Slime Blower
Encyclopedia
The Slime Blower is a Ghostbusting tool first introduced in 1989's Ghostbusters II
. This piece of equipment is a metal tank strapped to the back of its user, with an attached sprayer used to project streams of the psychomagnetheric "mood slime" that has been positively charged in order to neutralize its negatively reinforced counterparts. Used only by Winston Zeddemore
and Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters II, the slime blowers are used to spray positively-charged slime on the inside of the Statue of Liberty
, Vigo the Carpathian, and later, Ray himself. Egon Spengler
is briefly seen working on one.
A toy Slime Blower was released with the Kenner Real Ghostbusters toyline, known as the Ecto-Charger Pack. Unique to the Ghostbusters comics, the "Ecto-Splat" is a flamethrower-like device similar to the Slime Blower. It fires a hard jet of ectoplasm, which can damage or break up ghosts. As it fires it makes a noise spelled "zzax".
or Universal Studios
as several proton pack
s and ghost traps have. No one is sure of where they're being stored, or if they even exist anymore. It's possible that the slime blowers are simply locked away in a forgotten storage building, or were disassembled so their parts could be used on other props in other movies.
A new picture of the slime blower has been posted to Sony's official Ghostbusters
website in conjunction with the promotion of the new Blu-ray disc. While not positively a "new" picture it is believed to be fairly recent which would mean at least one slime blower is still in existence in Sony's warehouse.
. Known as the "Ectoplasm Distribution System" it is incorporated directly into the Proton Pack and is an important tool in the Ghostbusters arsenal used mainly to disperse negatively charged "Black Slime" and to free other Ghostbusters from becoming possessed by ghosts with such ability. It also featured a secondary function in the Realistic Version - called the Slime Tether - which enabled the player to fire a strand of slime, which would attach to two points and pull the attached objects together, solving many of the game's puzzles. In the Stylized Version, the Slime Tether is replaced with Slime Mines that, when fired, disperse a large amount of slime over a wider area.
It uses a strain of self-regenerating positively charged green (instead of pink) ectoplasm (which presumatively reduces the size of the blowers plasm tank), developed through Egon's and Ray's ectoplasm research and experiments.
Possibly owing to its brief screen time and a lack of in-depth plans, the slime blower is easily the least popular prop for fans to replicate. Although a number of sets of plans have emerged in the past, there is currently no set that gives complete instructions, measurements, and a parts list. A few fans have built slime blowers using plans of their own creation, one going so far as to say that a slime blower is easier to build than a proton pack...if you can find the right parts, that is.
Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II is a 1989 science fiction comedy film produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Ghostbusters and follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities...
. This piece of equipment is a metal tank strapped to the back of its user, with an attached sprayer used to project streams of the psychomagnetheric "mood slime" that has been positively charged in order to neutralize its negatively reinforced counterparts. Used only by Winston Zeddemore
Winston Zeddemore
Winston Zeddemore is a fictional character appearing in the Ghostbusters films, TV series, and video games. He was played by Ernie Hudson in both movies and was voiced by Arsenio Hall in the first two seasons of The Real Ghostbusters. Buster Jones provided Winston's voice in the remaining seasons,...
and Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters II, the slime blowers are used to spray positively-charged slime on the inside of the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
, Vigo the Carpathian, and later, Ray himself. Egon Spengler
Egon Spengler
Egon Spengler is a fictional character appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters and later Extreme Ghostbusters. He is a member of the Ghostbusters, and one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team...
is briefly seen working on one.
A toy Slime Blower was released with the Kenner Real Ghostbusters toyline, known as the Ecto-Charger Pack. Unique to the Ghostbusters comics, the "Ecto-Splat" is a flamethrower-like device similar to the Slime Blower. It fires a hard jet of ectoplasm, which can damage or break up ghosts. As it fires it makes a noise spelled "zzax".
Theatrical Props
It is believed that only two slime blowers were built for Ghostbusters II. The slime blower props used in the film have disappeared and have never been displayed at Planet HollywoodPlanet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood, a restaurant inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood, was launched in New York on October 22, 1991, with the backing of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.-History:...
or Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
as several proton pack
Proton pack
The Proton Pack is a fictional energy weapon used for weakening ghosts and aiding in capturing them within the Ghostbusters universe. First depicted in the film Ghostbusters, it has a hand-held wand connected to a backpack-sized particle accelerator...
s and ghost traps have. No one is sure of where they're being stored, or if they even exist anymore. It's possible that the slime blowers are simply locked away in a forgotten storage building, or were disassembled so their parts could be used on other props in other movies.
A new picture of the slime blower has been posted to Sony's official Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
website in conjunction with the promotion of the new Blu-ray disc. While not positively a "new" picture it is believed to be fairly recent which would mean at least one slime blower is still in existence in Sony's warehouse.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
A Mark II version of the Slime Blower is featured in Ghostbusters: The Video GameGhostbusters: The Video Game
Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a 2009 cross-platform action game based on the Ghostbusters film franchise. Terminal Reality developed the Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions, while Red Fly Studio developed the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii versions, and Zen Studios...
. Known as the "Ectoplasm Distribution System" it is incorporated directly into the Proton Pack and is an important tool in the Ghostbusters arsenal used mainly to disperse negatively charged "Black Slime" and to free other Ghostbusters from becoming possessed by ghosts with such ability. It also featured a secondary function in the Realistic Version - called the Slime Tether - which enabled the player to fire a strand of slime, which would attach to two points and pull the attached objects together, solving many of the game's puzzles. In the Stylized Version, the Slime Tether is replaced with Slime Mines that, when fired, disperse a large amount of slime over a wider area.
It uses a strain of self-regenerating positively charged green (instead of pink) ectoplasm (which presumatively reduces the size of the blowers plasm tank), developed through Egon's and Ray's ectoplasm research and experiments.
As props in the real world
It is worth noting that, despite how they appear in the movie, the slime blowers are not functional without external power. In a number of shots, large cables can clearly be seen running from the backs of the slime blowers to presumably offscreen power sources and pumps (screenshot). If the slime blower was an actual piece of equipment, it would be extremely heavy and could not hold the amount of liquid seen in the movie.Possibly owing to its brief screen time and a lack of in-depth plans, the slime blower is easily the least popular prop for fans to replicate. Although a number of sets of plans have emerged in the past, there is currently no set that gives complete instructions, measurements, and a parts list. A few fans have built slime blowers using plans of their own creation, one going so far as to say that a slime blower is easier to build than a proton pack...if you can find the right parts, that is.