firehouse Headquarters Building Kit

A rare piece with exceptional detail, the LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters Building Kit is an older child or collecting adult’s dream toy. It features the set and characters from the original 1984 Ghostbusters movie including nine mini-figurines.

The figurines featured in this set are of Peter Venman, Raymond Stantz, Egon Spengler, Winston, Zeddemore, Jenine Melnitz, Dana Barrett, Louis Tully, Zobie Driver, and the Library Ghosts. The set measures a massive 14-inches high, 9-inches wide, and 14-inches deep when it’s closed up, and 18-inches wide when it’s opened.

The three-story Firehouse Headquarters model features the laboratory, dark room, and so much more. The headquarters is interactive for fun role playing opportunities, but you can also build it and display your mini-figures as part of a collection or display piece for your home.

Although LEGO recommends this toy for kids 16 and up, you’ll know whether or not your child can handle it at an earlier age. It may also be a fun piece to build together as a family. You should probably stick with somewhat older kids, and definitely those who have some patience, but if you’ve got a big Ghostbusters fan in your home, this is an excellent option for them.

What To Look For In Ghostbusters Toys

Ghostbusters toys are the most enjoyable for children who like active play. Because of this, you should look for Ghostbusters toys which maximize the capability for active play rather than trying to compensate for the series weakness by picking Ghostbusters toys which are intended for stationary or creative play.

The best Ghostbusters toys work well with other Ghostbusters toys. This means that they are the same size or roughly occur in the same movie. Your child will probably not be bothered by any plot holes associated with playing with Ghostbusters toys of clashing eras, but you never know.

When in doubt, it is safer to purchase a Ghostbusters toy from the generation of films that your children know best. For most children, this will be the most recent series. If they haven’t ever seen the series whatsoever, they will probably have heard of the first series a bit more than the more recent series.

Make sure that your child has the right toys to make up the teams for the Ghostbusters toys. Your child can’t simply have an entire armada of ghosts with nobody to bust them. Likewise, your child’s Ghostbusters need some ghosts to bust.

There are, however, a few things which don’t add very much to your child’s Ghostbusters toys collection. These are mostly environmental or setting-related. The settings of the Ghostbusters series is the least important part, so you may want to only pick up those toys once everything else is accounted for.

Finally, pick the Ghostbusters toys that your child will identify with. Whether they prefer the nerdy Egon or the goofy Slimer, they will enjoy the characters that they enjoyed seeing on screen the most. Most of the characters have equal play value, so you won’t need to worry about getting a non-action oriented character as a toy.

FAQ

What Is The Over-All Best Ghostbusters Toy?

The best Ghostbusters toys are those that help your child roleplay as one of the Ghostbusters. Luckily, there are many active play type toys for this purpose. These include the proton packs, proton sidearms, jumpsuits, and other accessories.

While these aren’t the “best” in absolute terms, they are much better than other Ghostbusters toys because they help activate your child’s imagination more than stationary play with Ghostbusters toys would.

Stationary play toys are not playing to the series strengths, and so the toys are not the best either.

What Are The Best Ghostbusters Toys For Creative Play?

Ghostbusters toys are typically not the best type of toys for creative play. The building sets associated with Ghostbusters are limited, and they do not offer much creative freedom.

Instead of trying to squeeze the most out of these limited opportunities for creative play, it might be better to pick a different type of toy for creative play altogether.

In the event that you still want your child to get some exercise for their imagination from their Ghostbusters toys, you should opt for the Ghostbusters toys which promote roleplaying. These toys are the best that the franchise can offer as far as fun is concerned, so you shouldn’t need to look very hard to find a suitable toy.

What Accessories Are The Best For Ghostbusters Toys?

There are a plethora of accessories which can go with your child’s Ghostbusters toys. These accessories are easy to add on to other playsets, and will massively improve your child’s ability to conduct active and roleplaying type play with their Ghostbusters toys.

Many Ghostbusters toys are accessories in and of themselves. For instance, while your child may be using a proton pack as their primary toy while playing, other Ghostbusters toys like ecto-scanners and goggles can make the entire situation more real for your child — in a good way.

Other accessories might include things like Ghostbuster decals or articles of clothing like belts or boots.

While it is much harder to accessorize for the ghosts themselves with Ghostbusters toys, part of the appeal is that you won’t need to very much.

Most of the ghosts are entertaining enough in terms of their visuals. Your children will probably not be playing as the ghosts, so it is okay for them to be less complex.

If you are feeling like really spoiling your child, you can go as far as to get models of the ECTO-1 or other vehicles for your child to use while performing active play with the Ghostbusters toys.

These large accessories, while expensive, can really add to the horizons of your child’s Ghostbusters play by granting them a more true-to-plot experience.

Then again, if your child is not a big fan of the Ghostbusters movie, you can easily accessorize with other ghost-related toys from other series. This may be desirable if your child is bored of their current lineup of villains.

How Durable Are Ghostbusters Toys?

Most Ghostbusters toys are fairly durable. There are few instances of thinly molded parts, so you shouldn’t need to worry about your child breaking their Ghostbusters toys with active play.

Indeed, most Ghostbusters toys are intended for active play first, so they are built to accommodate the stresses of young ones with energy. Likewise, most accessories are build to last. If your child is careful, they could pass on the joy of Ghostbusters to their children too.