Ghostbusters Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Ghostbusters Wiki


The Ecto Goggles (also known as Ecto-Goggles, Ecto-Vistors, Infra Visors, Infra-Goggles, and Paragoggles)[1][2][3][4] are night vision headgear modified to aid in the detection of ghosts and other paranormal entities.

Canonicity[]

Ecto Goggles in the Primary Canon is developed from Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife. In Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), a Secondary Canon, Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II pre-date the game, Ghostbusters: Afterlife conflicts with the game. Ecto Goggles appears in the IDW Comic Series, a Secondary Canon, which follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II, also includes some elements from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) and Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Versions); as well as being canon to Tobin's Spirit Guide (Insight Editions). Ecto Goggles in Ghostbusters: Legion, deemed a Tertiary Canon, follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II. Ecto Goggles in the Ghost Busted manga, deemed Tertiary Canon, follows Ghostbuters (1984) and Ghostbusters II. Ecto Goggles in Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime video game, deemed a Tertiary Canon, follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II. Ecto Goggles in Ghostbusters: The Board Game and Ghostbusters: The Board Game II, deemed a Tertiary Canon follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II and elements from Ghostbusters: The Video Game and the IDW Comic Series.

History[]

Primary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters (1984)[]

The Ecto Goggles were first used by Ray Stantz at the Sedgewick Hotel on the Ghostbusters' first case and were mainly worn by him during the Gozer incident. After Ray sighted Slimer flying around a chandelier, the Ecto Goggles pinged and the readout on the left side went green. A number "01333.5" was displayed. Egon Spengler and Peter Venkman did however wear them briefly in the cases that followed. Egon wore his at the 126 Mulberry Street bust. Peter wore his at the Rockefeller Plaza.

Ghostbusters II[]

The Ecto Goggles are worn a few times by Ray. They are used by Ray when he and Peter go on a stakeout to catch the Jogger Ghost in Central Park. Ray hung his Ecto Goggles with a Trap on the right side of his Pistol Belt when the Ghostbusters filmed their new commercial, when they investigated the Manhattan Museum of Art, and when they arrived at the museum on New Year's Eve.

Before Ghostbusters: Afterlife[]

At some point after the Vigo incident, a camera function was added to the Ecto Goggles. Pushing a button on the right side of the goggles printed a Polaroid photograph.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife[]

In June 2021, Phoebe discovered the Ecto Goggles in a locker containing Uniforms in a laboratory under the Farmhouse property. Phoebe and her friend Podcast went to the Summerville Foundry to test the Proton Pack she completed. Podcast wore the Ecto Goggles and watched her destroy a line up of bottles. He declared that was the best thing he ever saw then snapped a photograph and it emerged from the left side of the goggles. He waved the Polaroid around. During the search for Muncher in Summerville, Podcast wanted to take a photograph of the ghost before they captured it and tried to get a good position in Ecto-1 but he stepped on a lever that inadvertently triggered the gunner seat and sent it and Phoebe outside. The Ecto Goggles were among the equipment confiscated by Sheriff Domingo. It was stored in evidence in a jail cell secured with an ANSI Class One electromagnetic deadbolt. The next day, Phoebe, Podcast, Trevor, and Lucky sneaked into the Summerville County Sheriff's Department to recover the equipment and Ecto-1 while the sheriffs were out responding to calls related to the ghosts infesting the town after Gozer was summoned. Phoebe recognized the deadbolt and stated it was unpickable. Podcast freed Muncher from the Remote Trap Vehicle and he ate through enough of the cell bars before it departed. They retrieved the equipment and left in Ecto-1 with Trevor. Podcast wore the Ecto Goggles for the duration of the battle in Summerville. It and Podcast were covered in the Mini-Pufts' residue after the remaining ones blew up following Gozer being trapped.

Secondary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters: The Video Game[]

During the Shandor incident on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the Ecto-Goggles served a much more prominent role in the tracking and capture of ectoplasmic entities. Each one of the Ghostbusters, (even Winston) wore and used the goggles at some point during the incident. During cases, the P.K.E. Meter and the Ecto-Goggles worked in concert to track and display P.K. Energy and Ectoplasmic phenomena in a way that was visually comprehensible and easy to understand; even for a Rookie.

See P.K.E. Meter & Paragoggles (realistic version) or P.K.E. Meter & Paragoggles (stylized version) for more information.

