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Ectoplasm (also known as Ghost Slime and Ectoplasmic Residue) is a substance that comes from ghosts and outworldly beings. It usually appears in a form of a slimy green substance, but sometimes is visually completely absent, leaving only energetic traces Egon usually finds with his gear.

All ghosts and paranormal activities are considered to be "ectoplasmic" by Ghostbusters, leading to the conclusion that it is a scientific equivalent to the occult term "magic power". It is speculated that it is the state of being which the outworldly creatures like ghosts and demons take in order to enter our realm.

It appears in all Ghostbusters media.

History[]

Primary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters (1984)[]

Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler encountered a translucent ectoplasmic residue left behind by the Library ghost. Peter was tasked with collection a sample in a Plastic Petri Dish but it got all over him. He rubbed it all over several books. Peter was later covered in Ectoplasm after Slimer charged into him at the Sedgewick Hotel. Egon asked Ray to save a sample of it for him. Peter remarked he felt so funky.

Ghostbusters II[]

Psychomagnotheric Slime is a form of Ectoplasm whose polarity is relevant to the mood of the environment it is located in. It was first encountered during the Vigo the Carpathian incident in 1989. Positively charged slime was added to the Ghostbusters' arsenal. Psychomagnotheric Slime has been known to animate objects ranging in size from a simple fur coat to the Statue of Liberty. In moments of extreme anger, it has been known to animate spirits.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife[]

Muncher left blue Ectoplasm behind on every object in Summerville he took a bite out of.

Secondary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Version)[]

Ectoplasm[]
EctoplasminGBTVGRVIcon
According to Tobin's Spirit Guide[]
  • Catergory: Class I Supernatural Secretion
  • Type: Environmental (Inert)
  • Weakness: Scan only
Notes:[]

A thick, viscous substance, ectoplasm is formed when ghosts interact with the physical world. Usually seen as a viscous, mucuslike slime, ectoplasm has also been encountered in mistlike and even crystalline forms.

Contact Protocol:[]

Standard Ectoplasm is an environmental substance that you will come across very often. It has no observable behaviors and thus requires no contact protocol. After scanning once, you know everything you need to know.

Manifestation Point:[]
  • Everywhere
Ectoplasmic Residue[]
EctoplasmResidueinGBTVGRVIcon

The Ectoplasmic Residue are slimy ectoplasmic left-overs of the ghostly activity.

According to Tobin's Spirit Guide[]
  • Catergory: Class I Supernatural Secretion
  • Type: Environmental (Inert)
  • Weakness: Scan only
Notes:[]

Ectoplasmic Residue identifies ares of paranormal contact or interaction. While some ectoplasm can be seen with the naked eye, Ectoplasmic Residue can only be seen while using the P.K.E.-enhanced Paragoggles.

Contact Protocol:[]

Like Ectoplasm, this has no observable behaviors. The only difference between this and regular ectoplasm is that some ghosts leave Ectoplasmic Residue behind, providing an ethereal trail of bread crumbs for you to follow.

Manifestation Point:[]
Black Slime[]

Black Slime is specialized form of negatively hypercharged ectoplasm that was described by Ray Stantz as being highly toxic to both body and soul. Treatment with positively charged slime to negate it was an absolute requisite before stepping into an area that had been coated with it.

Other Ectoplasm[]

The Cult of Gozer also kept Blue and Yellow Ectoplasm in the Slime Laboratories of Shandor Castle.[1] The function, if any, of these two strains were never revealed.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Version)[]

Ectoplasmic Residue[]
EctoplasmicResidueinGBTVGSVIcon
According to Tobin's Spirit Guide[]
  • Category: None
  • Abilities: None
Tobin's Summary:[]

Ectoplasmic Residue occurs when a spirit passes from the ethereal plane into our physical plane. The ectoplasm is the means by which the spirit can affect physical objects and force its will into physical reality. Fortunately this substance in its basic form isn't harmful, but merely stomach-turning and messy. I'm still studying the causative relationship between this slimy substance and the spirit that carries it with them, whether the plasm is a side effect of the interdimensional penetration or if the spirit manifests it intentionally.

Egon's Notes:[]

Since the advent of our protonic equipment, ectoplasm is a double-edged sword for these wayward spirits. In the same manner that it provides them with a grasp on the physical plane, it also allows our Blast and Capture Streams to latch onto the spirit, leading to their untimely capture.

