On this day September 8 1986, Ghostbusters premiered in syndication, bringing a new animated adventure to kids’ television. Produced by Filmation, this cartoon was not directly tied to the blockbuster 1984 movie but instead revived the Ghost Busters property originally created by Filmation in the 1970s.
The series followed Jake Kong Jr, Eddie Spencer Jr, and their gorilla sidekick Tracy as they battled the evil Prime Evil and his army of supernatural villains. Using their ghost dematerializer and a variety of gadgets, the team faced weekly encounters with monsters, spirits, and other ghoulish foes.
Although it was often overshadowed by the more famous The Real Ghostbusters series that debuted around the same time, Filmation’s Ghostbusters carved out its own audience thanks to its colorful animation, campy humor, and imaginative villains. It ran for 65 episodes, enough to secure a spot in weekday syndication blocks and become a nostalgic favorite for many kids of the mid 1980s.
80s insight: Ghostbusters showed how the competition between studios in the 1980s often led to multiple versions of the same concept, giving viewers a wide variety of cartoon experiences tied to popular themes.
The series followed Jake Kong Jr, Eddie Spencer Jr, and their gorilla sidekick Tracy as they battled the evil Prime Evil and his army of supernatural villains. Using their ghost dematerializer and a variety of gadgets, the team faced weekly encounters with monsters, spirits, and other ghoulish foes.
Although it was often overshadowed by the more famous The Real Ghostbusters series that debuted around the same time, Filmation’s Ghostbusters carved out its own audience thanks to its colorful animation, campy humor, and imaginative villains. It ran for 65 episodes, enough to secure a spot in weekday syndication blocks and become a nostalgic favorite for many kids of the mid 1980s.
80s insight: Ghostbusters showed how the competition between studios in the 1980s often led to multiple versions of the same concept, giving viewers a wide variety of cartoon experiences tied to popular themes.