IDW Comics[]

Ray and Rookie are often the only Ghostbusters wearing the Ecto Goggles. During the Marie Laveau II case, Winston used a pair. In search of a Class 7 on the East Side, the Ghostbusters came upon the Emmanuel Baptist Church but were locked out. They opted to blow a hole in the building. As a precautionary measure, Ray tried out his Ecto Goggles' new thermal imaging feature and checked if it was all clear on the other side. He later examined Donatello with the goggles on. A new type was employed in the initial encounter with the Sandman. The Ghostbusters employed a new type of Ecto Goggles, equipped with night vision, while on Poveglia. Ecto Goggles were handed out to 101 Cadets for their assignment to temporarily neutralize the Manhattan network of Ley Lines and give the Ghostbusters enough time to trap the Bronx Spook. With the Ecto Goggles on, the Ley Lines was visible to the human eye and appeared as a white glow. The Ecto Goggles came of particular use during the Fort Washington Park case. One of its settings helped cut through some of the fog generated by the Doom Ghost.[5]

Tertiary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime[]

Ray wore a pair of Ecto Goggles while he and the team trapped the 9.5th ghost in a row due to supernatural activity caused by the Relic of Nilhe.

Function[]

Primary Canon Function[]

Often seen on Ray Stantz's belt, the Ecto Goggles are designed to allow the wearer to see invisible ghosts and visually track P.K.E. valences. A camera function was later added to take standard photographs and photographs related to ectoplasmic activity. On the right side of the Ecto Goggles are a set of buttons, including a red one and a black one, that operates the camera and prints the photograph. The flash unit pops up, the photograph is taken, and then the photograph prints out the left side.

Secondary Canon Function[]

Ghostbusters: The RPG Function[]

In the roleplaying game released by West End games, the Ecto Goggles are also said to have infrared Night Vision capabilities.

IDW Comics Function[]

The Ecto Goggles are capable of tracking down a specific entity by the psychokinetic energy it emits. They are also equipped with night vision and can allow sight of a ghost that has rendered itself invisible to the naked eye.[6]

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Function[]

Goggles specifically tuned to reveal psychokinetic energy elements that are invisible to the naked eye. Put on to see haunted objects, wall portals, extended ghost trails, hidden Rifts and objects the ghost is possessing when close enough.

Patch 1.3.0. fixed a bug where toggling the Ecto Goggles would break cause the gear equipping animation to not display properly, added a rechargeable battery, increased peripheral material effect, and fixed a bug where the Ecto Goggles SFX persists when returning to Firehouse.[7]

Patch 1.4.1 added an increased battery size and regeneration rate for the Ecto Goggles.[8]

Patch 1.5.0 fixed an issue where the Ecto Goggles would not behave properly when the Buster rapidly presses certain buttons, fixed an issue where the Ecto Goggles would not behave properly after using the R.T.V. Kit attachment, fixed an issue where the Ecto Goggles were not behaving properly when equipped with certain hairstyles and glasses, and fixed an issue where the Ecto Goggles could sometimes cause the Buster to enter a state where they are unable to perform any actions.[9]

Patch 1.5.1 fixed an issue where the Ecto Goggles could cause the Buster's character model to not behave properly.[10]

See Also[]

Trivia[]

Ghostbusters 1984 Trivia[]

  • An early version of the concept was a visor worn like an eyepatch-like monocle.[11]
    • A version of this concept later appeared in the IDW Comics, the Ecto Monocle.
  • The Ecto Goggles are a modified version of the U.S. Army's AN/PVS-5a night-vision goggles introduced in 1972.[12]

Ghostbusters II Trivia[]

  • On page 110 of the November 27, 1988 draft, the Ecto Goggles are referred to as "infra-goggles." Ray uses them to analyze the slime shell covering the Manhattan Museum of Art and determines they only made a temporary dime-shaped hole by singing Kumbaya.
  • Winston Zeddemore is the only Ghostbuster not to wear the Ecto Goggles in the movies.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trivia[]

  • The prop was made by Studio Art & Technology.[13]
  • The camera used for the Ecto Goggles was the Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera. The guts of the camera were stripped out then put into the Ecto Goggles prop. The frame holding the flash module that pops up was custom built.[14]
  • Logan Kim could barely see when he wore the Ecto Goggles during filming. He even hit Mckenna Grace's face by accident once.[15]
  • During one take, Logan Kim slipped and fell so hard, the Ecto Goggles came off and slid across the floor.[16]
  • The Ecto Goggles fell off Logan Kim's head over 10 times during filming.[17]
  • It took an hour to apply the marshmallow residue to Logan Kim. It was a substance with cornstarch in it. Some would be glued to his face. A separate Ecto Goggles prop was used that was covered in the substance. After awhile, it would harden like Jell-O and the flightsuit would get really moist and uncomfortable.[18]

IDW Comics Trivia[]

Appearances[]

Primary Canon Appearances[]


Expanded Universe

Secondary Canon Appearances[]