Ray's Tips:[]

If you get it on your clothes, use bleach.

Supplemental Data[]

The art page can be found in Shandor's Island, during the "Shandor's Island" section. It is in a corner of the missing pump wheel room.

IDW Comics[]

All entities, including ghosts, demons, phantoms, specters, spooks, ghouls, and poltergeists, leave behind ectoplasm when they make contact with something or someone in the physical world. Even those that can maintain full corporeal form but they tend not to leave behind enough ectoplasm to be visible to the naked eye. A P.K.E. Meter is required to pick up the microscopic traces. [2] Over the years, the Ghostbusters encountered several kinds of ectoplasm and certain colored types come with their own special properties.

Known Varieties[]

Standard Ectoplasm[]

Also known as Green Ectoplasm, it is the most common form of residue seen. It ranges in shades from a bright forest green to a very gray with a light green shimmer. Slimer is known to emit very green ectoplasm while the Library ghost left behind a very opaque shade of it. The ectoplasm doesn't easily launder out of clothing or hair and is known to cause gastrointestinal distress if consumed.

Psychomagnotheric Ectoplasm[]

See Psychomagnotheric Slime

Black Ectoplasm[]

See Black Slime

Necrotic Ectoplasm[]

See Necrotic Slime. Necrotic Ectoplasm is considered to be the most potent strain of Black Ectoplasm.[3]

Yellow Ectoplasm[]

See Yellow Slime

Red Ectoplasm[]

See Red Ectoplasm

Purple Ectoplasm[]

See Purple Slime

Trivia[]

  • In the first movie, most of the Ectoplasm was a methylcellulose compound, a powdered thickening agent used in pharmaceuticals and food products, except for the ecto shower accompanying the Containment Unit shut down. Water was employed in order to preserve the costume worn by Harold Ramis for the scene because it needed to be used again and was one of a kind. [4][5][6]
  • Blair Adhesives made 165 gallons of ectoplasm for the first movie.[7]
  • On page 23 of Ghostbusters 101 #3:
    • In the standard ectoplasm section, Smells "Funky" is a nod to Peter's statement of feeling so funky after he was slimed by Slimer in the first movie.

See Also[]

References[]

  1. Winston Zeddemore (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Version)- Lost Island Rising Level "When Rookie and Winston enter the Slime Labs" (2009) (PC/PS3/Xbox 360). Atari. Winston Zeddemore says: "There's blue slime, pink slime, yellow slime."
  2. Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes (2017). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters 101 #3" (2017) (Comic p.24). Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes reads: "Entities that are able to maintain full corporeal status tend not to leave behind enough ectoplasm on contact to be visible to the naked eye, but make no mistake, even in microscopic amounts, it's there. And detectable via PKE."
  3. Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes (2017). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters 101 #3" (2017) (Comic p.24). Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes reads: "Highly dangerous, highly toxic. Black slime should not be approached, inhaled, stared at too long, or even mocked. The most potent strains can force an absorption of raw PKE that can mimic the effects of a possession, but without a driving intelligence -- basically turning into a zombie (not necessarily the cannibalistic ghoul found in pop culture, but an aggressive, mindless mound of flesh). The slime also attacks on the cellular level, causing painful sores to appear, internally and externally."
  4. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 81 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Joe Day applies 'ectoslime' to Bill Murray. In reality, the gooey substance was derived from methylcellulose ether -- a powdered thickening agent used in pharmaceuticals and food products."
  5. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 143 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Although a methylcellulose compound had been developed for the ectoslime featured earlier in the film, the ecto shower outside the firehouse was acheieved quite simply with water.'"
  6. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 143 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Joe Medjuck says: "We had intended to use something very slimy and gooey, and have it pour down on everybody - which, quite frankly, the actors weren't looking forward to it at all. As it turned out, though, Harold Ramis was wearing a suit in the shot that we were going to be needing later. And since we had only that one particular suit, we were afraid of ruining it with our ectoslime. So we had to settle for regular water. Since they had to be drenched in the stuff, the actors were greatly relieved.'"
  7. Discovery YouTube "Mike lives his lifelong dream of getting slimed! | Dirty Jobs | Discovery" 6:39-6:40 3/10/2023 Scott Hegar says: "165 gallons.'"

Gallery[]

Primary Canon Images[]

Secondary Canon Images[]

Behind the Scenes[]

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