Tertiary Canon Appearances[]

References[]

  1. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1983). Ghostbusters (Final Shooting Script October 7, 1983) (Script p. 39). Line reads: "They also wear brushed-metal, flip-down ecto-visors worn on the head like a welder's mask.""
  2. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1983). Ghostbusters (Final Shooting Script October 7, 1983) (Script p. 52). Line reads: "Stantz removes his infra visor and wipes some slime off his face.""
  3. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (Script Revision November 27, 1988) (Script p. 110). Line reads: "Stantz inspects the walls of slime with his infra-goggles and finds that they only managed to open a hole the size of a dime.""
  4. Ray Stantz (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Version)- Welcome to the Hotel Sedgewick Level "After Ray Stantz and Rookie splits off from Peter Venkman after Rookie first fires at Slimer but misses." (2009) (PC/PS3/Xbox 360). Atari. Ray Stantz says: "The Paragoggles are linked directly to your active PKE Meter. This lets you see otherwise undetectable phenomena, while you track it. "
  5. Rookie (2018). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #3" (2018) (Comic p.8). Rookie says: "The Ecto-Goggles have a setting that'll help cut through some of this, especially if it's, um, ghost-based."
  6. Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes (2017). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters 101 #4" (2017) (Comic p.24). Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes reads: "They also allow for night vision, and to allow sight of a ghost that has rendered itself invisible to the naked eye."
  7. mp1st 12/13/2022
  8. GhostbustersSU Tweet 2/14/2023
  9. GhostbustersSU website "DLC 2 Patch Notes" 4/20/2023
  10. Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed "Patch Notes 1.5.1 (Hotfix)" 5/4/2023
  11. Wallace, Daniel (2015). Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History, p. 59. Insight Editions, San Rafael CA USA, ISBN 9781608875108. Line reads: "An early ecto-goggle concept imagines the device could be worn as an eyepatch-like monocle."
  12. Wallace, Daniel (2015). Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History, p. 58. Insight Editions, San Rafael CA USA, ISBN 9781608875108. Line reads: "The ecto-goggles in the film were modified versions of the U.S. Army's AN/PVS-5a night-vision goggles, which were introduced in 1972 and still in widespread use at the time the movie was made."
  13. Inguanzo, Ozzy (2021). Ghostbusters: Afterlife The Art and Making of the Movie, p. 116. Titan Books, London UK, ISBN 1789096529. Line reads: "The infrared ghost peepers got a retro-upgrade by Studio Art & Technology in Los Angeles with a new built-in component-a thermal Polaroid camera."
  14. @dreadmakerroberts TikTok "What camera was used in the Ghostbusters Afterlife goggles?" 00:01-00:20 1/12/2022 Ben Eadie says: "What camera was used in the inside of the Ecto Goggles? Well, it was an Instanx--Insta--in, I'll show a picture here. The guts of it was basically stripped out of this camera and put into the goggles. Uh, the flash module itself was used but the frame holding the flash module that pops up? That was a custom build."
  15. Ghostbusters YouTube "GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE - Filmmakers and Cast Twitter Spaces Recap" 42:05-42:18 6/24/2021 Logan Kim reads: "I'll tell you one thing about them. I can barely see out of them on set. I remember there was-was like tunnel vision. I had two little slots like it's sea-and one time I was turning my head too fast and I accidentally McKenna in the face."
  16. Ghostbusters YouTube "GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE - Filmmakers and Cast Twitter Spaces Recap" 42:34-42:40 6/24/2021 McKenna Grace reads: "There was a point that you slipped and you fell so hard on set they fell off your head and just went across the floor."
  17. Ghostbusters YouTube "GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE - Filmmakers and Cast Twitter Spaces Recap" 42:41-42:43 6/24/2021 Logan Kim reads: "I think they've fallen like more than ten times."
  18. Yes Have Some YouTube "Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Logan Kim Interview - YHS Podcast" 24:32-25:13 12/1/2021 Logan Kim says: "So it was a mix of of like this marshmallowy substance with cornstarch in it or whatever and it would kind of become Jello almost and they-it was an hour long process and they would glue some to my face all around and then the ecto goggles were not actually there. It was just they were but it was kind of a a separate prop that was covered in the goop so it was just-just the tips hanging out. You could see. They would just put other shaving cream on me so just to add to the effect-it was a-the suit was really moist. Not very comfortable."'
  19. Egon Spengler (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4" (2020) (Comic p.10). Egon Spengler says: "Those Ecto-Goggles were never properly sterilized after..."

Gallery[]

Primary Canon Images[]

Secondary Canon Images[]

Tertiary Canon Images[]

Behind the Scenes Images[]

Advertisement